Unruh Furniture: Helping you Create your Story
When I first stepped foot in Unruh Furniture, it was a cold December day and the Saturday after a snowstorm. In most cases, I would have seen this as a sign from the universe to cancel all of my appointments and stay at hope with my trusty sidekick - a (very) sleepy beagle named Copper. With Unruh (pronounced uhn-roo), it was different. After driving by the midtown location, I was dying to get a peek inside. You see, Unruh inhabits a former church built in 1904. It was completely dilapidated until they bought it over a year ago and began to rehab it. Talk about a group of qualified builders to undertake such a massive project!
If you scroll through the company website, you can see that the idea of "stories" is prevalent and well-referenced. As the story begins, Unruh Furniture was started by Sam Unruh as many companies are - in his garage. He originally sold his tables on Craigslist and word quickly spread of the quality and craftsmanship. These tables were delivered to houses all over Kansas City and went on to create stories of their own. My favorite page on the site is called "Candid Stories from the Table" because it features real people telling the stories of their lives surrounded by the Unruh furniture that made their house a home.
The Unruh story is still unfolding as the company continues to grow. Fast-forward to 2017 and the one-man team has grown to 24 members - including Pete, the shop dog and mascot! The team is more of a family than they are co-workers. The showroom features photos snapped of each member of the team in their element, just like one would hang family portraits in their home. And families who play together, stay together, right? They definitely have that part covered! Every Wednesday, the Unruh crew stops what they are doing and competes in a weekly Sprinkles tournament. For those who don't know, Sprinkles is a fast paced, around-the-world game of ping pong. Sprinkles is highly documented on their Instagram story every Wednesday, so be sure to tune in this week. I can't wait to see who will walk away with the trophy!
For a company that values the story, they couldn't have found a better location. The showroom itself carries over 100 years of stories in its walls. Housed in the upper level of the church, it overlooks the old sanctuary (now workshop). Former Sunday school classrooms line the hall and you can practically feel the lives of those who had spent time in them over the last century.
The Unruh culture is one deeply rooted in Kansas City and that can be seen throughout the showroom. There are pieces of stunning art by local artists hanging from the walls and even an offering of Kansas City products for sale in their office. As a devout local business supporter, it pulls at my heartstrings to see a local business doing their part to support other local businesses. Kansas City really is the greatest city on Earth. If you want to make an Unruh piece the foundation of your story, schedule a trip to the showroom and design something that will be a part of your life for a long time
