apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I went there to try to get some wood for a frame. If you do want to frame things yourself, then buy the stuff ONLINE. At Lee's the wood only would have been $280. At AmericanFrame.com it cost me $90 including delivery.

They also quoted me $650 to frame my art for me, asking me why on earth I would want to do it myself. Now, let me think about that...

Sigh. I visit Lee's the way I did Disney World when I was a kid: It's so full of pretty and sparkly, and I'm about as likely to turn into a princess as to be able to afford most of their stuff.

I don't find their framing to be that much higher than most, and sometimes a lot cheaper.

Framing ain't cheap... and Lee's is not a molding reseller.

I used to work right next door and walking by every day to get a coffee, or salad, or just to get in the building was torture! They are very overpriced in a lot of their items but very beautiful and unique.

I love this store. It has a full assortment of everything you need, and it has customer service. Actual customer service. You tell them what you are looking for and they take you around and show you the options. It is amazing. You can get a lot of ideas from them (I don't always execute there).

The lighting area has a lot of really interesting items and some of the lighting prices are actually very competitive - mostly on the lower end stuff. By the time you add shipping, your online purchase would be the same. The downside is that their lighting lead time is something like 4-6 weeks.

I have bought a lot of toys in their 4th floor toy area. They have really interesting science and art projects, not the usual fare. Prices are okay, not great, but okay. I mean, you are just going to have to pay up for Shuttle Commander Steve and the alien from Mars. This is NY.

I'm sure their customer service people are delighted to find out they are helping you "execute elsewhere"!

I love Lee's... to a point. Their student discount, which I use proudly, is either 20 or 30%, which certainly helps with any purchase. But a few months back, I was making fabric blocks over stretcher bars and not only did they not have enough stock (though they ordered me the rest for pickup the next day), but Pearl (on Canal) had the same bars for nearly half the price, plus Pearl's student discount, it saved me a lot of money. So, it depends. *end ramble*

It looks like they have nice stuff, but their website is a nightmare to navigate.