Larry St John & Co

This post is long overdue! I have ordered many pieces of furniture from LSJ and have been very happy with each one of my purchases! They do an outstanding job on their furniture and service! I love the fact that many of their pieces can be customized. Thank you Larry St. John!

I am so impressed with this business. I recently remodeled my home and was trying to find a large grey coffee table on wheels with 4 matching end tables, We googled it and couldn’t find any coffee tables we liked except one and even though it was very good looking, the reviews all spoke of the poor quality. I know 2 people that bought bedroom sets years ago from Larry St John & Co and raved about the quality. However, I wasn’t sure since they got such mixed reviews, but after looking for so long, I decided to take a chance.
The place looked so small but was full of furniture, but nothing like I wanted. Rene showed us how to use the computer and we found lots of designs. We found one we liked but we wanted to reverse the drawers from top to bottom. We forgot our measurements so had to come back the next day. Rene had advised us to put towels on the floor in front of our sofa and that would give us an idea of how a table would look there. It was a great idea and worked for us.
Marty waited on us the next day and sketched a picture of what we wanted. We told her we wanted end tables that matched but with no wheels or drawers. She sketched that also and took our measurements, and we chose a silvery grey stain on reclaimed wood and she did advise us that it might not look exactly like that because it would depend on what kind of reclaimed wood they used. We were told it would take 3 – 6 weeks.
When I got home, I realized I didn’t have anything in writing for a warrantee. I called Marty and ask for something in writing. I received an email from Larry St John explaining the warrantee so I had something in writing.
Of course, we had hoped it would be 3 weeks but you know it never is the shorter time range. Then I panicked because I was having company the 4^th of July, and I had no tables as I had donated mine to Salvation Army. The 6^th week was supposed to be the week after July 4^th. I called and spoke to Rene and asked him if there was anything he could do to make sure we had it the 4^th of July.
Rene was able to push our order through and said it would be delivered Friday (the day before the 4^th). But we were going to be out of town so I asked for delivery on the 4^th, Saturday. Rene said our area was Friday deliveries, but he would work it out. We got it early Saturday afternoon, but it was a darker gray. I called Rene and he said what Marty had said that it depends on the wood used. He said he knew we needed the tables for our company that evening so to keep them for now and then later they would put another light stain on top.
As it ended up, we really liked the dark gray color and our friends did too. Everyone loves our tables and said to keep them this color and we agreed with them. However, we noticed the big coffee table was not perfectly level. We called Rene the next day, and within about a 10 day period he came out to the house with 4 new wheels (incase that was the problem) and with some pieces of wood. He changed all the wheels and then added a couple of pieces of wood between a wheel and the table, and the table was perfectly level. By the way, it was our floor that was the problem, not the table.
In the meantime I had found a little strip of wood in a very hidden place on the table that was a shade lighter. I pointed this out to Rene while he was there. Within a short time, he came out again and added another coat of stain and sealant so the area matched perfectly, and then he gave me some so that if I scratched the table or whatever, I could fix it in the future.
My tables are all gorgeous, and I am so impressed with the service that I could give nothing less than 5 stars. My phone calls and emails were answered promptly, and we are so happy with how great everything looks. My friends are very impressed too and will be ordering there when they need new furniture. It is so nice to get the exact size and style I wanted and with a reasonable price tag! The great service was extremely important to me too.

I have nothing but great things to say about Larry St. John. The quality and selection is superior, and I have always found their prices to be better than any competitor. I have basically outfitted my entire home with custom-​made furniture from here — night tables, dresser, coffee table, end table, leather sofa, desk for my office, custom-​made book shelf to fit the specific dimensions of my office, china hutch and bar stools. Rene, one of the owners and sales people, goes out of his way to do things right and to hook you up on price. I don’t even consider going to another furniture store anymore (and I’ve purchased plenty of piece in the past at other LA furniture shops, i.e., the string of them in Culver City — but never again).

