Valley Weekend : Store Shaves Prices on Furniture, Carousel Horses : Art Carvers in North Hollywood offers steep discounts on pine designs and custom work.

All good bargain hunters share one rule when tracking a good buy: Whenever possible, deal with the manufacturer. With middlemen eliminated, costs drop drastically.

So it follows that whenever you can deal directly with an artisan, who probably sells to retailers, in essence you are going to the “factory.�

Art Carvers makes pine furniture and carousel horses. By buying such items from the “factory� in North Hollywood, there’s money to be saved. Another plus in dealing with the maker is that custom touches can be had at no extra cost.

With the country look so popular now, the price of high-quality pine furniture at many retail sources is too high for most of us. And as a general rule, pieces that are affordable are not well made.

At Art Carvers, I found prices 35% to 50% lower than average retail, and the products are excellent. Most of the furniture made by Art Carvers is of ponderosa pine using pegs and dowels; if any metal parts must be incorporated in the construction, they don’t show.

Recently, I saw a drop-leaf harvest table at a retail outlet for $685. At Art Carvers, there was a handsome 22 1/2-inch-by-72-inch drop leaf, which would be perfect as a sofa table or buffet table, for $395. A trestle table with an almost medieval design measures 34 inches by 72 inches and sells for $495.

Because prices here are the same wholesale prices that retailers pay, one can only guess what the markup would be at many stores. Figure double.

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One customer brought in a photo of a desk and wanted a coffee table and a sofa table made to match. This called for a scalloped apron, rounded corners and a finish to match the sample drawer he provided. The total came to $703.63 for both custom pieces.

The carousels are a delight. Hand-carved reproductions, they are painted by Disney artists with colorful jewels and brass poles and come on rockers or bases. At prices from $1,500 to $3,500, they still are considerably less expensive than other reproductions I have seen and much less than antique horses. You can even choose the colors to match a specific decor.

On any of the handmade pieces at Art Carvers, a 50% deposit is required.

Art Carvers, 10726 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 763-8722. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday. 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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* WEEKEND SUPER SALE: If Armani is the look you love in men’s suits, here’s a way to save big. This weekend only, it’s $100 off all men’s suits at Alandales, where the focus is on high-quality European designs of high-twist (that means wrinkle-resistant) Italian fabrics. The prices are always 35% to 45% off retail. For example, a fashion-forward suit that would sell elsewhere for $1,000, sells regularly for $595, but this weekend it’s another $100 off. Alandales, 10500 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 838-8100. Hours: Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.