Restoration Hardware Furniture
I went into a Restoration Hardware store on Monday in the local mall while my wife was in Banana Republic as I wanted to go check out their leather furniture since its very 'trendy' and many people think its the hot licks. Why? I don't know.....because what they are putting out and selling to the customer reminds me of those $ 200 jeans they sell to the hipsters that are already shredded with holes all put in them. I was stunned at how lousy it looked, and poorly executed. If this showed up out of the box and my store from a supplier, I'd be on the phone mad as a hornet and giving my supplier the 'what for'. Now, you can take the Casco Bay approach and say "Well, sure - Duane here is going to trash them because he's trying to sell us Hancock & Moore, he's a competitor". I get that. But on the other hand, what if I showed you some photos, told you how it supposed to be done and then YOU decide for yourself if this is future landfill material or something that will give you a lifetime of service and look good doing it? Usually I'm not so bold as to take photos in another retail store, but I had my iPhone with me and I couldn't resist. What made it worse was there was a couple there discussing among themselves about buying the sofa and it was all I could do to stay quiet and not say anything to them about what they were going to spend their money on, but I could barely contain myself...lol.
Let's take a look at some of the glaring faults on their floor models that really jump out at me. This is only what I can see from standing over the pieces, too. If I could flip 'em over and explore the inside from the bottom I'd have a whole lot more to write about. Tell ya what, use your own eyes and common sense when shopping and spending your hard-earned dollars. Put aside the fact that Restoration Hardware is supposed to be 'cool' and look things over with a critical eye before you buy - pick up on things such as I detail here, they're right here in front of you if you look and it doesn't require a formal education in furniture to see this. This is not meant to be a Restoration Hardware bash - this are the things you look for, its educational. If this were a $ 599 Costco Sofa, then O.K.....but its not. For what they charge for these pieces, you can go to most any furniture store and get a better piece for same money. Just sayin'.....
I have to say i was really stunned. I expected better. Babbled on to my wife about it for at least 15 minutes afterwards! On the positive side, it made me feel really good about the product my suppliers put out.
Last edited by drcollie; 09-03-2014 at 10:37 AM.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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