Do business with this enterprise at your own peril. They charge for materials that have not been delivered nor installed. (Word of advice: read the fine print in any contract you sign. I didn't, to my eternal regret.) read more

I had an in-house consultation in February. Didn't hear back so I followed up in May. They said they were closed bc of Covid. No problem. After they reopened I followed up again with numerous emails and phone messages. No response to either. read more

Terrible customer service and follow up. In late May I made a large deposit on a project. It's June 30. The fabric has not arrived. It is impossible to contact anyone by phone. They do not even have voice mail. I feel like I've really been deceived and plan to file a complaint with BBB and the Chamber of Commerce if I do not receive a reply by tomorrow morning. read more

Very disappointed by the staff at this store. I was not greeted at any point throughout my time in the store just given a nasty look by two older employee's. After 10-15 minutes I finally managed to get the gossiping employee's attention. They were extremely rude and snooty and gave me one word answers to my questions. I left immediately and went to a fabric store in Evanston where I received a wonderful welcome and superb customer service. I must say the fabrics were beautiful but I was not prepared to spend my money where I was made to feel a nuisance. AVOID. read more

I am so furious now I could scream. I have never written a Yelp review or any other kind of review. It is not possible to give zero stars but I would if it were. In August I placed an order for 6 seat cushions and was told it would be 8 to10 weeks before they would be completed. The cushions were for chairs that have a slightly unusual seat shape so I brought in photos of the chair as well as an exact pattern traced from the chair to be sure they had the correct dimensions. The sales person suggested I bring in one of the chairs but I said I was confident that if they followed the pattern and used the picture of the chair (I emailed those so they would have them) there would be no problem. I even signed a waiver to that effect. It was all very expensive but I felt the quality of the work and fabric justified the price. It is now December and more than 3 months since the order went in. I'd heard nothing from them so decided to call for the status of the order. The order was NEVER placed because they claimed they wanted me to bring in a chair to be sure of measurements! They had my phone, my email and my deposit but couldn't be bothered to call and ask about the chair. The order has been sitting for 3 1/2 months with nothing being done!!!!! What kind of business operates like this? I have canceled the order and demanded they remit my deposit immediately but nothing can make up for the absolute aggravation I have experienced as a result of their incompetence and utter ignorance. Do NOT patronize this store. read more

I love this place. They carry an amazing array of fabrics for everything from draperies to furniture covering. James was super helpful in answering all of my questions and keeping me posted on the status of my chair seats. He also suggested that I remove the chair seats and number them before I brought them to the store. The best is that I got them back earlier than I expected. Thank you so much. read more

This store is super helpful. Through Calico Corners I got advice about a fabric named Crypton, which Imhave used on upholstery through out three rooms. Crypton is a reliant fabric that looks like linen, but is "bullet proof". It has saved me a lot of money, as I had gone through ten sofas in my living room due to pet problems. I can't thank Calico Corners enough! read more

If you plan to do business with Calico Corners in Wilmette, Illinois you will want to hear my story. I lost almost $500 at this store. Here's my experience: In Sept 2018 I prepaid to have a sofa reupholstered. The reupholstered sofa was not made to original specifications as promised and had defective workmanship. I complained but Calico did not respond to my complaint untill 3 months later. Calico eventually agreed that reupholster job was completely unsatisfactory. Calico then offered the options of a sofa remake or a refund approximately $500 less than what I had paid. I wanted sofa remade as the original but the original sofa had been destroyed so it was impossible to replicate. Too bad said Calico and refused to refund the full purchase price. I learned the expensive way that Calico does not honor the guarantee displayed on its website read more

Calico did a custom drapery installation for our new home. The curtains dragged on our floor. They took them back to trim, telling us it would take one week, maybe two, and it's now been two and a half weeks. We've paid them in full. Still waiting. Not happy. read more

I wanted to order roman shades and possibly reupholster a chair with Calico in Wilmette. I called them twice in a week for a quote and to set up in home design service. They always made me feel like I was bothering them and rushed me off the phone. Then when I got the quote, they were going to charge me $400 to measure and install two roman shades!! That price is ridiculous! They were not willing to negotiate this price. They said it was their "Chicago rate"! I called Smith+Noble and they only charge $99 for installation of up to 6 windows and they measure for free. The Shade Store only charges between $75 to $150. Why is Calico charging 3-4 times their competitors? Needless to say I went somewhere else and was able to place my order before hearing back from Calico about an in home design appt. read more

