This place is not in business anymore. I'm a bit miffed this is still online, as I was looking for a lampshade that wasn't a generic Home Depot shade. read more

A Shade Better - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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Have a lamp you love but it needs a new lampshade? Or how about an antique lamp where you want the original lampshade restored to its original beauty? Or even a garage sale lamp find that needs to be rewired? Then A Shade Better is the store for you. In business for over 20 years, A Shade Better is your one stop shop for lamps. Case in point- I had an antique floor lamp that was in desperate need of rewiring (it was like living in a haunted house the way the thing flickered on and off) as well as a new shade since it had fallen over so many times. I took it to A Shade Better and within a week, I had my favorite lamp back home with not a flicker in sight. They manufacture all their own lampshades but can also use your own fabric to create a lamp that perfectly accessorizes a room. Their designers know lamps and understand the scale balance between base and shade and are always willing to offer advice and suggestions. Lamps are the charm that add a warm glow to any room. And with the perfect shade- your lamps can look even better. Mine do. read more

Have been going to them for more then 30 years. The best lamp shades. Their repairs are the best as well. Their open during these difficult times. read more

I stopped by today with a lampshade i bought there 3 weeks ago. they only had one when I bought it and it was just perfect and I needed another for the other bedside table. The owner was there and I asked him if I could get another. He said "NO, it was a wholesale shade and he couldn't get another one. Could he at least try contacting the wholesaler and asking? He said "NO, that getting another one is impossible". Could he then tell me what brand it was so that I could do the work of contacting them? NO! Not an "I'm sorry, we wish we could help you" or even a "lets see what we can do", even a "let me call the wholesaler and see". Just a firm "NO". and the message was clear: get out and go away. So I got out, never to return. I have a ton of friends in Hinsdale and Burr Ridge where I live, even one good friend who has bought a lot there. I cant wait to tell them about this. In fact I cant wait to tell everyone I know. read more

Lamp repair is a specialty--lampshades are sold many places and competition must be rough. I recently brought in a lamp I suspected needed the guts replaced and was pleasantly surprised when Dennis "The Lamp Doctor", did his magic on the spot, and repaired it for no charge. Good customer service. In an age where we all need to reduce, reuse, repair and recycle, I ask you to repair that old lamp and give it new life. Thank you Dennis, I will be back! read more

Inexcusably poor quality lamp shades. According to their website, they manufacture their own shades. SO BEWARE! About ten years ago my mother purchased a pair of replacement shades for living room table lamps from this place. Today, I went to replace the bulb in one of those lamps and inadvertently touched the interior lining. Just barely touched. The lining disintegrated! It didn't just tear or shred, it just disintegrated into little fragments and a few larger shredded strips hanging down! The shade is now useless. I realize that nothing lasts forever but this lining appears to have been extremely inferior quality material from the start. We have much older lamps and shades and the linings are in fine shape, including a couple treasures from the Goodwill. Their product may look pretty in the store, but it doesn't last. Inferior material. You don't always get what you pay for and this is one of those sorry cases. read more

I have been there twice. Not service focused - they were rude. I did purchase a shade as very few places sell what I was looking for. I will not return. I'll order online. read more

Very expensive and poorly made shades. Lamps available for purchase are old fashioned and appear to have been there forever. No matter how many shades you might buy the owner will not allow returns. Agree the son/mom duo are odd. I doubt they will stay in business much longer because clients don't come back. If only there was another lampshade store in the Western Suburbs..... It's a drive but you will find better quality and selection if you drive to Belkos on Harlem or A Lamp and Fixture Shoppe on Elston. read more

I brought a lamp here that wasn't working. It turned out be that I had just replaced the light bulb with a shoddy one. Upon inspecting the lamp, the guy also noticed the switch on the lamp was loose and said he could fix it for 29.99. Then he proceeded to say "I'll just do it" without me even saying anhthing. I took that as he would do it for free and agreed for him to do it. He took it to the back for no more then 2 minutes and then changed me $32 including tax. My bad for not clarifying the price before hand, but I could of taken a screw driver and tightened it myself. I would never have agreed to this price, and in hindsight I should of just left the lamp there and walked out. It was hardly even worth $30. Nothing like starting out your day by feeling ripped off. read more

I have purchased multiple pieces from this store including unique shades that would only fit into a very particular lamp base. I have lamps which have a metal base and post. There was a pull cord on the lamp that was also metal and it would clank against the post when reaching to turn it on. Not only did Dennis sell me a solution to stop the clanking noise (a touch sensor adapter), he explained how to tuck the pull cord away from sight. It was a very helpful solution and $aved me money. I'm a local real estate agent and I have sent my clients there for their treasured pieces to be fixed. They have ALL been very pleased with the outcome. Big box stores do NOT have the knowledge that you can get here when you work with a person instead of just clicking on a product to buy. read more

