Briers Home Furnishings

Stopped into Briers on a whim just because I am always looking for pieces to spruce up our apartment. They have a great selection! We found a beautiful all wood coffee table in the back and I fell in love. It had an amazing grain pattern and a mid century modern flare to the legs. PERFECT. Missy politely introduced herself and told us all about the store and the table. She then left us to discuss. We didn’t feel pressured which I greatly appreciated. We purchased the table but didn’t have our car so we had to come back the next day. When we arrived to get it they had the table all wrapped up and ready to go. They even carried it out to the car for us which was parked up the street! We will definitely be coming back to this store more often. Very happy with our purchase and experience!

I recently purchased a couch from Briers and the experience was nothing short of miserable. Initially, we entered the store commenting on how modern and affordable the pieces were. We were greeted by a sales person and walked through many interesting designs and concepts. We decided to purchase a couch from them because we liked the idea that it was manufactured and upholstered locally. They had excellent customer service in the store and we were drawn in by this. However, once our couch was purchased we started having second thoughts due to the small layout of our condo. We contacted them about this issue and they told us that all sales are final. Well. we weren’t told this before spending $ 3000.00 on this item. We later found it in small print on the receipt but even then, the transaction was already completed. We tried to see if there were other options about changing the dimensions of the couch and they were not helpful with this either. We even went to the lengths of having our interior designer contact them to have the issue sorted out and apparently they were not easy to deal with from a professional to professional stand point either.
There are many furniture stores in Vancouver that would go great lengths to make their customers happy and Briers isn’t one of them.

Finally we got a full refund for the table, after visiting the store and making several phone calls. The owner came to our place and took care of the issue by himself.

I would give this store zero stars if it were possible. The worst customer service I have experienced. My girlfriend and I were treated as if we were dirt on the bottom of the staff’s shoes. These sales assistants need to be taught some basic manners.

Buyer Beware!
My best friend and I would go weekly on our walks when she was on Mat-​Leave. The owners use to tell us we’d always get their «friends and family» discount. And I honestly thought Cherie and her husband were wonderful. Naturally I went to purchase a bed at Briers after frequenting the shop for almost 3 years.
When the transaction was going through Cherie was nothing short of amazing — told me to email her and she would respond within hours, even when she was in California on holiday with her family. Unfortunately this level of service didn’t continue when I emailed her with an issue.
Cherie sold me a bed frame and a mattress. The mattress was a nightmare from the start and she blamed the mattress company and they blamed her — no one would take responsibility. The mattress company wrote an email stating they’ve told the store owner that their mattresses do not work with the type of bed frame/​support that I purchased and because they’ve previously told the owner this, they wouldn’t do anything about it. Cherie didn’t realize I was cc’d in this email and she tried to forward an email that was edited from the mattress company with a suggestion of putting a 2 inch piece of plywood between the frame and the mattress to fix the issue. When I went back to Briers with this information, and caught her in a lie my emails then went unanswered for weeks and finally after a month of weekly emails and attempted phone calls to connect with her at the store, I wrote a final email stating I was making a claim with the Better Business Bureau.
At this time Cherie’s husband emailed me, referring to her as a simple employee and saying he, as the owner, takes care of these kinds of complaints.
I found this level of deception very unprofessional and insulting, especially after I had spent so much time getting to know BOTH them over the past 3 years and even met their two small children.
He then offered to take the bed frame (not the mattress) back but was going to charge me a $ 700 restocking fee. Needless to say the entire purchase turned into a nightmare and my whole reason for needing a new bed was because I recently had heart failure and surgery — I needed a restful sleep without feeling my partner’s every move. Not only did the mattress not go with my bed frame it was not the same quality as the one I «tested» in their showroom — it’s worse than our ten year old mattress!
Buyers do not be fooled by Cherie’s initial charm and kindness — this is not a professional business, they do not have integrity, they are not trustworthy. Take your money elsewhere unless you’re looking to give yourself a massive headache and be out hundreds of dollars for useless products.

