local furniture favorites
Community is one of our core values as a business, and one of the ways we put that into action is by sourcing locally whenever possible. We’ve compiled a list of twelve of our favorite local furniture sources for new, vintage, high-quality, and custom pieces for both indoor and outdoor enjoyment at home or in a commercial setting.
Shopping locally is a great way to build and participate in a thriving economy for yourself and your neighbors. You are directly contributing to someone’s livelihood and enabling that individual or business to also continue participating in the economy. Additionally, it can be more sustainable than purchasing from remote companies, as some of the shipping and delivery distance is reduced. This may seem small, but every effort adds up.
1. Room & Board
Now with stores and offices throughout the country, this high-quality furniture retailer and manufacturer was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1980. Over 90% of their manufacturers are within the United States and each product you browse indicates where it is made. Even better, the majority of their steel products are made locally by Bell Manufacturing. This includes a huge selection of shelves, tables, chairs, accessories and bed frames like the one pictured above from our Coffee House Project. They also feature a selection of Restwell mattresses that are made in Minnesota.
2. Bludot
Bludot has quickly become one of our favorite companies for well-priced, modern furniture. Their fresh approach to design and collaboration, plus the fact that they are headquartered in Minnesota, make them a go-to for us when it comes to sourcing. They also have an outlet in Northeast Minneapolis where you can find some great weekend deals and one-of-a-kind prototypes.
Within the California Building in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is this small custom crafted furniture and woodworking studio. Their modern designs are characterized by exposed plywood edge details. Though they have a selection of original designs on their website to shop, all furniture is made to order, which is a great way to reduce production waste. They also have handmade wooden objects and accessories for gifting and decorating.
This vintage furniture gem is located in downtown Robbinsdale, just north of the Twin Cities. Together with a small team, owners Bill & Kara Kurth import vintage, mid-century pieces from Denmark and restore them to better than new. Reupholstered pieces are recovered with Kvadrat wools, which we love for their beauty and natural fibers, contributing positively to material health. The shop also includes a highly curated selection of home goods and accessories.
Danish Teak Classics is another purveyor of mid-century Scandinavian design, sourcing vintage pieces domestically and from Europe. Located in the Northeast Arts District, in the Northrup King Building, they restore pieces and have open showroom hours where you can view their pieces in person. You can also find some of their pieces listed online, and if you’re not able to find what you are looking for, they will source and import furniture pieces to order.
We love supporting fellow women owned businesses when we can, and Lefty Design Co. is at the top of our list. Stephanie has a collection of original, solid wood pieces listed online that are each available in a variety of species, sourced locally and made to order. She also is skilled in designing custom pieces based on your (our our) specific space, vision and needs.
7. Rovan Hand Crafted Furniture
Although Rovan keeps a few select stocked furniture pieces, the majority of their work is custom made. Andy works at a variety of scales and in a range of aesthetics, from large custom built-in pieces in commercial spaces, to your newly envisioned heirloom piece designed specifically for your living room. He also sources sustainable Ash wood, a beautiful species, from downed trees infested with the Emerald Ash Borer, when desired.
8. Frank Modern/ Covet Consign and Design
These sister companies carry a collection of new and vintage furniture pieces as well as rugs and accessories in their Minneapolis retail and showroom space. They have an extensive collection of upholstered sofas and armchairs available in a variety of fabrics that can be viewed in person and ordered from their store or online.
9. Eastvold
Less than an hour south of the Twin Cities in Northfield, MN is family owned, Eastvold Furniture. They have a few collections online, each with three to ten pieces that are available to order with your finish selection. Like a few of the other furniture makers listed here, Eastvold also has custom capabilities from the final furniture finish to fully custom designed pieces.
10. Find Furnish
Find Furnish is another vintage furniture retailer in Northeast Minneapolis, just outside of downtown. During the covid-19 pandemic they began posting virtual scans to their website, offering customers a chance to view their inventory and take a tour of the showroom virtually. They generally have a huge variety of pieces, and often have many from well-known, classic designers. When buying a piece of vintage furniture from them you have a variety of options for re-upholstery, restoration, or purchasing as-is.
Photo of the Lollygager Lounge Chair from Loll
11. Loll Designs
Based in Duluth, Minnesota this outdoor furniture company creates pieces almost exclusively from post-consumer recycled plastic. Their manufacturing process is intentionally designed to create as little waste as possible and the homogenous material used in their furniture means the scrap can be recycled. The finished furniture pieces are also recyclable at the end of their life. They have a huge collection of furniture ranging from seating and tables to outdoor accessories and children’s items. It’s best to plan ahead and shop early since everything is made to order and their seasonal demand is often very high.
12. Tandem Made
Focused primarily on custom designed and built furniture pieces, husband and wife duo Nate and Erin of Tandem design have been well known Twin Cities makers for over a decade. They occasionally have a small selection of one-of-a-kind furniture pieces on their website in addition to their custom designed accessories and lighting. You can also find their creations at the Walker Art Center as well as a couple other local shops.
Do you have a piece of furniture from one of these local shops? Or do you have another local shop in mind that’s not featured here? Share with us in the comments below!