I had a house built in 1996 with some odd windows and one west facing side almost all windows. I really didn't want to put any window coverings up at all but after a summer of light blasting in I knew I had to do something to at least protect the floors. I kept thinking "this is Berkeley, not Arizona. We get fog and stay cool." I have allergies and didn't want curtains or vertical shades that rattle. Rick Burris patiently let me bumble around and I eventually settled on the window shades he put in at UCBerkeley that kept out the heat but didn't detract from the interiors. And this year I finally covered up the sun room which on warm days was too stifling to sit and read. And tackled some difficult windows. The shades matched my original shades and why did I wait so long? All the staff was easy to work with and accomodating of my difficulties like moving a grand piano 15 feet over. read more

See all

Old time blind repair shop. They do repairs quickly and have been in Oakland for many years

What a class act. I mean, truly refreshing and old school like that. And a great pleasure too to work with an old Oakland business. I worked with David. He came to our house, heard me out, took measurements, discussed options, and then later communicated to me our choices, prices, etc. They were very fair and reasonable in negotiating a price for me and giving me the option to install the shades myself (I've installed all the others in our home). I made our selection and then he met me by my work (near their store) with some swatches and options and I selected what we wanted over a nice cup of coffee at a nearby coffee place (Farley's). A couple weeks or so went by and he texted me to schedule an install date. As great as David's professionalism had been, and it was, he really shined during installation. One of the two pieces arrived broken, but he took it apart, and put it back together again and made it perfect. I learned he's a certified master installer and it showed. The new shades (powered shades by Hunter Douglas) are beautiful, quiet, and a massive improvement over what we had. I look forward to doing business with them again. read more

Excellent service provided by Steven, Mark and Rick! These guys are the experts in what they do. I had a few shades in my loft that required some work, and Steven did an outstanding and meticulous job rebolting my custom shades and re-stringing our blinds that were uneven for a few years. I can't say enough about the level of professionalism and care performed in less than 2 hours. Exceptional work! Thank you! read more

I stopped by in the early afternoon on a Friday with a simple roll-up blackout shade I needed repaired or replaced. 3 employees visible in the shop. No one seemed to have any idea what was what. They couldn't give me a price on either the repair -"maybe $40 or $50 -I don't know how much the fabric costs". No idea what having a new one made would cost. They wanted me to leave the shade with them and someone would call me Monday with a solid price. I asked which option (repair or replace) would be cheaper and they had no idea. I left and went to another shop in Berkeley where the guy took a shade off the rack, cut it to size and handed it to me for $25. How good is their product? No idea. I never got past the lame service at the front desk read more

Burris Window Shades is now PACIFIC LIGHT AND SHADE INC. I had two customized shades installed in 2004 to the tune of several thousand dollars.. The chain on the smaller blind broke. I asked to have a quote on a replacement chain with receptors. One arrived at my door 3 weeks later . I was invoiced three weeks after that for $36.95 [ keeping in mind there was no original cost quote given ] . This is a case of customer gouging. Who in their own mind would pay $36.95 for a simple 8 foot chain ? By the way - it wasn't platinum. I had no recourse but to pay the invoice BUT I will never recommend or use them ever again. read more

We bought some shades for well over $1000 and was told by Michael, the manager(?), that he would not put these shades in his home -This after requesting them to come to our house several times during the first year- The shades are flimsy. We are still having parts break on us... It was difficult to get Burriss to respond to our requests to come repair our shades. Bad product Bad customer service read more

Michael Cvetich answered the phone when I first called to get a quote. I had never shopped for shades before and needed to get blinds for 19 windows (pretty much the entire house). I was worried it was going to be ridiculously expensive and was worried about feeling overwhelmed with options. Michael was extremely professional, met me on time at my home for the preliminary consultation and walked me through all the options with samples and other photos. The finished product is gorgeous-- I got roller shades with a small metal chain to roll them up and down on the side (which are the same shades Burris installed in our office building in Jack London Square). They were only about $100 more than mini blinds which was their least expensive option. Because they do 50/50 residential and commercial they are able to get really good deals on products but still maintain the "small shop" local feel. I would highly recommend Burris-- excellent customer service and a pleasure to work with. read more

I had a tenant who swore that one of the Roman shades in her apartment just magically broke and that she was the most careful and conscientious shade opener and closer ever in the history of all shade openers and closers and that there's NO WAY the jacked up shades were in any way her fault. Right. So I called Rick Burris to see if I could just have it re-strung (?) and VIOLA, he worked his magic in like 15 minutes and charged me a tiny fraction of the cost of a new shade. Bonus: He commented that someone had clearly been monkeying with the shade's cords so I felt extra confident in taking the cost of Rick's services out of her deposit. BOOYAH! read more