I am disappointed to have to award Briers — Home & Gift a low star-​rating, since their customer service started out as nothing short of exemplary.
I ordered a desk from the United States (after moving there from Canada) in October 2014. Over the course of the following weeks, I was updated regularly over the phone as to the progress of my order. It is also worth noting that the staff at Briers took the time to learn how to overcome the administrative complexities inherent in sending a large piece of furniture across the Canada-​United States border.
Unfortunately, the desk arrived, after a few short weeks on the road, visibly damaged in several areas. Following a phone call with customer service, it was acknowledged that the desk had not been packed properly, making it vulnerable to damage during shipping. Since Briers did not seem to have much experience sending furniture across long distances, I (along with their customer service) chalked up this oversight to a «natural» part of their learning process. All in all, Briers dealt admirably with their mistake, by first freely admitting to it and by subsequently, and fairly speedily, sending me a replacement desk (this time properly packed) in December 2014.
As of mid-​January 2015, however, I have yet to receive the replacement desk. I acknowledge there are multiple reasons (many of which out of Briers’ control) why that may be. My concern, however, is that the store has so far ignored each of my requests for an update on the situation (1 email and 4 phone calls over the course of 1 week). This disregard for my worries stands in stark contrast with the high level of attention that was so consistently provided to me following both my initial purchase and my receiving a damaged desk. This surprising reversal in quality of customer care is, ultimately, the reason I have decided to award Briers a low star-​rating.
UPDATE #1:
Shortly after posting this review (and possibly independently of it), I received a phone call from Briers. The customer service representative on the line admitted, with slight embarrassment, that the replacement desk had not, as promised, been sent in December 2014. In fact, it had not been sent at all. To Briers’ credit, this mistake was rectified in a few days’ time, and the desk arrived only one week later. Over the course of this week, however, I was given an invalid tracking number, and my two requests for a valid number were ignored. More damningly, the desk again arrived damaged, despite slightly more thorough packing. Given this, I have contacted Briers, asking for a full refund. Although they have agreed to this, Briers has, since their promise to reimburse me, resisted several efforts on my part to find out when exactly the refund will be issued, claiming, rather incredibly, that their «system» does not allow them to determine such information.
Suffice it to say, I choose to leave my original one-​star rating intact, given my experience with Briers has, at this point, been marred by too many frustrations and disappointments. Certainly, Briers possesses good intentions and, it still seems to me, great potential. However, these strengths are currently neutralized by what I would describe as defensive and avoidant customer service protocols: namely, withdrawal (e.g., ignoring requests for information), wishful thinking or deception (e.g., making promises that turn out to be false), and rationalization (i.e., lots and lots of excuses). I wish to see Briers rectify these customer service tendencies, so they may more reliably carry out their good intentions and meet their potential.
UPDATE #2:
Briers ultimately took 3.5 weeks to issue a refund, from the time they themselves informed me one would be issued shortly. Because Briers insisted on ignoring my attempts to receive an update on the situation, I had no other choice but to contact VISA for advice. VISA, deeming the length of Brier’s delays unacceptable, instructed me to contact the store again and request that they refund me within a certain number of days, otherwise VISA would take over the matter. Even after Briers was provided with this information, they once again failed to acknowledge my email and proceeded to take an entire 1.5 weeks to finally issue the refund.
I hesitate to blame Briers’ employees for the 3.5 months long fiasco described in my original review and two subsequent updates, because it is evident they are working within a system that is severely flawed. At the same time, I cannot ignore the unprofessional (and at times unethical) behaviours these individuals repeatedly resorted to in their attempts to manage the challenges they were being faced with.

Fun little store full of things for the kitchen, decoration, good for gifts. We found some interesting items such as a wooden watch storage box (for up to 8 watches!), bacon-​print tie, a variety of purses and wallets. .but other than that, nothing too exciting.

Stopped by after Brunch.
This is a neat store with lots of Knick Knacks for gifts for everyone on your list.
Nice selection of Lug Bags, 2 floors and the upstairs stock little gifts for groomsmen and bridesmaids.
Currently there is a Buy 1 Bag get the second Free promotion for all the upstairs bags.
Staff are very friendly and helpful but a bit hovering.

I really wanted to like this place, however, I found a lot of the stuff to be over priced and I didn’t feel too inspired. The customer service was a little too overwhelming and suffocating, I needed a little room to browse on my own. Ultimately this turned me off a bit. There are pretty things.

So torn.
Plus: They do have a some cute locally made jewelry, which makes great gifts. Some of the designs are also available at Blue Ruby, but you’ll find them about $ 20 cheaper at Briers. Bonus! The jewelry selection seems to be shrinking though — I went in last week and it was pretty sparse.
Minus: The staff follow you around the store and try to tell you details about every product. Yes I know Matt and Nat is vegan. Yes, I know the jewelry is locally made. You tell me EVERY time I’ve ever been in there. Ok, I get it, some customer service is better than none but this is serious overkill.
Minus: This place is way overpriced when it comes to their furniture selection. I saw some Eames replica dining chairs I liked for $ 185 each, and then found the exact same ones priced regularly at $ 95 elsewhere.
Minus: Also, the prices on their website are out of whack with what is in store. They quoted me $ 500 on a table in store, which was listed $ 100 cheaper in their online store. So you really have to be careful when shopping with them.

Update: The clock is officially dead. Again, thanks for nothing no return on delicate item policy.

I can almost always find what I’m looking for here in terms of a nice gift. Whether it’s a cool flask or pretty feather earrings, a nice purse or fun shopping bags. It always seems to be well staffed with good people.

