Viking Trader

Their share scratched my hardwood floor. When I went in to them to talk about the problem, the saleswoman’s comment was there should’ve been a discussion about it during the sale. When I told her that the son of the owner brought the chair over and sat it down on the hardware floor she said he’s new. No one said they were sorry, no one offered any solution to the problem, it was like it was no big deal that my floor was scratched, that no one brought it up and the person who deliver it was inexperienced. Just know if you purchase a chair from them and it’s going to sit on a hardwood floor that it is going to scratch it. And if it sits on a rug maybe it will tear at the pile if you try and move it without lifting it. Also know that they charge $ 65 for delivery, but it comes in someone’s personal hatchback. The chair is really comfortable but I can’t recommend them because their customer service is lousy.

Great furniture… and great service, too! We have bought various furniture here over 15+ years: couch, large chair, wall units, table, etc. But this review is prompted by great service. Today, we took in a large upholstered arm chair that is part of our family room set. They repaired the dowels and loose bolt in 15 minutes and would accept no payment. And all this for a chair we bought 15 years ago! Kristen and her son provide old fashioned service with a smile. And their selection of new furniture continues to be impressive. Top ratings and many thanks.

I am very pleased with Viking Trader. I had been looking for a queen sized head board and support for a about a year. I searched for several months on Ebay and through other sources including retro furniture dealers everywhere. Out of desperation, I even tried Design Within Reach. You want expensive? they should be renamed «Design Beyond Reach!» They are out of sight in the stratosphere and way, way overpriced! But, not to be out done on my search, I finally found Viking Trader on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.
With the help from the owner, I found exactly the style of bed that I was looking for in their up stairs showroom. It is called Prestigia by Mobican.
The bed is queen size and has a wonderful mid-​century look to the design. It seems that the queen size beds haven’t been around all that long. Viking trader had several quality beds to choose from and the one that I found that looked vintage, was well built and had a flip top on the head board for storage. Made from teak, this bed was perfect for the retro look that I wanted.
My search was over and so I ordered the bed which was built in Canada and delivered to their store in Berkeley — on time — and then delivered to my home soon afterwards.
Being a family owned business, their son and another fellow hauled this disassembled bed down forty stairs — without a squawk or extra charge — and carefully put it together in about forty minutes.
If you need something well made and design conscious, Viking Trader will most likely have what you are looking for. From start to finish my experience with Viking Trader was excellent and I would definitely recommend them to my friends or anyone here reading this review. Give them a try sometime.

A mix of old-​fashioned light-​colored furniture and super-​edgy outrageously expensive contemporary furniture. Won’t plan to come back, but will return to the small discount furniture outlet store across the street that has amazing floor sample prices…

We appreciate the design that goes in to much of Viking Trader’s furniture. Perhaps much of it is more suitable for an office environment, but it’s difficult to find a more-​or-​less affordable sofa with a simple, compact profile.
That said, one star for shoddy materials and customer support.
We purchased a very nice queen sleeper sofa, and paid a premium for a «durable» fabric upholstery. One year in, and a rent began to appear. Now it’s 3 years in, the rent is almost 3 feet across the top of the sofa, and new holes are appearing in the seat area. It looks as if someone opened a box with the material, and scored the fabric with the cutter.
Their reaction? first visit: a shrug of the shoulders, and recommendation that we find a seamstress somewhere. When the problem became worse, there was «head scratching». The fabric had been discontinued, so a patch was out of the question.
Basically, we have a $ 2500 monument to disposable furniture on prominent display in our living room. A reputable business would have sent two guys and a truck, hauled the thing away, and re-​covered it. With APOLOGIES.
Our family has brought repeat business to VT over the years. We’ll have to look harder, next time.

What a great store with a marvelous selection of stylish furniture and THE BEST staff on the planet. I have purchased a variety of furnishings from Viking Trader over the years, and the staff have helped me research my selections to find the best fit and price for me. I cannot say enough about how these folks bend over backwards to help you out. Recently I had an experience where the manufacturer of a mattress I purchased at VT refused to honor their warranty, but VT stepped in and made it right. They don’t have to do things like this, and most stores wouldn’t, but this goes to show you what kind of store and staff this is. I highly recommend that you consider Viking Trader as your go-​to place for furnishings and accessories. You won’t be sorry.

My elegant and comfortable Ekornes recliner needed a minor repair after five years; the manager at VT was very helpful & repaired it in minutes. The service and display are excellent at this store. It is wonderful to have such a quality business nearby!

The carry great Scandinavian style items you rarely find anywhere else. The items are modern looking but not trendy, so you won’t get tired of them. Some items will fit a place that has a mid 20^th century look for example, so it’s a good alternative to chains like Room and Board. The place is family owned which is good to see. Don’t forget to visit their back yard, which is easy to miss, for their outdoor furniture.

After visiting so many furniture stores and getting disappointed by the poor quality I was referred to Viking Trader. I am so glad I found this store, it offers not only high quality furniture but premium customer service. I believe the person I dealt with by the name of Hukin (not sure if I spelled the name right) is one of the family members who owns the store. Hukin went out of his way to drop off a wood sample for a bed that I wanted at my work in Walnut Creek. I went there twice and never felt the pressure to buy. They were always available to help if we needed their attention but never pushy, they seem very honest and care about their customers. I am so glad I ordered the bed that I looked for everywhere before finding Viking Trader and Hukin offered me free delivery.
If you are in the market for a nice solid wood piece of furniture that is trendy and beautiful at reasonable price you must visit this store.