Let me start by saying that my brother and I both purchased expensive custom sofas from here. They are great. The leather is nice and hold up well to normal wear and tear. For this, I cannot complain.
The service sucks. The couch was delivered to my house and when the delivery guys put my sectional together it was crooked. Only after they left did I notice that the leather was damaged in two of the back sections of my sofa. I immediately called customer service and left a message. A woman called me back and told me to send an email with pictures so I did (of both the crooked brackets and torn leather). A week later I was contacted by phone by someone who said they’d send a technician out to fix it. No one contacted me since. I called a few times and a month later I received a do-​it-​yourself leather patch kit in the mail?! WTF? I paid over $ 3000 for a damaged sofa and this is all I get in return??? Never again.
UPDATE: So I got a call from Rob the new owner and they made things right. They picked up my sofa and fixed the damaged ends and returned my sofa. I appreciated everything they did free of charge. Unfortunately they forgot a bracket on one side so I had to fix it myself (once I went to the LSJ to pick up a bracket).
Overall, the quality of my furniture is first rate. The service is better with the newer staff (the original CSR I dealt with is gone). When I went to the store to grab the bracket, I saw a bed frame I want… I think I’ll go back there again for more furniture, hopefully with better delivery service next time.

Amazing selection — these guys can order or custom build anything! We had a gorgeous upholstered sleigh bed made and delivered. Every step was excellent. Their customer service was fantastic. Delivery and setup was very reasonable too and they did nice things like make sure everything was aligned just as I wanted it in the room, making sure to be neat and tidy, washing their hands before unwrapping the bed to make sure it didn’t get dirty, etc. Will definitely use them again. And their prices are great.
The online site shows only a small fraction of what they can do. The location is totally random but the shop/​warehouse is worth a visit! Really unique place.

Update:
Update on the quality of the bar I purchased. I want to say this bar has not been relocated since it’s initial purchase. It is used as a bar storing alcohol, glasses and does not see daily use. Cracks have started forming in various locations, one is even big enough I can stick a sheet of paper in it. I have $ 30 Ikea furniture that doesn’t do this. Ridiculous.
Search for their old Unilocal page (from before their move) where they managed a ONE star rating from 11 of their 42 reviewers. So 25% of the reviewers regret doing business with LSJ.

We bought couches and a mattress from this store over a year ago. The mattress was roughly $ 1300 and we bought it on sale for $ 900. The salesperson told us that it is manufactured by a family owner company in California. I liked the idea of a small family owned business which is why I chose this store to begin with instead of going to Living Spaces or a Sit N Sleep type of place. Give the little guys a chance, right? Well everything went well during the ordering process and we were happy with the product initially.
It has been a year and a half and the mattress is sagging and developing lumps in strange places. I mean literally, the mattress developed an incline. So, I put in a call to LSJ. I received a prompt response and provided all of the requested information. I receive an email instructing me to bring my mattress to them for assessment.
Um…they want me to haul a Cali King out to Gardena for them to determine whether there is a problem, then ship it off to the manufacturer who will then «repair» not necessarily replace my mattress and I will have to transport the mattress back to my house myself. This process will take two weeks.
This is the email I sent in response verbatim:
«Uh no I cannot And will not haul a california king to you all the way to Gardena. It is not our fault the mattress has issues at barely a year and a half.
This has to be dealt with efficiently and quickly. We cannot be without a bed for however long it takes for you get this sorted out. Normally, a reputable manufacturer sends out a representative to check the mattress and makes their determination.
Please provide me with the manufacturer information so that I can contact them directly.»
Mind you, I am pissed that my ¹¹⁄₂ year old $ 900 mattress is morphing.
THIS IS THE RESPONSE I RECEIVE BACK FROM THEM:
5:58 PM (19 hours ago)
to me
Hello Shirin,
You are responsible for having the mattress brought back to our warehouse for warranty repair.
We recently moved from Figueroa to to Broadway just a few blocks down the street from our previous location. The address is 17 021 S Broadway Gardena CA 90 148. Please make a note of it.
You do not make demands of us. We both have rights and responsibilities within the limits of a warranty.
We will take care of the interaction between us and the manufacturer.
You are not entitled to make unreasonable demands and any such further nonsense will be ignored.
If your car breaks down you cannot demand the manufacture pick it up.
Once your mattress is received by our warehouse it will take approximately 2 weeks for a repair or replacement.
Please keep correspondence professional and we will extend the same courtesy to you.
Thank you,
Robert
Sent from my iPhone
Pretty sure the email speaks for itself. This is how they deal with customers that complain about defective products. Do yourself a HUGE favor and stick with the corporate chain stores. In fact, to make certain that my request was not «unreasonable nonsense», I called one of these chains and chatted with the guy about how THEY would handle this situation. He indicated that they send out a 3^rd (neutral) party to your home assess the mattress. If they find that it is defective, they arrange the pick up and replace the mattress. How this chain store handles it is industry standard folks. That is how it should happen. Shouldn’t have to be berated by an unprofessional jerk because the product they sold you is defective.
BTW, there is no written policy stating their procedures and they do not provide warranty paperwork at the time of purchase. Of course, it was my fault for not making sure I walked away with warranty paperwork at the time of purchase, but nevertheless the correct way of handling it would be to cite the warranty and attach a copy instead of berating a customer. If that is even what the warranty states. I couldn’t tell you because no one provided me with the paperwork.
So, I called the manufacturer myself. Very nice lady. Responsive. But she wants me to bring her the mattress all the way to Corona for REPAIRS. She promised a copy of the warranty outlining this bizarre policy, but it has been two hours and nothing yet.
Anyhow, didn’t expect a defective $ 900 mattress, but it is. Didn’t expect such a lack of professionalism and such a discourteous response from LSJ, but I got one. And didn’t expect to have to either haul a Cali King to BF Egypt or pay a comp to do it, but that is the only option apparently. So, I am out $ 900 bucks, stuck with a crap mattress until next time when I will return to a corporate giant to avoid this headache.

