HIdden in plain sight on the corner of Broadway and 59th Place lies a gem of an educational supply store, a true resource for teachers and parents in the area. I learned about Neely's from Gold Elite Yelper Gary I and decided to pop in since I was in the neighborhood. I found a spotless store, filled with aisle after aisle of educational games, stickers, posters, and other miscellaneous supplies that educators need. Everything was well organized and spotless. I also found a delightful host to guide me to exactly what I was looking for. And....they do laminating for a reasonable price! Street parking. read more

Neely's Educational Materials and Supplies - Bookstores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I definitely want to support and like this place more than I actually do. Yes, the store offers plenty for educators interested in upping the aesthetics of their curriculum and/or classroom. It leaves much to be desired in terms of customer service. I was the only one shopping and noticed it was very dark. As I roamed, I discovered an entire section with no lights. Was it closed? Was I off limits? Who was to say? I went to the counter and rang the service bell to find out. No one came. I waited a couple minutes and rang it again. No one came. A third ring finally got the Neely's employee to come and he turned on the lights with little enthusiasm. I found what I wanted (and then some) and went to make my purchases. I had to hunt down the same employee again to ring me up. Of course, his register wasn't working. I mean, that's what I assumed because he kept staring at it for several minutes without saying a word to me. I tried to engage but got little communication back and was ready to leave until, 12 minutes later, the register finally worked. I'm all about helping small business but they also gotta help themselves. I'm not writing this place off entirely because of their selection and my hope that it was just a (terrible, horrible, no good) really bad day. read more

I didn't know about the existence of Neely's Educational Materials and Supplies until I started teaching at Gardena High Foreign Language Magnet & International Studies. I kept receiving the indispensable teachers' planning calendars for "Teacher's Lesson Plan Number N 18 We supply everything except the children." which was divided into two traditional fall & spring semesters. Dated from Monday through Friday and with rows for 4 different preps, it was ideal for me teaching Japanese as a foreign language years 1-4. Keeping a daily record for what I had taught was invaluable for me since I would know what I would be teaching the next day as well as looking back at last year's lessons to see how I was comparatively progressing for the present school year. Now that I am retired, I still use the teacher's lesson plan by modifying it for my own calendar of events so ingrained it is in me after over 31 years of teaching. I do use the Google calendar in my Kyocera smart phone, but I use the lesson plan book as a back up & hard copy if ever I lose the smart phone or if it ever breaks down. Quickly perusing Neely's since I was on a tight schedule, I might be mistaken, but it looks as though there is an emphasis in supplies for the elementary school years. There are so many things that look colorful & bright that might better catch the eye of a child still in his/her formative years. This would also be a great place for parents to buy educational materials for their own children. I try very hard to buy from local stores that serve & employ local members of the community so that the money circulates & lingers in the community for maximum economic effect. That is why I don't buy at Walmart where the major portion of their profits goes to their headquarters in Arkansas. Neely's is pretty much in the center of the LA School District so it would be convenient for teachers teaching around & south of DTLA. It's located in the South Central portion of Los Angeles that used to be the historic & fashionable district for African Americans in the 20's, 30's, 50's where "Low-rise commercial buildings along Central Avenue emerged as the heart of the black community in southern California. It had one of the first jazz scenes in the western U.S. with trombonist Kid Ory a prominent resident." Now South Central is predominantly Latino with another set of rhythms. Anyway, Neely's is a great place to get school supplies especially for supplies that are not stocked at the central LAUSD warehouses. If you don't want to buy out of pocket, see your department chair to get yourself a form to do outside requisitions at the beginning of the school year before department funds run out. 4 Yelp stars. read more

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No parking. Cash only. Theres even a sign at the door that says "no cell phones allowed, please them inside your car." I came here on Tuesday (8/16) at 2:30 pm (a time that they're advertised as being open), and after finding no parking in an awkward spot on the side street I walked up to the entrance only to find that the entrance was locked and in fact they were NOT open even though they were advertised to be. Even the sign at the door indicated that they were open. I took a chance at this spot but you don't have to- go somewhere, anywhere else, this place has so many things working against it. read more

My name is Ricky K Benjamin and I want to recognize excellent customer service by Mr. Neely's. I went into his store to get a document laminated and copied. Mr. Neely was giving 3 other customers excellent customer service and while in line ask kindly in a really professional manner "may I help you" and while still assisting the other customer service he was able to assist me at the same time giving us all undivided attention as customers. I have not been in a establishment such as Neely's Educational Material & Supplies in a long time were customer service was perfect, the store was very neat and clean and they have all the materials and supplies needed for Teachers, Students, Parents, Churches, ETC... I would highly recommend everyone whom is in need of Educational Material and Supplies to please give Mr. Neely's (Neely's Educational Material & Supplies) a shop and you'll promised to be satisfied with customer service and the amount of material and supplies needed for educational purposes. God Bless You Mr. Neely read more

"We supply everything but the children!" I read that slogan everyday on my way home. Neely's is an educational materials/supplies store nestled in the heart of South Central. It's been around for ages (it was here when I first moved to the neighborhood in 1988). It is geared towards educators of all specialties (special ed, math, language, sports, etc) and parents alike. Every other year they volunteer to be the local polling place. Staff and volunteers are always extremely welcoming and helpful. Because I'm not an educator or a parent, I never found much use for this gem. But I always appreciated it's positive presence in the neighborhood. Thank you Neely family. It takes special hearts and conscious minds to stick around in a heavily underserved area when you are not profiting by the exploits of the children. Thanks for being a catalyst for the education of South Central. For more information and/or ordering online: http://www.wesupplyeverythingexceptthechildren.com/ read more

