If there’s two things that Kaiyo represents, it’s a passion for the environment and iconic furniture. If you share these passions, you can now turn to Kaiyo for special pieces to add to your home.
“Los Angeles has an interest in style, and they look out for the working people and the environment,” says Kaiyo’s founder and CEO Alpay Koralturk. “Our mission is to make beautiful spaces accessible for people and be thoughtful of our planet.”
With a background in finance, Koralturk ventured into startups and founded Gram Games, which he later sold to Zynga for $250 million. He saw the need for a sustainable furniture business after he and his wife attempted to buy affordable, quality furniture for their New York City apartment. In 2015, Koralturk launched Furnishare, an online service where consumers could rent used furniture, and later changed the business model to Kaiyo as a full-service store. Now, the brand has four warehouses on the East Coast and one in Chino, Calif., that serves the Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas.
“Furniture is the largest waste category in the Western economy,” says Koralturk. “We’ve kept about 3 million pounds or the equivalent of 30 Empire State Buildings out of landfills.”
Kaiyo sells a variety of pre-owned, midcentury to contemporary furniture, including sofas, storage, beds, tables, chairs, and décor from high-end brands such as CB2, Design Within Reach, Herman Miller, Restoration Hardware, Room and Board, and West Elm. About 100,000 customers search for a piece every month on kaiyo.com at 90% off the original retail price, and delivered to their doorstep.
“Most of our products fall into low hundreds to a few thousand,” says Koralturk. “Whether you’re the treasure hunter for an $8,000 piece or college graduate that doesn’t want to go to IKEA, we have something to offer you of quality that deserves a second chance.”
Sellers are also offered a smooth experience. After submitting information and photos of their item, they receive a free inspection/pick-up service, cleaning, photography, and storage of their item by Kaiyo. Sellers have payment options of instant cash out or a revenue share based on the sale price, which is 60% for the seller and 40% for Kaiyo for items more than $3,000. Pricing is set by the business’s algorithm.
“Some brands are single-serving furniture—but that’s not who we are,” says Koralturk. “We offer high-quality, unique furniture that will last a lifetime.”
Next, Koralturk plans to expand Kaiyo throughout California and across the globe.
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