This boutique is great when you need a gift for someone and have no clue what to get, but out of principle I stay far, far away!
The staff is required to basically act like the best friend of whoever walks through the door, and every product must be exhibited with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm (but at least they DO know what they’re talking about when it comes to the products!). This tactic works on some people, but I personally find it to be extremely unhelpful and intimidating (not to mention annoying!). The place is owned by a couple, and one of them can be less than respectful at times. I worked there for a short stint and have never been so demeaned in my life. One of the owners was incredibly positive and supportive, while the other was just plain hurtful and disrespectful to me. I ended up quitting after only a handful of shifts because no one deserves to be treated in that manner– Granted, I probably would’ve been fired eventually anyways, since my sales tactic didn’t match theirs (And for the record, I have worked in three other stores where my sales style was fully accepted and praised).
It is really unfortunate that what could be such a useful shop is tarnished forever in my mind by the horrible attitude of one of the owners and the overbearing sales tactic used in the shop. Sad face!!!

I had GREAT customer service from Josee yesterday. I have been looking for curtains for the past few weeks and have been stumped every place I go. Things are either not what I want or super expensive. I learned that Briers carries a vast number of household décor items and they are really nice and very reasonable. I bought a pair of white sheers with a tree pattern and then ordered another 2 panels of shantung from a catalogue. I was told two times that if the panels I ordered were not what I was looking for, that I could return them no problem. The curtains seemed to run from $ 20 – 60 tops and their catalogue holds a variety of sheers, linen, cotton, grommet, satin etc… with a lot of colour choices.
Josee was very friendly without being pushy and her boss even offered to supply me with a name of a seamstress who would be able to hem the curtains once they arrived.
I’ve shopped there in the past and they are my go-​to for Matt and Nat. I’ll now be going back for any household items I may need in the future.

The products are ok, but the staff are very annoying. They follow you around the store making inane comments.
Also their return policy is a joke! You have only 7 days to return a product, including gifts! A 30 day return policy is standard among other stores so don’t be fooled by this place. Don’t buy anyone a gift from here as they will not be able to exchange it.

Never written a review? Forgive me Unilocal for I have sinned! Browsing around Briers is like catching up with my friends Matt and Nat. And it’s doesn’t matter that these perfect purses don’t talk back, because the sales staff more than make up for it with their friendly banter. The jewelry cabinets are unlocked and they encourage trying things on — so indulge already!
If you’ve got someone on your list who is a princess to buy for, you will no doubt find something fabulous here.
And if you want something bigger for yourself, take a peak upstairs — hello sectional heaven!

So here I was, taking an extra hour off of work to get some Christmas shopping done. My friend had told me about Briers and how it’s got a tonne of gift ideas and such — so being the desperate person I am to look for unique gifts to give, I came here.
Within the minute I walked in and not having even looked at more than 10% of the store area, I already had an iron-​grip on one item that I have been looking for for some time and could not seem to find the right one… until now — a pretty, contemporary-​style, silver tinsel star to top my Christmas tree! From browsing around the store, from jewelry (really nice collection by the way!), vegan-​style and non-​vegan style handbags from Canadian designers (like the Mat and Nat line) all the way to the cutesy gift things that you would buy for other people, not yourself — like a notepad that is a stack of printed forms for «7 Reasons Why I Should Have Sex With You» or «What’s for Dinner?».
Though the store is not very big, it is definitely filled with tonnes of good gift-​giving things. I am pretty sure if you get something from Briers for someone, he/​she would not not like it.

Just echoing what Sabrina says — this store has some really great stuff, but the pushy, annoying salesgirls have driven me out of there on multiple occasions. They space themselves out around the store and if you touch something they say «Isn’t that GREAT??» or «Isn’t that CUTE??» It comes across as phoney, and it’s especially annoying when they interrupt you in the middle of discussing a purchase with a friend. It’s obviously some sort of store policy, because all the staff do it every time I’ve been in there. This behaviour has turned me off of products I might have bought otherwise, and it makes me avoid the store unless I’m really desperate for the right present.

Big Hearts, Great Service!
I was moved to write a review for this store. They are due for some praise. The service here is impecable! The owner sure knows how to build relationships with her customers and follow through with a sale. These people aren’t pushy, they are helpful and down to earth.
They have hilarious and unique items. You are sure to find a great gift for someone in a hurry here.
They have a fabulous location that is clean, open, bright and easy to get around. No dusty items or jewelry that looks like it’s sat in the case for months on end. AND they are open late.
Fabulous job girls! *high five!*

I agree with all the previous reviews. My only beef is that the sales ladies follow you around like eagles and everytime you grab something they say” omg, that is sooooo cute!” seriously ladies, don’t push the sales.