I am very disappointed with the services I received here. I am an intern at a nearby restaurant and we needed fabric from calico in order to build custom acoustic panels to help with noise complaints that are hurting our business. The first time I visited the store no one acknowledged my presence. After about 5 minutes of looking around I approached two sales associates for help, they were not very happy. The reluctantly helped me find a few books that had grey fabrics to match the paint color. The next time I came into the store, about five minutes later, they greeted me because they knew I actually planned to make a purchase. We had chosen three samples that would work but after researching on the computer they realized that the company did not actually carry the samples they had provided me with. They ended up only have two options for grey fabric which were way over the restaurants budget, but we were desperate so we picked the least expensive of the two. We also paid for overnight shipping which was $70 extra per 10 yards. We need about 20 yards so we paid a ton extra. We ordered the fabric on Friday. Yesterday (Monday) evening I received a call from the company who is designing our panels saying that they had still not received our fabric order. This is unacceptable as we paid for overnight shipping, and the order should have been delivered on Saturday. I then called Calico who told me they would need to talk to their head quarters and would call back as soon as they figured out what had happened. I had still not heard anything 45 minutes later so I called to follow up. When I finally reached the person who was helping with our order she hung up on me. I then sent my boss into the store and they told us they would give us free overnight shipping because they had never actually ordered the fabric. The fabric should be arriving today. The only reason I am giving two stars instead of one is because they offered to pay for our overnight shipping but this totally pushed back the timeline of these panels. We had explained to them on the first day that this project was extremely important, and they fell through. We will not be doing business with them again. read more

I like this place! They really have an all inclusive atmosphere which works well because of the classic designs. Some of it's too traditional for me but they have a lot of nice things and a whole selection of furniture so they'll upholster the piece in 8-12 weeks. I haven't gone through the whole process but from what I've seen in the selection phase its looking good. read more

I am glad that I am not the only one to receive terrible customer service. Or rather, an entire lack thereof. I was starting to develop a complex. I have driven by this place countless times, and I decided to pop in today. I thought that I might purchase some fabric to make some festive throw pillows for the holidays. As I approached the store with my little ones in a stroller, two women looked up, saw me struggle with the door, but made no attempt to assist in any way. The baby was sleeping, and my preschooler was making pleasant conversation. We did not have any food or drinks to spill. At no point was I greeted by anyone in the store. There were no other customers, so this was not because they were incredibly busy. Apparently, they don't sell small pieces of fabric anyway. I learned that after reading another review, not because any person in the store gave me the time of day. I have some furniture that I would like to reupholster and I live nearby, but I will certainly take my business elsewhere. Until then, I will continue to shop at the Needleshop in Bucktown when working on small projects. read more

Not pretty sure about their very enthusiastic and confident aim ... "We promise the expertise to bring your vision to life with a friendly, fun, creative experience." As a designer, obviously I appreciate good quality and finding on the spot what I ambition while creating a mode board... ... or sometimes to simply walk in at a nearby store to simply get inspired by beautiful fabrics, designs etc... However, if anyone hopes to find "friendly, fun and more than anything enjoy a creative experience" at Calico because of their sales people... I will say ... save your self the disappointment.. Early November me and my husband decided to access the convenience of having a close option to get some fabrics... and asked one of their help members about what amount of fabric we needed to order, to upholstery four chairs; this while showing him a picture of one chair, front and back... I had an "about-idea" of the answer, but its always better to ask "the experts" first ... he said we needed 4 yds per chair which I found I bit off... came back and double check the universal average chart... the answer? ... same illustration of the chair I shown the guy and in reality we only needed 1 1/2 yard per chair... It is OK to say, "I don't have the answer.. but let me check with my peers...". We asked twice and the 4 yards was the same answer "do doubt". That was first... But despite the incident, and having set our minds on three different options we found in store, I came back a few days later and purchased 2 yds of each fabric... the cashier ... (I guess that was her job) couldn't seem more annoyed by having to sale me some of their inventory... I asked twice about how long it was going to take the fabric to be delivered, and she said firmly two weeks. -The three of them?- yes... Two weeks later... one shows up... three weeks later the second one and no news on the third one... so I called... I guess I should be the one upset about not getting on time the fabric I've already payed for .. but the lady who answered the phone seemed to be the one that should be upset because I called asking about what was going on with the order... Well, News for me... it is back order from RL .. Really? and the person ordering the fabric when I payed didn't have any idea it was back order when sending the request? .... Exciting news! We need to wait until mid December!? ... Did anyone at Calico Corner happens to think or feel the responsibility of letting people doing business with you, know what is going on with their purchases? I mean as a courtesy at least? Please!... You guys are not Le Marche Saint-Pierre in Paris seriously... Terrible customer service! read more

