Leaders Furniture of St. Petersburg — Local services in Saint Petersburg

This review is about two things, great outdoor furniture and a wonderful, old-school sales pro, David McClaren.

We purchased a new home last summer on Tampa Bay and we wanted furniture for our open floor plan that will last.

Living surrounded by salt water is a challenge for outdoor furniture. As boaters, we knew the salt air and water will corrode any metal and the Florida sun will make most fiberglass and plastic brittle until it cracks. Even the famous Sunbrella fabric will eventually rot and rip.

We made the rounds on the giant box stores, the Amazon’s, etc. pretty much stock and standard. No warranty, no guarantees it will last more than a season. In 20 years of Florida living, we’ve replaced a small fortune in outdoor furniture. We wanted furniture that looked good, was comfortable and will last. I’ll summarize our search—more of the same, all price ranges, and no guarantees.....until we got to Leader’s.

Last Oct we walked into Leader’s in St Pete. David spotted us, but let us browse comfortably. He came over and introduced himself and did something that I have not experienced in years. He asked us what we needed…not a sales pitch, not a used car spill on the items we had browsed. Nope, he started the dialog with wanting to understand our needs and requirements. We talked about the environmental things I mention above—David added to our list, by making us think about colors and fabrics and HOW the furniture was made. He then, in my mind, closed the deal—he talked about their warranties and how Leaders will still be here when our grandkids take the furniture.

After a detailed discussion of their manufacturing processes, my engineering husband was thrilled, and I was sold on their warranty program. They stand behind their product…if a chair “rust” through next year, I will NOT be talking to a manufacturer rep in China. I will call David, and if David moves, I will call their service center in Florida. And understand, their warranties vary from product to product—our major sitting area has a 10 year warranty. Other products vary between 3 and 5 years. But the bottomline, when you leave Walmart it’s yours for better or worse, and based on experience, you will be replacing at least half annually.

We received our first furniture order before Christmas; our second order arrives this week. I can already assure you this furniture is WELL made. Suffice it to say, it’s been put to the test due to stupidity on my part and not a scratch on it.

If you want outdoor furniture that will last, from a local company, with 50 years in the Florida market, just go to Leaders—and...

An unexpected more than pleasant experience. At first look we thought this was low grade furniture with little to choose from. Upon entering the store we were greeted from a slight distance by two friendly females who were already busy but took the moment to acknowledge our presence.Then we got an eyeful of amazing presentations of a large variety of beautiful rattan and upholstered furniture with accessories and decor fitting of a luxurious a resort. We expressed interest in firepits which were aplenty in styles and shapes and Christine showed us a booklet of everything that was available. But our attention was drawn away to the furniture on which we were sitting and that lead us to view every setup in the homely showroom. We couldn't decide what would be the best look and fit for our newly renovated Florida room so Christine offered a booklet of all the styles and upholstery available which also indicated sizes among other information. We returned a few days later and although Christine was with another customer, she took a few moments to address us and say she would be with us shortly. She did just that and worked with us on each setup we liked. We finally agreed to the perfect scenario for our Florida room and proceeded to pick a few complimentary accessories also. A giraffe, a parrot, a Palm lamp and a rattan ladder all found their way home with the four pieces of gorgeous furniture that was delivered 3 days later exactly at the promised time.This has created an amazing place for us to enjoy for today and years to come. Thank you Christine Backman and thank you Leaders for being "leaders" for us in completing...

Our experience could not have been any better! New to the area, many of our new neighbors told us Leaders was the place to go for outdoor furniture. They weren't wrong! Ben helped us through the entire process! Now we can sit back and relax!!

What started as 5 stars has been reduced to 4, and would have been reduced even further if the browsing and buying experience had not been so well done. We were called a couple of days prior to our expected delivery date to let us know that two of the chairs we ordered were on back order, with an anticipated availability of TWO MONTHS out. We were offered two replacement chairs as a fill in until the chairs we ordered are available. That's great...but we are snowbirds and will not be here when they are expected to be available. Fast forward to delivery day...the truck arrives at 4:30 and is told by the front gate of our condo complex that they will need to be done by 5:00. The truck then immediately turns around and leaves as 30 minutes is apparently not enough time to deliver 4 chairs and 2 ottomans. I have been sitting and waiting on them for TWO hours (delivery window). I pray that these chairs are worth the wait...I'm told that they will arrive two...