Ensler Lighting

A lot of hard to find items and helpful staff. I like seeing a lot of the vintage designs and it’s helped a lot in matching things to my 50’s décor.

Great place for lamp parts and lamp repair. He sent me to an online store for what he couldn’t offer me at a competitive price.

A friend had given me a gorgeous semi-​flush mount pendant that wasn’t going to work for my dining room, as it needed to be extended. I know nothing about lighting but thought I’d stop by Ensler and see if they would be able to do anything. From the moment I walked in, I knew I was in good hands. Ro first examined it and then brought Ed over to get his thoughts. They went over with me what they were going to do, discussed pricing, and told me it would be two weeks. It took less than two weeks, the pricing was less than I was told (and was very reasonable) and they were able to match the painted metal and keep the swivel in the lamp, both of which they had a concern about. They are the nicest guys! If you need to have any lighting fixtures fixed (or want to buy any lamps or shades), this is the place.

This is a wonderful independent lighting and repair store. You can tell how much they care about what they do. Beautiful collection of lamps, shades and unique fixtures.

Wonderful family store. The owner is really friendly and knowledgeable. He has lots of unique pieces and it’s worth coming in, even if you find the window too classic. He was very helpful in helping me choose the right shade. Best part is you have 2 weeks to try out your lamp at home for a full money return. Quality lamps, good prices and great service.

I love a family owned business! Ed and Ro are a dynamite pair. Wish the shop were closer to home!

This is a great store. Reminds me of my granddad’s jewelry store in Nebraska in the middle of the last century: worn wooden floors, casual atmosphere, excellent stock, friendly and competent repairs. Ed, the owner, is knowledgeable and alert. The 2 lamps I bought are great, exactly what I needed. And I saved a lot of money! The prices at this place are excellent. Great value. I recommend this place: top of the list!

Got there on a Sunday (called first to make sure they were open), with several lighting-​related needs. I had some shades but not the actual lights as I should have had. Non-​the-​less, I got great service! both shades replaced and a tricky lighting situation resolved just from my own description — could not bring wall scones! He showed me several different options and explained the pro’s and cons of each. And a little tutorial on the difference between products that looked the same to me at first. I came away with good shades and an elegant solution to a tricky problem. Customer service was excellent, very patient and thorough for a novice such as myself — it was the high point of my day!

Can I give Ensler Lighting six stars?
There aren’t enough nice words for Mr. Ensler. I had some pain in the butt low voltage pendant lamps that nobody wanted to repair. I called many lamp shops and no one would help me.
Luckily I found Ensler and he said he could do it.
Those lamps in our kitchen have been out for months.
I’m so grateful that he could fix them, and the price was very reasonable.

You saved us $ 500 for the $ 25 cost of a replacement transformer! Thank you so much for your help in diagnosing and repairing our Berenice Desk Lamp yesterday. The new transformer works perfectly. The lamp is as good as new, remarkable since you told me it was one of the early models of this type. Outstanding customer service on Solano Avenue! All four customers in the shop at the same time got personal, excellent service. Keep it up.

This review is long overdue because I’ve had them repair a few lamps in the past. I accidentally walked into a lamp repair shop down the street and was met by a woman who told me that her store had a higher rating. When I placed my broken floor lamp on her counter, she immediately told me it couldn’t be fixed. So… I walked a few blocks up the street to Ensler’s which is where I intended to go in the first place and once again they were able to repair my floor lamp and Tony told me that it would be even stronger than it was originally. Imagine that!
It gets better… not only were they able to make the repair and make it stronger (it’s an expensive antique), but by the time I arrived home in Napa, Tony left a message on my phone that said it was ready for pick up.
Now you know why I’m hooked on Ensler’s…excellent service and over the top repairs. Don’t waste your time anywhere else.

This may sound weird to a lot of people but, I get really excited about kitschy vintage lamps. I own a few and plan to expand my collection. Ed, at Ensler Lighting, also really loves kitschy old lamps… AND he’s got a knack for fixing them!
My luv accidentally broke the switch on my bedside lamp, which dates back to the early 50’s (the lamp, that is, not my luv!). The next day I took the lamp into Ensler and Ed got super-​excited. He informed me that it was manufactured by the Moss Company of San Francisco in the early 50’s, that it’s worth some $$, and even brought out a Moss reference book for me to peruse. Then he took a look at the switch, which was very easy to repair. Ed also took a gander at the wiring, which was kind of a mess. In fact, it’s a miracle I hadn’t been electrocuted due to exposed wires and lack of insulation. I had no idea that my bedside lamp was a death trap!
Long story short, Ed rewired my kitschy vintage lamp for a mere $ 30 and it was ready the next day. He said «Thanks for bringing in such a cool old lamp, I had fun working on it!» Well, thank you, Ed for being so awesome and efficient! I’ll bring all my lamps to you from now on. And a big thanks to my luv, if you hadn’t broken that switch when you did, I might’ve gotten zapped half to death. XOXO

