Restoration Hardware Founder Resigns

Stephen Gordon, founder and chairman of Restoration Hardware Inc. (Corte Madera, Calif.), has resigned. He will become ceo of Sundance, the retail division of the Sundance Institute (Salt Lake City, Utah), the entertainment and education venture that was founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981.

Gary Friedman, the ceo who had left Williams-Sonoma Inc. (San Francisco) in 2001 to join Restoration Hardware, has been appointed interim chairman.

Gordon founded Restoration Hardware in 1980 and built the company to over 100 stores, with both a catalog and e-commerce division.