Review on Cherry Shaker Cottage Bookcase by Alaterre Furniture with 2 Shelves by Jackie Wilson

These bookcases are beautiful—when done right. I ordered two of these and got the first one together with relatively little trouble. The problem was that the parts were not labeled as advertised. After putting together countless ready to assemble (RTA) furniture like this, I'm the best at this. Add to that the fact that I've worked for several RTA furniture companies at an executive level and I can easily find myself spotting poorly worded end-user assembly instructions like the manufacturer of this product. If poorly designed instructions were the only problem I wouldn't give this bookshelf 2 stars. The 2 stars I am giving is because the second of the two items I ordered was not made correctly. The drill holes on one side did not match the holes and dowel positions on the middle shelf. In this case it was physically impossible to assemble the bookcase and I had to ship the bookcase back to Revane. It might not seem like such a big deal, but believe me, it was. Unpacking the pieces of this bookshelf so you can put it back together is no small feat. The parts are not lightweight and are wrapped in paper and plastic. Repackaging parts and putting them back in the styrofoam sleeve they come in for reshipment is almost a sobriety contest at best. For real. However, I repackaged a faulty bookshelf and Revain kindly arranged the return and credit. I then went online to a privately owned furniture manufacturer's website and bought a ready-assembled solid wood two-shelf bookcase for the same price. Actually two. They are beautiful and made to high quality standards. They fit perfectly in my office. This Shaker bookshelf was my aesthetic passion, but when I discovered the appalling quality control standards in the manufacture, I was deeply disappointed and frustrated. Luckily I was able to recover quite well. just be careful If you order this item you have a 50/50 chance of ordering and receiving a properly made bookshelf. And keep an eye on the assembly instructions, which will require mental correction for proper assembly.