Though not intentional (I think) the shopkeeper here was quite insulting.
In short, we brought in a rare 50s Danish lamp with the hope that he could replace parts and put it together for us. There was only one person tending to the shop and so we had to wait a good 10 minutes for our turn — no problem. It became our turn and we showed him our lamp. He spent about 2 minutes with us and when someone else walked in said, «sorry, I’ll come back to you guys but have to keep the shop going in addition to giving out free advice» and he started helping the next guy, leaving us.
We got our stuff together, walked out, and then on our way out the door he asked if we were upset, and I explained that we were there to pay the shop for their services. He admitted to making a bad assumption but it was too late.
Not sure if we looked like deadbeats to him? We’re in our 40s, established careers, but were dressed (slightly) hipster. Who knows. But it was odd and I don’t think we’ll return to Ensler Lighting in the future.

I love finding a repair shop where they really understand why you are even bothering to spend time, thought, and money on an old, broken item. This is the spot for your perfect, though non-​functioning, lamp. Reasonable, fast, incredible selection of shades. Didn’t blink an eye when I said, yes, I want to retain the old chipped (beautiful) finish. Also helpful advice about bulb and shade shapes and sizes, though I wasn’t purchasing a bulb or shade. Nice people. (Added on 3−17−13:) I just checked my review and was surprised to see some negative ones in the past. They seemed to be about the behavior of Howard, the previous owner. The new owner is Ed Mahl, who is the person who helped me.

Friendly and helpful staff counteract the crowded space to make this shop a good option for creating and repairing home lighting. The selection of lamp shades and stands is extensive, so if you have an old lamp that needs for stylistic updating, you’ll surely find something here that meets your needs.

Last December my friend’s visiting toddler broke my late grandmother’s antique (1950’s) lamp. We dropped off the lamp part at Ensler and the glass shade to Albany Glassworks. I got the glass shade back by February. In February I called about the lamp and the person who answered said they’d talk to someone and get back to me. No call back. Last week I called and left a very detailed message. No call back. I don’t even care if they didn’t fix it anymore, I just want my lamp back.
Finally after FIVE MONTHS of my calling and going in to the shop. At one point Howard actually told me he would fix the lamp that weekend and I went in two weeks later and there was my lamp, discarded on the floor with a pile of lampshades on top of it. I complained to the technician and — within ONE WEEK my lamp was done. Five months of waiting and it was fixable in one week!!!
When my lamp was finally done, I went in to pick it up, was chided by Howard for being impatient. He did not offer a discount for my inconvenience, and immediately asked me to change my Unilocal review.
My advice. If you have a lamp that needs fixing, find a friend with a soldering iron. This was by far the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my entire life.

I highly recommend Ensler Lighting.
Went with a wacky project in mind for some DIY custom light fixtures. Everything I needed was in stock, and the owner Howard was patient, quirky and helpful. I learned a lot more than asking around at Home Depot and he had way more specific parts than any other hardware store I’ve been to. I’ll also have a safer light thanks to his suggestions.

Worst. Service. Ever.
Special ordered 2 lampshades in December. 6 – 8 weeks I was told. Started calling Ensler in late February. Howard didn’t know whether they’d ordered them! Took several more phone calls to hear that the shades would be here «in two weeks.» In two weeks: «two more weeks.» In two more weeks: «Don’t know if they’ve been ordered.» Etc. etc. etc. Until finally today, nearly 5 months later, I’m told they were never ordered.
NEVER AGAIN. THIS PLACE IS THE PITS.
Update: I was promised a refund on my credit card THAT day. 2 days later, still no refund. Next stop: BBB. After that: small claims court.

Four stars for being supportive of fix-​it-​yourself ers. I was able to get the part I needed here and fix my lamp. Some repair places try to talk you into paying them to do it.
The staff have peculiar personalities, but there was one guy who was completely bonkers. I haven’t seen him in a long time.

User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
by Brian 12/​31/​2009
I can’t really recommend Ensler Lighting. I brought them an old lamp which needed a new cord and socket. I received a good explanation of the mechanics involved and some information on the older mogul socket. Well, they did replace the cord, tightened the base a bit, but told me the socket was fine. When I got it home it had the same shorting problem it had before the cord was replaced. They obviously hadn’t tested the lamp with a bulb. Rather than wait 3 more weeks for them to fully fix it and debate the terms of the job and receipt, I simply visited my local hardware store and bought and installed a new socket. That’s what I should have done the first time around, rather than have them «recondition» the lamp! Live and learn.