About Us What is the history of Big Pagoda? Where is your store located? Do you have any other locations? Do you have a catalog? Who do I contact with questions? What are your business hours? Do any other stores carry the same product? What is a pagoda?   About Products How do I care for my Big Pagoda furniture? What is the Big Pagoda guarantee? Where is your furniture made? Can you modify existing Big Pagoda furniture? Do you design custom pieces? How is your furniture constructed? back to top   About Shopping Does your web site have the same products as in store? Do you have a toll-free number? Do you gift wrap? Can I purchase something now and have it delivered at a later date? What forms of payment do you accept? Is there sales tax for orders outside California? Is my personal information confidential? How do I know that my online transactions are safe? back to top   About Delivery Do you deliver? What are my shipping options? When will it arrive? Do you ship to international addresses? back to top   About Corporate Gifts Do you sell Corporate Gifts? back to top   About Discounts Do you offer a discount to the trade? Do you have sales? back to top   About Art Where are your artists from? How can I have my artwork shown? Can I have artwork commissioned? back to top Answers to About Us About Us  What is the history of Big Pagoda? Kurt Silver found big Pagoda in 1996 after a 10-year sojourn in Asia. Big Pagoda showcases modern furnishings, Asian antiques, and art. back to top   Where is your store located? 310 Sutter St., San Francisco. It is located between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street on the north side of the street. back to top   Do you have any other locations? Not at this time, however, we accept phone and on-line orders from around the world. back to top   Do you have a catalog? Our catalog is online and all of our products are featured on our web site at www.bigpagoda.com. We do not have a print catalog. back to top   Who do I contact with questions? Please call 1-877-272-4632 during business hours, or email info@bigpagoda.com and a service representative will gladly assist you. back to top   What are your business hours? Monday to Saturday: 10-6. back to top   Do any other stores carry the same products? Big Pagoda furnishings are sold exclusively at Big Pagoda. back to top   What is a pagoda? A pagoda is a tower shaped building that serves as a shrine in a temple or monastery. In China the pagoda, derived from India, is one of the most characteristic architectural forms and in general is devoted to sacred usage. Octagonal, hexagonal, or square in plan, they are built in superimposed stories, sometimes as many as 15; from each story projects an upward curving tiled roof. The material most commonly used is brick, often faced with slabs of glazed and colored tile. A few date back to the T'ang dynasty (A.D. 618-906). Pagodas were introduced to Japan from China through Buddhism. back to top   About Products How do I care for my Big Pagoda furniture? Big Pagoda furniture is constructed of solid wood and should be dusted with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. For more comprehensive cleaning, we recommend diluted Murphy's Oil Soap. Wipe the piece entirely with a well-wrung sponge and rinse sponge often. Completely dry furniture after with a clean cloth. To restore the luster, wax the piece with Harrell's Traditional Wax Polish. Start by rubbing the surface with a rubbing compound so the wax applies evenly. We use 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound. Apply the wax liberally and swiftly with cheesecloth. Always buff the waxed areas immediately with a clean, soft, dry cloth. Waxing takes a little extra time but is very easy and you will be rewarded with a beautiful even glow. See furniture care section for more detailed information. back to top   What is the Big Pagoda guarantee? Big Pagoda furnishings are constructed with the finest materials and craftsmanship. Our guarantee extends to the life of the piece with normal use. Our guarantee does not cover superficial imperfections such as scratches, or defects resulting from misuse. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions page for details. back to top   Where is your furniture made? Fourth generation master artisans in the Shanxi Province of northern China construct big Pagoda furniture. Only the finest Chinese elm and Chinese walnut is used. The pieces are made with traditional joinery and construction techniques that date back hundreds of years. back to top   Can you modify existing Big Pagoda furniture? Big Pagoda pieces can be custom ordered in nearly any size or dimensions. Please e-mail custom@bigpagoda.com for details. back to top   Do you design and fabricate custom pieces? Yes, we frequently design custom pieces. The most popular custom pieces are dining tables and sideboards. Please e-mail custom@bigpagoda.com for details and questions. back to top   How is your furniture constructed? Our furniture is constructed from solid wood timbers harvested in northern China. The hardwood is from sustainable forests and all the pieces are kiln-dried prior to construction to prevent warping or future distortion. The joinery techniques date back hundreds of years and avoid the use of nails or staples. Instead, the frame is assembled with a system of mortise and tenons. Drawers are all assembled with dovetails and tenons. The construction methods are proven to last exceptionally long and are particularly resilient to temperature and humidity fluctuations. back to top   Answers to About Shopping About Shopping Does your web site have the same products as in store? Our web site contains nearly all the Big Pagoda furnishings found in our store. However, our store displays a more extensive collection of art and antiques than our web site. Please e-mail info@bigpagoda.com if you are searching for a specific piece. back to top   Do you have a toll-free number? 