I'm a firm believer in supporting local businesses, so it was a no-brainer to visit Neely's when my mom told me that it was a great educational supplies store in the middle of the "hood". Just a disclaimer... I am not a formal teacher. I am a part-time homeschooling parent. When I entered the store, I was greeted by a happy lady and she offered her assistance, if I had any questions. She allowed me to walk the store in peace (without stalking me the entire way through, as some businesses love to do). I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of materials and supplies that the store had to offer and I found quite a few gems that I could not leave without. I know that a lot of people assume that since its a small business that the prices would be high, but I'm here to tell you that is not the case at Neely's. I frequently shop at Lakeshore Learning and the prices are 97% comparable or maybe a couple of cents higher (which is no problem for me). Combined with the excellent customer service, mom-and-pop feel, and great prices, I believe that Neely's will become my homeschooling heaven from now on. read more

This place has been in business for over 50 years and the original owners are still there and the sweetest people ever. Best place to go for your hard to find school items and more. read more

As with any first year teachers, we need to buy a lot of stuff to decorate our classrooms! It is nice to come across teacher supply stores because there are not that many around, but Neely's has managed to stick it out and has been around for 20 or so years. And it is no surprise with the super friendly staff. I came to this store with a purpose and that was to buy laminated maps that I saw on the online store. While the do carry maps at this store, they only have the laminated ones online (which I bought). So make a note that if you saw something online, it does not mean that it is in the store. Although this store does not carry everything that's online, there is still a ton of stuff that it does carry! I managed to find a bunch of cute picture cut outs for my bulletin boards when I do different units. (Ancient Greece, Rome, India, China) I would recommend this store for elementary and middle school teachers because it does carry a lot informational posters targeting those age groups. read more

This place so many things like posters and books and almost everything u could possibly look for . My baby boy is getting ready for TK and I went here to get him some writing materials so that he can practice his name spelling and stuff I love this place and I'm going be recommended this to everyone :) ps it made me want to go back to school all over again lol read more

Neely's Educational Materials and Supplies - Bookstores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Want this place to succeed so badly but hard to compete with bright aisles full of every educational brand you can want and didn't know you wanted. Neely's is doing God's work on a rundown section of LA. They are providing school supplies for the kids and teachers of LA. Prices and assortment are competitive. I believe they deliver if you order a minimum. I see someone who I presume is Ms Neely helping out behind the counter but place just seems dated. I'll keep patronizing because I understand and appreciate their mission AND their products are worth every penny. read more

I came to Neely's on a Saturday to laminate a large poster for my classroom. I called to ask if they laminate and a friendly voice told me that they did. I was excited because I always have to drive to Lakeshore to laminate. Neely's laminating sheet is also thicker than any other sheet I've ever used. The only thing is you have to call them to turn the machine on when you're on your way but that wasn't a problem for me. read more

I bought a set of Wall multiplication monsters and got all the way to Vegas and was laminating and realized it was missing the 5's and 6's. Mad that I spent $13.99 and didn't even get a full set read more

Great service, convenient location, lots of supplies. Culturally relevant supplies available. Thanks Neeley's!

I love Neely's. I shopped there throughout my teaching career... from its beginnings at Edison Junior High School in the early '80's. They made my life so much easier, and my students had the benefit of their excellent selection, and wonderful, helpful staff. Whatever I was looking for, I could always, always find it at Neely's . Bravo! To a legendary, wonderful store. I hope it is there forever. Jane Cook read more

My kids and I just came here for some kindergarten-level phonics stuff and walked away with loads more, along with plans to return many times in the coming years. It's a terrific family business and you should go! Online or in-person, though I have to say, in-person is a particular treat. read more

Love this place... the lady's are extremely nice. They also have religious educational items

Fantastically helpful and we found a bunch of posters and school supplies for our video shoot!

I love this store. I am always able to find quality materials for my classroom and students. The customer service is wonderful and I love supporting local, small businesses who serve our areas in greatest need. read more

Talk about great selection in a small location. Anything you ever wanted to buy for a toddler to 8th grade is available. The service is awesome and great. Definitely a place to try. I will definitely come back again. read more

I was able to find a variety of stuff at this place for my classroom. I appreciate how friendly and helpful the employees were here. I will definitely return. read more

This place is wonderful It has everything a teacher needs. The owner was vwey helpful. Even took my stuff out to the,car for me. I highly recommend this place,if your,a teacher. They have everything read more

Cute little mom/pop education supply store in the least expected place of town. They have a great collection of items at fair prices. I came to Neelys to get a calendar laminated. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the laminator to get warmed up. The cost for laminating the calendar was $4.00 or $1.50 a foot. Although the calendar was less than two feet I believe I was charged for the excess at the front and end of the item being laminated. My error was walking out without inspecting the calendar because once I got to work it came apart, so now, my calendar just has a piece of plastic over it and you can hardly see the numbers because it is just that separated. read more