Dave Smith the Lamp Maker

Wow, negative review, much? We needed our 2 lamps repaired and I knew of Dave Smith the Lamp Maker by listening to 98.9 and they advertise there.
So I drove my mom out to Dave Smith because she didn’t think she could find it, and were greeted by a dog friend, then by a woman. Then another woman also helped us out. They showed us examples, and helped guide us to what we needed done. Both lamps ran around $ 100 total, and they are nice lamps. They were business like, but not unfriendly. I did ask them where to get tacos around there, and they were kind of blank with that. Maybe they don’t eat tacos?
I had a look around. Not only is the owner into fine art, and upscale lampshades, but they love the Chiefs. Okay, and Buddha statues, and dog statues and flowers and everything is upscale. There’s alot of it to. The lampshades are wonderful, they are all above $ 100. The owners have held Chiefs season tickets for over 20 years. If you stop in there, take a look at the Chiefs display in the counter top.
I just kept petting the dog and starring at the Chiefs artifacts. I’d never turn off my phone in a shop, nor did I put it away in my purse. The sign thereabout turning off your phone is probably old, probably forgotten. The ladies at the counter were very helpful, and told us they would call us when it was finished. It was before Thanksgiving.
On the Thursday after Thanksgiving, they called us, our lamps were done. We went to pick them up, and I eyed a statue in their window. They couldn’t get to the statue.(okay, I can get it elsewhere) due to the lamps in the back room. My mom paid for her lamps, I carried them out to my car, and that was my experience with Dave Smith the Lamp Maker. Our lamps work like new, and we were able to buy the old style light bulbs.
I would totally use them again, I hope not soon, though.

I read the negative reviews but really needed to replace a lampshade for an old bronzed lamp that was very special to me. With caution, I’d called the store to double check the hours and asked if there was anything I needed to know.
Yes, there was — I needed to bring the lamp in with me. And, the store closed at 5:30 so if I had a lamp that needed to be fitted with a shade, I needed to be there by 5:00. Okay, I could live with that…
In I went with lamp and ruined lampshade in hand. Soooo many lampshades. Two ladies and two dogs greeted me when I came in. I’m happy to report all were friendly.
My ruined shade was measured and I was asked questions… what was the lamp used for– decoration or reading? What was the décor in rest of the room like? Did I have a certain style or color I was looking for? Questions that indicated this was THE place to find the right shade. When I asked about prices, I was told flat out by Dave’s wife that all of her shades were made in America, mostly for them, and the shipping charges were high. That made the shades higher. No bait & switch tactics used here. One knows upfront these are not cheap. Such a direct statement early in the shopping process leads me to believe these folks have spent considerable amounts of time helping customers only to be told that lamp shades at places like Pottery Barn and Lowe’s, for example, are much less expensive. A few years of doing that would probably spur the ‘direct communication’ gene in anyone. My words and speculation only here.
Yes, they do ask that cell phones be turned off. I don’t blame them one bit for this either. #1 It’s annoying to everyone else around the person on the phone and #2 unfortunately it’s not uncommon for customers come to into any place of business, ask someone to help them, and then take or make a call expecting the other person to just stand there and wait. Good for them on the ‘no cell phones’ sign! I wish restaurants would put these signs up too.
I noticed another sign encouraging people to be patient if they were waiting to be helped. We live in a ‘it’s all about me and I’m busy!’ culture. Small businesses cannot afford to hire large staffs of people, train them, pay them well and offer benefits. Many times the person who closes the shop at the end of the day is the same person who opened the shop that morning. So, did I resent being told to be there by 5:00 to have help fitting a lamp with a shade since they closed at 5:30? No. I was just glad they told me when I called beforehand.
Prices: I’d brought an additional ‘generic’ shade with me for a floor lamp. The lining had torn and I thought I’d pick up a second shade while I was there. Didn’t happen. The shade for my beautiful family heirloom lamp was $ 168.00. Much more than I hoped to spend. But, it is a beautiful and unusual shade befitting I lamp I love. It hurt to buy, but I will appreciate it for years to come.
As a former small business owner, I want to support places like this. Someone might have to come into work feeling horrible and cranky because there are no «paid» sick days or replacement staff to fill in for them. But, when places like this are gone, we’ll all be in trouble when we need knowledgeable customer service and something not sold by Walmart, Home Depot and Pottery Barn.

So apparently this business is complaining to Unilocal on the negative reviews and mine got pulled. Let me try again. As we strolled into the establishment, Dave Smith the Lamp Maker, we were greeted by an unkindly person working the register, whom we assume was the boss/​owner.
The first thing we noticed were signs located all over the place to turn off your cell phones and that they have the right to serve who they want. The second thing we noticed, was the huge selection of lamp shades. If you’re after that and you can put up with rudeness, you’ll find what you’re looking for.
I was actually after a lamp. I tried to describe it to her, but she, the owner cut me off. Somewhat shocked at the rudeness, we left. I did find my lamp. A draftsman style table lamp from an online retailer. It’s funny, I ended up calling the online company, described the same exact thing as I did at this store. They emailed me a photo and sent it my way. With the selection they have, I’m sure they had what I was after, but I don’t think they’re focused on customer service or return business.