The folks at A Shade Better have always helped me with all of my lamp and lampshade needs. I am a return customer, and have made multiple purchases there. I have always been very happy with the expertise, friendly service, and quality of the products available through their store. You should give them a call or stop in for consultation on your next home decor project, whether it be a contemporary/modern or traditional look. Definitely, the best around! read more

They were closed when they should have been open. We went to the shop on a Sunday at least an hour before closing. We had checked the time on their website, and the front door confirmed that they should have been open. We unloaded our three lamps, reached for the door... it was locked. Adding insult, we saw lights on in the back as we tried the door again, hoping someone would come up to open it. It was FREEZING OUTSIDE by the way, in the negatives. After several pulls on the door, we noticed the small lights in back turn OFF. We think someone was just closing up and ignored us. Just seems like when you close early, you are thinking of yourself, not the customer. Make me wonder how that might translate in other ways (cost, time, etc). IF I should go back and try again, I'll edit this review. For now, I'm going to try to find another shop in our area. UPDATE 1/12/17: I originally gave them one star, but my husband tried again (without me because I didn't have time to get out again) and he received some good help. I gave them a couple more stars for that, but wish I could have been there. read more

Stopped in today to see what they had. Looking to replace two lampshades. Will NOT do to business here! The male manager was a dick and rude! I was in the store less then a minute and I walked out totally insulted and NOT impressed! This guy needs customer service training! read more

Be careful before you purchase a lamp shade from this business. They will not give you a refund - only a store credit.

Absolutely the rudest salespeople (owner and his mother) I've encountered in years, maybe ever. I brought in three lamps, one for repair and two for new lampshades. The repair required ordering a special part to fix the dimmer. The owner told me he wouldn't order a new dimmer for the lamp, he would only rewire it for $60. Take it or leave it. I honestly don't have any problem being told, "I'm sorry, I don't do that kind of work." but I do have a problem with short-tempered, rude business owners who behave as if they're doing me a favor by letting me in the door. Horrible, stressful experience. One star because I found two nice quality lampshades, but I'll never go back there again. read more

I read previous reviews and was a little skeptical about taking my Stiffel lamp in for repair. I'm so glad I don't believe everything I read! I walked in and a very pleasant lady took a look at the lamp, knew the problem, quoted a price & literally less than 10 minutes later my lamp was fixed! Very nice experience and I would have no problem taking any lamp in for repair. They have a fair amount of beautiful shades, finials & decorative pull chains. I would recommend this store. read more

Have been to 'A Shade Better' for several needs. Found some spectacular floor lamps for our bedroom, assembled at no extra cost (the light bulb is a little tricky to install-so the saleswomen said she would have it put together for me). Very cool. They are modern sleek and perfect for the space. Found a shade for a lamp that was my mother's from 1968. The saleswoman spent a lot of time with me trying on the perfect shade. The sales people know their stock and know shades, lamps etc. I will continue to be a return customer. read more

Fell in love with this place. I had an antique, porcelain lamp that was in need of rewiring and a good lamp shade. I couldn't trust it to anyone for fear of injury to the delicate porcelain details on the lamp. A friend recommended I come here. They did a wonderful job and chose the perfect shade to go with it. I couldn't be more pleased. My heirloom is up and running again, with all of its beauty intact. They are a bit pricey compared to average all-in-one stores but its good quality for very good prices. The selection of lamp shades inspired resuscitation of some other antique lamps! read more

A friend recommended this shop to me, and I am glad I went there. I had an old lamp that didn't work, and they were able to repair it by rewiring it at the shop while I waited. The best part is, it cost less than $25 to fix. They also helped me choose a new shade for the lamp by showing me a variety of colors and styles that would fit. It was hard to decide which shade to go with, but I am happy with the one I picked. Since my visit, I have noticed that this shop frequently advertises in the Chicago Tribune with sales and coupons. If you are in need of a new or vintage lamp, a lamp repair, or a new shade, I would certainly suggest A Shade Better in Westmont. read more

I bought a shade to replace a broken one, but told the worker that I wasn't sure it would match and could I return it if it didn't. He cautioned me to not remove the plastic covering on a $60 shade (on sale!), but when I went to return it because it didn't work at all (and had replaced it with TWO shades from Amazon that were less that the one I got) he would not refund my credit card, but only give me a store credit which is only good for two months -- I don't need a lamp or a shade or anything else, and there is NO reason the not refund my credit card. BTW, like others wrote, he was nice when selling it to me but extremely rude when I was returning it and told me that the policy was on my receipt and I was told that when I bought it (I was not told that, or never would have gotten it). read more