SUPER Professional and helpful! They go above and beyond to make sure that you will receive customer service, lots of options and information to make an informed decision. Their pricing is super fair and competitive. As an interior designer.... in this industry for over 25 years... Burris Window shades is the kind of business that we want to see stay around for the long haul.... Definitely go in and give them your business! You won't be disappointed. read more

The cords and cord lock broke on a 10 year old, 5' x 10', very large Levolor Blind. Dane Jackson researched the repair options and it turned out that it was still under warranty and that Levolor would prefer to build a new one than to repair the old one. This was not a profitable job for Burris Window Shades, but the customer service was beyond what I would have imagined. I would go back there in a heartbeat. read more

I've driven past Burris thousands of times and never knew this hidden gem existed! Upon arrival I was greeted with a friendly smile by Dane. He was professional, knowledgeable and went above and beyond to help me get the blinds I desperately needed same day. Thanks again! read more

Read the 5-star reviews on Yelp so was very hopeful that Burris Window Shades could help us with a Lutron roller shade installation. Stopped in at their store, talked to one of the employees who took down my contact info and said the owner would call me. Never heard another word from the owner or anyone else. read more

I first hit upon the delightfully old-world, unassuming store front of Burris Window Shades 5 or 6 years ago while walking along 14th St when I entered the store on the spur of the moment to see if they might be able to help me secure a particular design of cord pulls for two that I'd broken while self-installing Levelor aluminum blinds that I'd purchased online. So, the context was that I was not a previous customer. Nevertheless, Michael took time out to show me more designs of cord pulls than I ever imagined might exist and refused payment for the 4 or 5 that he gave me. Those seemingly small courtesies go a long way and so when I needed custom-manufactured insect screens made, it was Burris I went to and it was Burris who gave me a set of well-designed custom screens and who installed them for me. When two of the screens proved to be the wrong size because of MY faulty measuring, they had new ones manufactured at no cost to me for my mistake. The installer was friendly, competent, and professional. Besides having these same qualities, Michael has an unrivalled knowledge of everything you'd ever want to know about window coverings. I know this because I spent literally more than 100 hours online researching possible solutions to my problem of solar radiation and overheated living spaces. He's patient and unhurried and is the kind of guy that you could happily spend an evening with solving the major problems of the world over a good bottle or wine or Linden St ale and still have more to learn from his wide-ranging knowledge. I recently decided to replace my aluminum heat-conducting blinds with insulating shades and Michael came over for a consult and to measure up. Most sales people in his position would be all too happy to ride on my enthusiastic endorsement of the benefits of cellular shades to reduce heat transfer and measure up every window that I planned to "treat". Instead, working for his client's interests more than his company's short-term bottom-line interests, he advised installation of cellular shades initially only in a single bedroom, to experience for myself over 6+ weeks the degree to which this type of window covering could reduce ambient room temperature and then proceed or not proceed with the other windows that I had planned to "treat". His stated rationale was "Look, you may not think that the benefit gained is large enough to justify the considerable cost of doing what you're planning to do". His stance over motorization was similarly cautious (I was ready to put motorized sunshades on every window when he walked in the door LOL. I have considerable respect for this man on multiple levels. I'm perplexed to find several extremely negative evaluations of both Michael and the company here. Based on several samples of behavior over 5 years as well as decades of experience with rental properties of mail order and online window shade sales as well as the Berkeley Shade Company on Univ Ave, I have no basis for anything other than an unreserved 100% endorsement of Michael and the Burris Window Shade Company. read more

I have a live/work loft with 18 foot ceilings. Tony came out, measured, shades installed in skylights and windows. Excellent service and quality. I priced several other places and They were most competitive and great all around. Highly recommended. read more

In 1998 I first found Burris via ATT Yellow Pages, I hired Burris to outfit my new house and I ordered 26 custom sized Levelor blinds. A huge job, but competitively priced. I asked a lot of questions about product durability as I didn't want to think about replacement anytime soon. Burris knows the industry inside out. Also they respect a budget. Michael measured every window and door, and installed it all. I appreciate that they've been in business a long time and there to help long after the sale. Recently I needed a stray part lost when redecorating required all blinds to be stored, and they helped me out. Not many stores survive for decades and remember you. Don't be put off by the vintage1940s place of business with doorbell entry, as that part of town's all right and the vintage's a sign of wise old hands. read more

I needed repairs on some cellular blinds originally from 3 day blinds purchased from 3 day blinds. They are huge and required a two story ladder to get to. 3 day blinds couldn't have been less interested in helping me. These guys sent someone out within a day, and they took care of it. Required taking into the shop and coming back. Totally professional, pleasant,on time, and reasonably priced. read more

Burris Shades is the only shop in the east bay I found that stocked a Lutron remote control that I needed at the last minute. Thanks for stocking lots of obscure items and thanks for the helpful and friendly service. Got me out of a bind with better than expected assistance. read more