If I could give them a zero I would. I walked in and asked about drapery fabric and was told it was throughout. Didn't ask if I needed help locating a certain type. Apparently they were closing soon and she was worried about getting out on time. As I decided to leave, 3 minutes to 5 a little woman came out and said three minutes to the other woman, I guess that was my clue to leave and when I got to the door it was already locked and no was is there anything I can do to help you? Nothing. I could respect them if they said "we'd be glad to help you but we are closing soon" instead of the stink eye and cold shoulder. I'll take my money elsewhere. read more

I've never written a bad review for any other company in my life, but I've never dealt with a company as awful as Calico. I ordered drapes and shades for three rooms from them. Debby the salesperson had no idea what she was doing and gave me incorrect information on at least five different occasions. When I finally decided to order from them, Debby tried to increase the cost by an astronomical amount between quote and measure (like not even in the same ballpark). Since then, everything has been incredibly delayed. And now they are here to install and it turns out they ordered the wrong rods. To make matters worse, their customer service is just atrocious. No apologies. Nothing to make it right. Trust me, these are not the people you want to be giving your business to. read more

Unbelievably bad service. As in the employees will just "drift away" from you when you directly ask them questions! Not enough staff to serve customers. Normally I am a fan of supporting local business . . . but this is ridiculous. Go there, figure out what you want/which designer with ZERO service from the staff, and then order it online more cheaply. read more

I would never recommend them to anyone! Horrible service and no concern or thoughtfulness for their customers actual needs. I also overheard a conversation in the store between 2 employees trying to price an upholstery item and basically throwing a huge dollar amount based on the fact the customer 'had a lot of $$'. Will never go back or recommend them. read more

I so want to like Calico Corner - nice fabrics, good looking displays, and the designer is very helpful. Unfortunately the rest of the sales staff is not helpful being very busy with nearly anything else to do. You can get help, but it takes work. And then there's the craftsmanship - not so good. Of three shade and cushion orders with them, I had to have half the shades returned and reworked in one order (then they wanted to charge me to reinstall but we worked that out) and all the window coverings in another order reworked as well. And their prices are not all that reasonable, especially given the effort to get the work done properly. Admittedly the work is always done properly in the end, but really, shouldn't a company get it right the first time? Although I don't seem to learn quickly I have now - I won't be disappointed again. read more

One of the great places to buy fabric. Staff is very helpful. Why only 4 stars -- the prices are outrageous compared to other. And yes, you can get the exact same fabrics at 30% less. However, the atmosphere is great and some of their own fabrics are quite wonderful. read more

A while ago I decided to order some custom bedding after years of buying off the rack items at chain stores. I decided to stop in at Calico and had a great experience. They have so many beautiful fabrics in the store. My salesperson was very helpful as to what kinds of fabrics would be best for bedding. She took her time working with me and made tasteful suggestions for fabrics that would work well with my existing headboard. The duvet and pillows turned out beautifully. The quality is so much nicer than anything I've bought from a department store. Recently, I went back to Calico to look at custom, motorized shades for some hard to reach windows. I worked again with the same salesperson, Debby, and she was awesome. She knows her stuff but isn't too pushy. She came to my home to match colors and pick out options. The installation was fast and professional and my husband and I are so happy with the end result. read more

Indifferent to the customer's needs. If you are a women and don't like shopping there, you should try it as a man. I could hardly get anybody's attention, with employees loudly reminding each other when they would be leaving work (2 hrs before closing time). They stand around to talk and do not greet customers, and that is revealing. The salesperson was curt and did not offer information. After getting an estimate of about $450 per chair, plus fabric, at CC, I went to a place off Crawford in Skokie. Their estimate was $125 per chair, plus fabric, and they were warm and friendly, with beautiful work to show. I went back to CC to order fabric, but they won't be doing my chairs. Too bad, since I support Wilmette businesses. But CC in Wilmette has an unfriendly and unhelpful culture. I agree with others that there is a good selection of fabric, but in customer service and prices, this store earns its low ratings. Lots of fabric on display, much more useful than sample books, hence 2 stars rather than 1. read more

I have phoned, walked in and left my contact details plus a business card, signed up for an in house consultation online (which assures of a 2 day response from a design consultant...) and yet have gotten absolutely no reply from anyone at this Calico Corners location. And I literally live three blocks away from the shop! In addition, the day I walked in to request a consultation the shop gals were loathe to help or acknowledge me. I finally had to tap on the counter with an "ahem" to get the lady at the cashier to look up at me. It was so embarrassing. I was embarrassed for them, actually. I'm not sure what the problem is with this location, but the merchandise is lovely and the attitude is downright chilly and avoidant. May I politely remind the ladies who operate this particular location that they work for a regular, mass market decorating chain store with a .com retail address. This is not Lee Jofa or Manuel Canovas headquarters....you ladies are selling Waverly polished cotton at $25 a yard. You need to warm up to your clientele. You're losing consistent customers. read more