Blu Dot Outlet — Local services in Minneapolis

I'm re-posting a review I left with Design House in Vancouver, as it also relates to my experience with Blu Dot.

I’ve dealt with many retailers over the last year as I’m midst a large scale renovation, and my dealings with Design House (and Blu Dot) has been nothing short of bizarre. I strongly recommend you do not purchase anything from this store, unless you are perhaps local to Vancouver and are certain nothing will need to be returned.

I had a $10k budget for a library and in good faith spent around $5k for a Blu Dot circa coffee table and Blue Dot bookshelves. I could have purchased them on Wayfair but I like supporting small businesses where I can. On the coffee table’s first use (maybe owned for a few hours), I placed an average coffee table book on the surface and when I moved it, it scratched the entire surface of the table. Did they forget the sealant? I’m not sure but this table was clearly not fit for purpose. I contacted the store for a refund, and initially I got a surprised and sympathetic response, but the owner then ghosted on me after saying he’d liaise with Blu Dot to get it sorted. Many weeks passed with no contact, so I got in touch with Blu Dot to file a complaint. Blu Dot was at first great in handling the situation and agreed the scratches were not acceptable and the table would be picked up and a refund processed. And then they ghosted too. I can’t explain the situation as I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes here, but I will never again have any dealings with either brands and I encourage you...

I am beyond happy with my experience with Blu Dot, and especially within their Outlet store here in NE Minneapolis! I called ahead to ask if they might have something in stock, and even though the item wasn't on the floor at the moment-- the employee I talked to went and checked their recent delivery to see if any were included-- and they were! They kept the chairs for me behind the cash wrap so I could review them before purchase-- and when I arrived another helpful employee was installing feet on the chairs. Talk about prompt and ready!

I've been to a lot of high-end furniture stores and their outlets all over the states (Restoration Hardware, ABC, HD Buttercup, DWR outlets) and by far-- the staff at Blu Dot were the BEST! Friendly, patient, and helpful-- all while managing a busy store with lots of customers.

The outlet store itself is BIG but not overwhelming-- also, all of the furniture is arranged together so you can see how tables and chairs work alongside one another, or even how to arrange a living room with various pieces....

You can find some really nice things at the outlet for reasonable prices ("reasonable" considering the quality you get) after heavily discounted marked tags. I'm a believer in "you get what you pay for" and it shows because many of their furnitures and home goods are of very high quality. I've been shopping around for a very nice lamp, and at other places that only sells mass-produced lamps (i.e. Target, IKEA, Home Goods, etc); a really nice one runs $75-100 complete (base + shade). Today, I picked up an extremely nice complete lamp at Blu-Dot for $149 (originally $295) that is carved out of solid piece of premium wood (the grain looks like Walnut). Yes, it's a little more than a mass-produced lamp, but it looks so darn eye-pleasing. My next purchase there will be a nice chair to go with the Blu-Dot desk I just got. The staff there are also really nice...