Do not bring antiques for repairs. I am currently in the process of restoring an early 20^th century home and trying my best to replace all electrical/​plumbing/​furniture with historically accurate pieces. I brought in a fixture that was working fine at the time but the original wires on this early 20^th century piece looked to be a bit sketchy. I was told by a woman at Dave Smith the Lamp Maker that they could not just rewire the piece but also had to replace all of the sockets as well. The patina of the sockets matched the fixture and the antique style turn knobs were very unique. Looking back, she made this assessment without testing of any kind. At the time, I did not know any better and trusted this assessment so I reluctantly agreed having been led to believe this was the only option.
I later found out that those sockets are collectible on the resale market; especially ones with a well aged patina and the vintage turn switches still working. It now makes sense why they wanted to replace these working pieces. I also later learned that like most things from the time period of the fixture, the sockets were made to last and should there have been a problem (which there wasn’t) down the road, repair of the sockets was an option because of how they were constructed. The replacement sockets are like most of what is made today; cheap throwaway junk.
So now I have an antique copper light fixture that has a beautifully aged patina with cheap shiny brass plated sockets and cheap turn switches that are not historically accurate.
I understand that it was my ignorance that allowed me to be taken advantage of but I am mainly writing this for people who might be in the same boat that I was in. People who don’t have any experience in the area of lighting and are looking for a company they can trust to repair an antique/​vintage piece while showing respect for the history of the item. In my experience, I was not given accurate information as to what needed to be done and am extremely disappointed with my experience. I have learned to appreciate the old adage that «if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.»

The one pro of this place is that they have an abundant variety of lampshades; pricey, but a big selection just the same. The con is their militant customer service. Note that I say militant rather than poor. You will be helped, and the staff is knowledgeable, but their attitudes and «people skills» are among the worst I’ve ever seen.
I have bought several shades here over the years, simply because they are really the only option in town for specialty shades, but God forbid if you ask to see something other than what the help thinks you should have. I have literally had one roll her eyes as she stomped away to get something else I wanted to try besides her recommendation. But I think the final straw was another fairly recent time when I brought in a friend who had just relocated here from Scottsdale. She also happens to be a professional interior designer. When we walked into the shop, the clerk asked what we were looking for. My friend replied that we were just going to browse some shades. The clerk responded by letting us know that their «cheapest shades start at around $ 50.00 and go up from there.» I was appalled. Not that it should matter, but besides our being well-​dressed, said friend is very well-​heeled and could buy and sell this little shop many times over in the blink of an eye. But even if we had been paupers, what a way to welcome customers into your business! Needless to say, my friend was completely turned off by the tacky greeting as well as these plastic signs stuck all over the store which read «Browsers welcome, buyers adored.» As I have stated, the selection of lampshades here is great. But they also fancy themselves as an interior design shop. That part of their inventory is blasé and very overpriced. The majority of it looks like things you could pick up for less than $ 20 at Hobby Lobby. Think a framed print of a palm leaf, resin monkey bookends or a metal plate that says «Live. Laugh. Love.»
Although I much prefer to support small, «mom and pop» local businesses, I buy shades online now. They’re cheaper, often have free shipping, and even if I have to return one a time or two to get the right fit, it’s far more pleasant than dealing with what my friend and I have taken to calling the «Lamp Nazis.»

Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! If I could give them 0 stars, I would! Went in to look for a lamp shade and some old lady wouldn’t even let us look because we didn’t bring the lamp with us. What the …? She was SO RUDE! I’m still in shock at how rude she was!

I’ve interacted twice with this place, both times having the same feeling — RUDE! They are simply rude. That aside, they did have a cute dog wandering around. Do not waste your time with this store. They are insanely over priced, and did I mention RUDE? Bye Felicia!

I didn’t realize a Unilocal did paid reviews. Do some research before you go to this store. Worst experience of my life. Incredibly bad customer service.

Yet another great experience at Dave Smith the Lamp Maker’s. This time, I brought in a five-​arm antique sconce and he rewired it, changed out the sockets, and perfectly matched a back plate to the piece. My electrician installed it in my half bath and I could not be more thrilled. Dave breathed new life into this awesome antique!
And another update for Dave the Lampmaker! I went in there yesterday with a small, antique lamp and needed a shade. Instead of pointing me to the shade section like I expected, an employee assessed my lamp size, did some measuring, and suggested a new size harp so the shade would be more in proportion and better accentuate the lamp. After trying a couple, it was obvious how much better the new harp size fit the lamp. I selected a shade with her help. I then asked for help with a finial. They have hundreds of them. The Dave’s employee did a great job helping me select just the right one, in fact, I went with one that she had picked herself. I loved this little lamp before, but after Dave’s did their magic, it’s even better!

I found the Lamp Maker quite charming upon entering. A customer’s tiny little dog dolled up in a sweater greeted me, and proceeded to follow me throughout the store which kinda made my day. Besides that, the store was fun to roam around because there was SO much to see! I swear, they packed in twice as much inventory then what should have been in there. Not only did they sell lamps of all types, but also décor like knick-​knacks, paintings, sculptures, clocks, interesting wall hangings, and floor pottery vases. I don’t think I could list everything that they have, there’s not enough space here.
It was an interesting array, going from classic, retro, asian inspired, european inspired, country themed, or modern. It was a very accessible store, having something for everyone but a bit pricey. I’m not sure how much home décor usually goes for, but most things were priced between $ 50 – 300. I mean, depends on what you’re looking for I guess.