1-877-272-4632 back to top   Do you gift wrap? Yes, we gift wrap art and accessories; however, we are unable to wrap furniture. back to top   Can I purchase something now and have it delivered at a later date? Yes. back to top   What forms of payment do you accept? Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express back to top   Is there sales tax for orders outside California? We do not charge sales tax for orders to be shipped outside of California. For orders in California, we charge the current local sales tax. back to top   Is my personal information confidential? Yes, all information submitted over the phone is confidential. We do not rent, share, sell or distribute information collected on our Mailing List Registry or from our web site. back to top   How do I know that my online transactions are safe? Bigpagoda.com takes every precaution to protect our users' information. When users submit information via the web site, your information is protected both online and off-line. The Big Pagoda Company employs the most recent encryption and authentication tools to protect our clients. When our registration/order form asks users to enter sensitive information (such as credit card number), that information is encrypted and is protected with the best encryption software in the industry -- Secure Socket Layer. While on a secure page, such as our order forms, the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer becomes locked, as opposed to un-locked, or open, when you are just 'surfing'. While we use SSL encryption to protect sensitive information online, we also do everything in our power to protect user-information off-line. All of our users' information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our company. Big Pagoda Company has a strict policy of not sharing any information, sensitive or otherwise, with any other company or individual. While we take every measure possible to ensure your security we cannot guarantee the security of information you transmit online, as with any web site. To help ensure others will not have access to your credit card information while on our Web site, we urge you to sign off your account and close your browser window when you have finished your visit, especially if you are sharing a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place. back to top   About Delivery Do you deliver? Big Pagoda offers complimentary delivery within San Francisco.* Please inquire about bay area delivery and shipping options. * Excludes Temple Chest. back to top   What are my shipping options? Within the US, art and accessories are shipped via UPS Ground. We ship furniture according to the freight company that best serves your region. We ship to anywhere in the world. back to top   When will it arrive? UPS arrives in approximately 5 business days following the ship date. We will contact you regarding the arrival date for furniture shipments. back to top   Do you ship to international addresses? Big pagoda ships to anywhere in the world. back to top   Answers to About Corporate Gifts About Corporate Gifts Do you sell corporate gifts? We do not stock corporate gifts, however, we do accept large orders on many of our gift items. Possible corporate gifts include leather photo albums, candles, and Murano glass cardholders. back to top   Answers to About Discounts About Discounts Do you offer a discount to the trade? We extend a courtesy discount to interior designers. This discount does not apply to custom pieces. Please present business card and resale ID with purchase. back to top   Do you have sales? Our prices are consistently competitive so we are not able to offer sales. back to top   Answers to About Art About Art Where are your artists from? Although many of our artists are from San Francisco we strive to showcase a diverse collection of art from around the world. back to top   How can I have my artwork shown? Big Pagoda is always happy to review new artists' portfolios. If you would like your artwork to be considered for review and placement, please submit materials on a PC compatible CD or in slide format and mail to the address below. Once your work has been reviewed, written notification will be sent to you regarding our decision. Please include a self-addressed postage paid envelope if you would like your submission returned. Send submissions to: Kurt Silver Big Pagoda Co. 310 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94108. back to top   Can I have artwork commissioned? Many of the artists Big Pagoda represents also do commissioned artwork. Please call for more information regarding specific artists or email info@bigpagoda.com. back to top