Lounge Lizard — Local services in Portland

Very weird, semi-discriminatory experience with the staff at Lounge Lizard

I went here on 8/11 to potentially buy a couch, and the staff made me feel deeply uncomfortable, and like I was doing something wrong.

To give context, I have a speech disability which means that my voice sounds a little weird to people that aren't used to it.

The way that I intended to shop for couches was to try out different couches I liked visually, and see how they felt over the course of a conversation I was having with my friend who was with me.

As a person with chronic pain, sometimes whether or not a couch or chair causes physical discomfort isn't apparent until twenty minutes after sitting down. As couches are a relatively major purchase, it is important that I know whether or not it's comfortable for my body. I'm not sure what the staff thought was happening instead of what I've described above, which is partially why I'm choosing to clarify.

The staff seemed immediately unnerved by my presence, and within ten minutes of sitting on the first couch I found, they sent someone over to investigate. I think it's important to be clear that this action was clearly not a routine "hi how are you," this person silently sat down right next to me and stared at me until I gave him my attention. I don't know if this person was just unsure how to proceed, but it felt super uncomfortable on my end.

My friend and I were then followed around the shop by a different staff member wearing a George Clinton shirt. This person checked in on us every five minutes. This person also seemed to assume I was deaf, and tried to mitigate that by speaking louder, more simply, and gesturing a whole lot. None of which would actually be helpful to someone actually deaf, but I guess that's besides the point.

At multiple points in this experience I communicated directly with the staff using a written note app on my phone, hoping that would make them less nervous about me and my intentions. After about an hour of this guy following us around thinking I'm deaf despite us - - I thought - - making it pretty clear that we didn't need assistance, I finally take it on myself to tell this person that I'm not deaf and he can speak normally if he'd like.

To his credit he did apologize in a way that seemed genuine, and he seemed to be really embarrassed about the whole thing. It wasn't my goal to make him feel bad, I just didn't feel like the way he was treating me was the way he'd treat other customers and I was hoping that giving this bit of personal context would make him stop and leave us alone.

He didn't, though, he just doubled down on it and maintained that same uncomfortable focus on us.

I felt sort of forced to interact with this person and engage in conversation, then when we finally left to leave (without a couch) he just gave us a cold "yeah thanks".

I have considered the possibility that Lounge Lizard pays commission, and that what this person was doing may have been partially because of that. I understand this - but even if this is the case, Lounge Lizard staff should be trained on how to treat people with disabilities and how to cultivate an accessible and inclusive sales environment - as it is extremely clear no such training has been implemented.

This is not an isolated incident, it's just the most severe. I've lived in Portland for over a decade and Lounge Lizard is a place I often end up at whenever I want to buy a weird lamp, and I've always felt low-key uncomfortable with the way the staff treat me.

I don't write reviews and I'm not a vindictive person, I know that my experience is not going to be the experience that most able-bodied people have at Lounge Lizard. I'm writing this in hopes that somebody at Lounge Lizard sees it and takes concrete steps to make Lounge Lizard a more welcoming place for people with...

I recently purchased two colored hanging light fixtures at Lounge Lizard on Hawthorne Blvd. The store describes itself as an "eclectic emporium showcasing an ever-changing variety of mid-century furnishings, decor & lamps".

I purchased a longer hanging light for $179 and a round one for $99. I had a $100 store credit so I put the balance of $178 on my credit card. These were to be the focal points in a guest bathroom in my new home.

The fixtures were very dirty. The metal top of the taller fixture was caked with dust, which I cleaned off with a soft bristle toothbrush. To wash the glass, I held it under cool water, and the color immediately started to slide off. I did not use anything to wash it other than the running tap water: no cloth, sponge, or brush. The color appeared to have been spray-painted onto the glass. I set it on some paper towels to air dry. The color on the smaller globe did not wash off. (Picture 1)

Three days later, I brought the fixtures back to Lounge Lizard and spoke with the owner, Chris. I explained what happened and requested a refund. I said it looked like the color was sprayed onto clear glass and sold as pink glass. He tried to convince me this is how it is made: dipped into a resin to add color. When I again asked for my money back, he said I destroyed a vintage piece and that he would not take it back.

I am very familiar with vintage glass and I know it is not dipped in resin to give it color. Even if it were dipped, the color should not wash off in plain water. I believe the item was misrepresented as vintage colored glass. Depression-era glass has the color infused into the making of the glass (picture 2). Carnival glass had both infused color and a coating to give it an iridescence (picture 3). Both of these types of glass can be washed without the color coming off.

The Lounge Lizard owner makes a lot of reproduction pieces, including lamps, shades, and wall clocks and does his own repair of fixtures. I don't know what was done, nor by whom, to this clear glass piece to give it color.

It was misrepresented as a vintage color light fixture, and I would like my money back for both fixtures at this point. I do not want a store credit as I will probably never shop there again. A reputable store owner should stand behind his products and provide a full refund if the customer is not satisfied with the quality...

Furniture is fine. Store is fine. It is what it is. That's not what this review is about. The review is about their delivery service.

They have 2 tiers of delivery. One is a fee to have them drive it to the address and drop it off outside. The other is to have them deliver it inside. DO NOT utilize this second service. It is a ripoff. You will still have to carry stuff for the delivery people. It is not a full door to door delivery. Also, my delivery was 45 minutes late and when I called to ask them what was going on they laughed at me and said I should know better that they are always late. They ghosted me when I attempted to contact them to discuss my dissatisfaction with having to carry my furniture when I paid them an additional fee for them to deliver it inside. When I requested this service, I specifically described my needing to have the furniture delivered inside. They just nodded along and never mentioned once that I would be expected to actually carry the furniture myself. At best this is a complete failure in accurately describing the services they provide to their customers. At worst, it's a ripoff to double dip on collecting fees while having the customers actually perform the...