I had been in search for a new china hutch for a couple months but everything I found was either cheap looking or way out of my price range. Two friends told me about Larry St. John so my husband and I decided to check it out.
They had a couple of hutch models on the floor, but they weren’t quite what I wanted. I had seen one at Pottery Barn that I loved. Marty ended up coming up to us and asking if we had questions. I told her what I was looking for, showed her a picture of it online and she told me that they could make it no problem. When she quoted me the price, I was floored. It was almost half of what the Pottery Barn one was. The other amazing part was that we were able to make modifications to the Pottery Barn design to better suit our needs and choose from a large range of wood/​color options (part of the benefit of custom made furniture!)
It took about 8 weeks to get, but it was also over the Holidays, so I think normally big pieces take about 6 weeks. We received it today and I am absolutely in love! It is exactly what I had envisioned and the quality is phenomenal. I think it looks better than the pottery barn one!
I highly recommend this place. I know the other Unilocal listing had negative reviews (a lot of them about communication and time to get furniture). I didn’t have any issues with communication and yes mine took a bit long, but I think its well worth the wait for good, quality furniture. We are already planning our next purchase!
I posted a photo of the hutch as reference.

Wanted a liquor cabinet to store the bottles that were taking up too much room in the limited cabinet space I have. Unfortunately, everything I could find online weren’t designed well for a good collection and were WAY out of my budget.
Heard about Larry St. John and how they could make custom wood furniture and I got everything I wanted! I put a design together and took it to Rene. Rene helped me with some design ideas; walked me through our molding, stain, and handle selection; and helped me make sure I stayed in my price range (as in the, I can only afford Ikea price range).
Once I put down our deposit, he told us it would be 3 – 5 weeks and it was ready in 3 ½. No complaints there! Now I’ve got a shelf large enough for those tall bottles, small enough for the bitters bottles, a pull-​out drawer, pull-​out work surface, some wine lattice, and plenty of other shelf space for more bottles. Not to mention something that’s sturdy enough to last forever and look great in my living room.
It’s a shame they had to move from their old warehouse to a much smaller place without the space for the variety and character the old one had. But don’t limit what you want to what they have! They design!