Sit On It – A Chair Gallery

My sister and I were visiting Kansas City this past summer and stumbled into Sit On It almost by accident. We spent nearly an hour there looking at their creations and fabric samples to get ideas for a future project. It was a fun experience.
I only looked at Unilocal AFTER our visit and I’m surprised by some of the neagtive reviews. We did not feel pressured at all. Sure, Richelle and crew made a gentle effort to close a sale, but nothing out of the ordinary, and we left having not made a purchase.
As for those complaining about prices, maybe they don’t get out much. Sure, you can find more affordable mass-​produced furniture elsewhere, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Find something that fits your needs, your lifestyle, your budget, and enjoy! But if you are looking for something original or custom crafted by American hands, the price tag is going to be higher. If you don’t get it, just sit back in your Lay-​Z-​Boy and google where Lazy-​Z-​Boys are made. Ah heck, I’ll save you the trouble. They moved all of their production to Mexico ten years ago so they could compete with other big brands which import. Oh, and Lay-​Z-​Boy alone left hundreds of Americans unemployed when they moved.
So, cheers to Richelle and crew. They do beautiful work and they deserve to make a living.

I LOVE this store, the team of people who work here, and my AMAZING furniture that arrived yesterday.
We love antique furniture with flair, and had been through a reupholstery process before. Being able to choose the fabrics, the furniture, and watching the «vision» come to fruition was AMAZING.
I highly recommend Sit On It /​Sitzen for your seating needs. The furniture we purchased is solid wood, covered in quality fabric and materials, and will last us a lifetime. We spent LESS than we would have for particle board furniture at major retailers, and the pieces have character and interest versus what is in fashion today.
Richelle and Lauren were WONDERFUL to work with!
They also offer bench classes to take with a friend. Considering doing this for a gift idea!

Richelle is so condescending, it borders on the absurd. I was inquiring about a pair of Jens Risom walnut slipper chairs I wished to have restored, and she told me that by taking the upholstery (and literally HUNDREDS of staples out, one at a time), I made their job much harder. I asked her how on earth me doing this could make more work for them, and she said, «because our upholsterers build a relationship with the chair as they disassemble it.» I had her repeat this because I could not believe she could say something so nonsensical and pretentious… Little did I know, she really is that nonsensical and pretentious. I promptly told her that I was going to keep searching for an upholsterer and hung up.
In a word… unbelievable. Steer clear of the decorating deity known as Richelle at ALL costs. I don’t understand how this place keeps its doors open.

The owner lady is condescending and seems pretty full of herself. I also had an experience similar to other people– they were puuuuushy. And over-​priced. The finished products were underwhelming also. Will never go back.

Holy fancy pants! This place isn’t for me, but they did have some beautiful or interesting items. I have to say, at least they’re name provides and honest foreshadowing to their store. They do view themselves as a chair gallery, where each chair is art, and as such, it commands a steep price.
Thankfully we did not have the Richelle Richelle experience like Matt E., but we did definitely get stalked by the sales people. We were told about one artist’s piece twice, word for word, because we happened to be dumb enough to look at it twice. We were also frequently reminded that this is art, not furniture, so the prices are «reasonable.» I just love it when people decide for me what is reasonable and unreasonable.
They did offer complimentary beer and vodka drinks on the day we were there and didn’t completely shun people for taking drinks with no intention of purchasing. When we first entered, there were thankfully other customers to distract the sales clerks, but by the time we were leaving we were the only people left AND we got the sales pitch by two different people. This means we had to come up with two awkward exit strategies to inform them we were just browsing, and we are not currently in the market for the $ 1000 modern, simple, yet beautifully crafted, desk.
So, if you’re in the market for spendy furniture that is in the modern, gawdy, over the top, or completely customized vein then this might be the place for you. They did have some beautiful and innovative stuff, but they also had some not so beautiful things too. They also do re-​upholstering to save your vintage pieces and even offer re-​upholstery classes.

Madonna. Cher. Richelle. These are women who’s talents are so great, who are so iconic that they have no use for a last name. Two are singers, one is an interior decorator.
We were down in the Bottoms for the First Weekend shopping excursion and I made it a point to stop by this furniture gallery. I had known that the owner was known for taking vintage furniture and reupholstering it so that you can mix retro or classic shapes with a modern aesthetic. So far, I’m sold. But this great concept was just completely ruined for me by one of the most obnoxious shopping experiences I’ve had in years.
As the only customers in the very large store, we were 2-​to-​1 outnumbered by staff members, one of which was never more than 5 feet away from us at any given time. We were given no time to browse in peace, instead constantly being given the hard sell by the Sit on It staff. And all of them worship at the cult of Richelle.
«Richelle took this chair and made it art.»
«Richelle can offer you hundreds of fabric options.»
«Richelle is experimenting with a tattoo art style»
«Richelle can come into your house and tell you what size of couch that you need.»
«Richelle has revolutionized the entire concept of sitting down on things.»
«Richelle has given my life meaning.»
«Richelle is my personal lord and savior.»
I had to have heard the name Richelle 100 times while I was there, and often in her presence. I suspect there is a «no pronoun» rule in effect, at least in terms of Richelle. Richelle does not appreciate words like «she» or «her». Richelle is only to be referenced by «Richelle»
But here’s the thing: Of all the pieces that I looked at, none of them impressed me that much. I’m sure if you were to go through the fabrics and really talk with her you could create some gorgeous pieces, but everything on display makes me suspect the taste level. And you never really get the chance to let your imagination run wild, as you’re constantly being reminded of how wonderful the artist is… if only I could remember her name.