I would never go back to this place. The owner and the man who does repairs are extremely rude. The owner told me it would around $30 to repair my lamp when I dropped off. when I picked it up it was $52 and the owner couldn't even tell me what exactly what they repaired she just said that's what "he" wrote on the tag not explaining he was the man who did the repair. She is the owner of the shop and she doesn't know what they charge for repairs ??When I said I could buy a new lamp for $52, the owner said "not here you couldn't ". Again, she was incredibly rude. read more

I just returned from this store and will never do business there again. I have been buying shades there for years and they are very costly. I purchased 4 shades that cost around $72 or $73 dollars each not long ago. They all became yellow along the seams and one of them became misshapen. The man there looked at it and said it must be environmental, that they sell lots of these and this never happened. He could see the shade was pure white and not at all stained and look perfect except for the seam. I'm not happy and actually can't say I believe his answer. It's too bad because I love to see independent stores survive. If a store as this doesn't stand behind their products and gives poor customer service maybe they don't want to be in business. read more

Drove from St Charles just to go to this store. My husband and I were so pleased with the knowledge and service we received. Bought lamp shades and a lamp! Love this store and have already recommended it to others. read more

Our lampshade broke the day before Easter and we panicked because we were hosting! We walked in 20 minutes before closing and the owner woman was as nice as can be! And she was so happy we brought our lamp in. She showed us multiple lamp shades and made good recommendations. There was a large selection. The shades were a little expensive but the quality is there. We highly recommend! read more

If I could give 10 stars to A Shade Better, I would and they'd be well deserved. The shop was highly recommended by a relative as I was looking for a replacement for an old, damaged shade. I was successful on that occasion, have returned and now it's my "go-to". A Shade Better has a thorough selection of shapes, styles, materials and colors in lampshades. Quality and pricing are both excellent. The store is cheerful and well lit. But here's the best part: Maryann! She is the proprietress and seriously knowledgeable on every aspect of lampshades. She has a perfected eye and gracefully suggests options that might please. I have optimized my choices based on her expertise and have really appreciated the valuable (while no-pressure) help. What a difference a new lampshade can make, breathing fresh life and beauty into a long-serving, still treasured lamp. I am so happy to have discovered A Shade Better. read more

No matter the quality, if you are rude to your customers, you will eventually go out of business. We dropped off a lamp for repair and when it was returned, one of the fasteners that hold on the lamp shade was missing. When I went back to ask about it, the gentleman, change that, the rude person who helped me wanted to argue with me about it. He claimed he personally checked the lamp in when my wife dropped it off over a month ago,and the fastener was already missing. Even if he was right, (my wife is sure it was not missing) he was rude, told me that many people who think they are right are not and told me they are not in the business of losing people's property. I will never go there again and strongly recommend no one else does either. If there are any issues, you will be blamed and treated poorly! read more

There are not enough words to describe how thrilled I have been with the service we have received at A Shade Better! I took a lamp in for repair after finding an advertisement in the Sunday Tribune. They were so accommodating; they fixed my lamp on the spot at a very reasonable price. I only waited a few minutes but managed to fall in love with a couple of rustic shades in the showroom- they are now a focal point in our great room and we get tons of compliments on them. Lastly, but certainly not least, my husband does not mind stopping in on his lunch break to drop something off because the staff is so friendly, kind and efficient. They're just not A Shade Better- they're light years better than any other service company out there!!! read more

Dan is the man for fix your lamp! While this was a great looking lamp from day one it never worked well. Even the manufacturer couldn't figure out the problem. While Dan did not fix the lamp because I decided it would be too costly, he spent a lot of time trouble shooting the problem and offering alternative solutions. And he refused any payment for his time when I picked it up. He's done other repair work in the past and I've been very happy with the service and price. Thanks Dan for a job well done! read more

Great job! Quickest turn around ever!!! Thank you for saving my lamp. The salesman was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and fast. I definitely recommend A Shade Better if you ever need a lamp repaired. read more

After being disappointed at the selection at other lampshade stores, I was thrilled to find a clean, well stocked store in Westmont. The variety of lamps for sale is impressive, too. I will definitely return here to shop some more. read more

Friendly staff, affordable prices. Large selection of lamps and lampshades. Easy to get to off of Route 83 and Ogden. Will continue to shop here for sure. read more

I know I can always find a great shade for any lamp at A Shade Better. They never disappoint me. The frequent sales and coupons make it very affordable to get a nice shade, and the expert staff know exactly how to find the right sizes and shapes. Well worth the visit ! read more