Maybe its just they don't make too much solid wood furniture these days, due to scarcity perhaps and that has driven the prices of these things up.

Ooh, I bet you're right on the money there. Plus, the expectation seems to be that you'll purchase most of your furniture from Ikea (or Amazon or wherever) and ditch it every time you move. Whereas I prefer to have sturdy, well-made stuff that I take with me. And so it goes.

Thanks for the good wishes. ^^ The search continues...