Top 10 things you might not know about LaDiff

10. We haven't always sold furniture.
When LaDiff was founded 30 years ago, in Charlottesville, its first wares were crafts and functional art items that Andy Thornton imported from Haiti where he worked for two years.

9. LaDiff is not "the Richmond version of Ikea"
While we appreciate what Ikea has done to expand the concept of 'modern design' to the American public, LaDiff knows that 'modern' can run the gamut from the crazy cheap to ridiculously expensive. We like to think that we are somewhere in between, with the emphasis on value.

8. All those designs you see at LaDiff aren't really "from the future".
Did you know that LeCorbusier designed his "dental office looking" chaise in the 1920's? That Charles Rennie MacIntosh's gorgeous chair dates to the 19th century? 'Modern' design is about a minimalist aesthetic and is not something belonging only to George & Judy Jetson. Truth be told, if Thomas Jefferson were alive today, we like to think he'd be shopping at LaDiff.

7. You can light up your whole house from LaDiff.
Yup, we sell lighting... and lots of it. Not just talking table & floor & task lamps here either. LaDiff has fabulous wall sconces, pendants, and other fixtures for bathrooms, kitchens, even outdoors. You do not have to settle for "builder spec" to find amazing lighting that runs from transitional to uber-modern and ranges in price from "home improvement store competitive" to "Milan-show-envy."

6. Our sales people are incredibly smart and friendly
We know that some of you have that impression that a 'modern' furniture store must have those "Now's the time on Sprockets when we dance" all-black-wearing, frigid, austere, nose-down-looking sales associates who will only help you if you are hip and cool. The truth is so far from that it makes us laugh... really... we laugh A LOT. Come laugh WITH us and have some fun while you furnish your place!

5. We love to furnish outdoor rooms too.
Did you know that a statistic from the 1990's said that Americans spend more annually on home-delivery pizza than on outdoor furniture?? Crazy. Fortunately, our society is becoming less 'disposable' and we are starting to take the European approach to outdoor living: buy furniture that is good quality, that will last, and that will give you a beautiful extension of your living space outside. What a great idea... and the reason we carry so much OUTDOOR furniture!

4. LaDiff is NOT a chain.
In case you have NOT read our website's 'About Us' section and did not already know this, you do now. There is only ONE LaDiff, and we are in downtown Richmond, VA... and we wouldn't have it any other way.

3. There is a 5th wall in your room... it's called a FLOOR... and we love to decorate those too.
LaDiff carries one of Richmond's most eclectic, unusual, extensive, and affordable collection of modern & contemporary rugs. From warm and neutral to exotic and daring to colorful and bright, you can find a great rug that suits your space and your wallet.

2. Our building used to have a giant rifle attached to it.
LaDiff's home is the former Watkins-Cottrell Wholesale Hardware Store. We've been told by many a Richmonder that there used to be a HUGE rifle on the front of the building. We've never seen it. We've never seen a photo of it (but we'd LOVE too). We have no idea where it is. Can you help???

and, the #1 thing you might not know about LaDiff...

Not everything we sell is "expensive."

We know the perception: cool modern store in downtown location with hip advertising must be really, really expensive. Your friend walked in and saw a $9,000 price tag on a sectional; your mom fell in love with a $3500 bed; your uncle just bought a $2500 recliner... okay, we get it. You are afraid to come in because you think it will ALL be that way. Sure, we carry some pretty high end stuff (have you checked out the French walnut table from Seltz? divine). But, we can also get down &, uh, low-priced with the best of them.

And just so that you can recognize the best deals in the store, we created LaDEAL$ - all identified with super bright yellow tags to show you where you'll find the ooh la la for ooh la LESS!

All that said, we cannot help what YOU fall in love with. It's kind of like trying to diet and walking into a great restaurant. Sure, they have salads on the menu, really good ones in fact - but if you order the filet mignon and the creme brulee, you cannot blame the waiter if your pants are tight the next morning. If you tell us your budget, our smart, funny sales team (see #6) will definitely try to keep you within it. If you keep walking back to that sofa that is *not* in your budget, because, well, you just LOVE it, you really can't blame us for offering it. We want you to be exposed to great design at every price point.

At LaDiff there is something new and something fun arriving every single day. Come discover what we have to offer. We can't wait to see you.

Our donation to Virginians4Haiti

.......excerpt from ladiff.com

Still littered in rubble even months after the major earthquake disaster, Haiti has only received a small portion of the aid promised by other nations to rebuild.

NPR reports, "More than 1.5 million people still live in more than 1,000 encampments that sprouted up after the Jan. 12 quake. Americans have donated more than $1.3 billion for Haiti, and thousands of charities are helping the recovery effort."

LaDIFF has spent the better part of 2010 working with aid organization virginians4haiti to raise awareness and financial assistance to Haiti to rebuild this island nation. In addition to devoting portions of the LaDIFF showroom to displaying Haitian crafts for collecting donations and engaging customers in conversation to raise awareness of these ongoing efforts, LaDIFF was fortunate enough to collect contributions from various furnishings manufacturers.

Donations came mostly in the form of merchandise to sell during the massive 30th Anniversary Sale held in June and early July, 2010. Proceeds from these contributions and from the sale event as a whole will provide generous and much needed funding for medical work, home building and other aid to the Haitian people.

Being a good citizen, corporate or otherwise, means looking at your backyard and the backyards of those who live thousands of miles away. We are all interconnected.

LaDifference will continue to build a long-term relationship with virginians4haiti and the great work they have done and will be doing in the future.

LaDiff owners, Andy Thornton & Sarah Paxton present a $25,000 contribution for aid organization virginians4haiti to Allan B. Harvie, jr. (middle).

Learn more here.