Viking Trader is like an oasis in a barren furniture market near Berkeley. Most of the places are low end stuff catering to students. There is a place for that, but there are some pieces that you really want to last a lifetime and this is the place you go for that.
First, we got one of the Stressless chairs for my wife. Great chair, we know it will last 20-​years no problem. But aside from the furniture, the customer service is awesome, exactly what you would expect from a local family owned store that puts customers first. They want you to be happy and they work with you to ensure you are happy. They even came over and swapped out the bottom of the chair and stool to give us a different color. Took 10 min and it couldn’t have been easier.
We will go back there and buy one of those Ingrid couches. This place is not cheap, but you get great quality and great service. If you are a student loo

I briefly flirted w/​replacing my 1974 RYA rug.
I went to Viking Trader to look at their rug selection. I found one that was a good possibility but taking the photo of my RYA made me aware of how wonderful it is. Kristen called Saturday from Viking trader while I was out and left me a message that the 8′ x11’ rug I had asked about was available in the warehouse but I took a nap and forgot to call her back until today.
When I called, I spoke to Anne (or Ann). I told her the story and my decision to keep my rug. I told her about my so far unsuccessful quest to find someone who could restore it. She told me she had sent a similar rug to Appleby in San Leandro and had been very happy w/​the results. I was thrilled and called Appleby. I will call them after the first of the year and they will pick it up. They will have their rug restorer look at it and give me an estimate. If nothing else, I will have them clean it. Serendipity rocks!

Okay… I am correcting my opinion. Should have complained about Ekornes. When they finally did send my chair, Viking Trader tripped over themselves trying to get it to me… free delivery for my trouble. Not a… Nightmare… They had a sale on Ekornes chairs and I ordered one on August 21^st. Told me three week delivery. They then said Oct 22^nd. STILL NOTHING and they are holding my $ 500 deposit all this time. Not so much as an acknowledgment.

I went in on Sunday to look at the Stressless recliners and was able to walk around the entire store while the entire time they guy in the back just sat there browsing on his computer. He didn’t even say hi or anything.

Beautiful furniture, excellent professional staff who are there to help with no pressure and a smooth, trouble-​free experience from the first visit to shop, several visits later to decide and purchase, selection and professional delivery. Best in the Bay!

I love Viking Trader! I have been going there for years with my Mom (who took about 10 years before she finally picked a couch). So, when it came time to buy a couple of Stressless chairs — in response to a back spasm — it was a no brainer that the Hub and I would visit Viking Trader. We made several visits to the store and spent quite a bit of time sitting in the different models. When a sale came up on a particular model, even though it wasn’t my favorite style, we visited the store, spent some more time in the seats and ordered a couple of chairs.
So here we are about a year later and lucky me, another back spasm. So I have been spending a bunch of time in my Stressless chair because it’s the only way I can get remotely comfortable. I notice a small dip in the small of my back and I can feel a small divet in the seat. I called up Viking Trader and they immediately schedule a service call.
On Wednesday, Mike shows up on time, takes a look at my chair and feels the spot that I am talking about. He disassembles the chair and takes a closer look at the problem. Turns out the divet is part of the chair so nothing is actually wrong with it. I am just the princess and the pea and my super sensitive back doesn’t like that divet. Well, instead of saying «Too bad, live with it», Mike says that the comfort of the chairs is guaranteed and they will fix it. So, he takes my chair back to the shop and returns the next day with it. They have filled in the divet with some foam and added another layer over the whole back surface. There is no charge for the repair or the travel or anything. Now, that is service!
To the people who griped about the high price, I say, You get what you pay for! I have bought cheaper furniture before from another vendor and then had to live with a lumpy couch and lousy customer service. With Viking Trader, they carry the best of the high end furniture and they stand behind it. Who could ask for anything more.

Great selection of Scandinavian furniture, but the main draw is obviously the Ekornes Stressless chairs.
Yeah, I caved in and bought one (got the laptop swing-​out tray for free per their promotion), and let me tell you these chairs really are the bomb! Perfect neck/​back support. Can’t even count how many times I fell asleep in it.
For a salesperson, I got Anne (tall lady w/​short blond hair) and she helped me pick out the perfect chair for my stature and tastes. She was super helpful and super friendly and even helped me pick out a matching rug w/​cool Rorshach-​like features.
The only thing I feel guilty about was getting the 90-​day financing — it’s through AIG!
Those bastards!
Maybe I can send in my final payment Unibomber style. Now that’s what I call a bailout package — SUCKAS!

This is a lovely store and they are very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, I don’t like anything that they sell. It’s all pine, glass, and retro… but I don’t think it’s fair for me to mark them down just because they don’t sell the kind of furniture I like. If this is your style, you should go.
I was also looking more for accent furniture which they don’t have a wide selection of. They had a lot more couches, desks, funky looking recliners, dining tables, etc.

How much is that couch my grandmother used to have in the 70s?! Wait, are you serious?
They do sell Tempur-​Pedic mattresses, though. Wait, how much is that block of foam?! Wait, are you serious?