Furniture stores stage a show

Cynics might call it stunt retailing, but industry watchers see a method in the madness witnessed at some of Los Angeles’ home furnishing stores. In the no-longer-bulletproof luxury decor market, some showrooms are experimenting with ways to attract and keep customers. One of the newcomers on the scene is Limn, a San Francisco-based operation that recently opened its first L.A. store on La Brea Avenue. Among the things shoppers will see: a red velvet rope preventing access to VIP client meeting rooms.