Long drive to Lee Valley

Jay Lock

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Well, we decided to visit some friends in Nova Scotia as part of our summer mystery tour, and found a Lee Valley store. Of course, had to stop by for a visit, even tho it is 2055 miles from home!

Very different from a Wood Craft or Rockler store (which I visited in Portland ME -- see a pattern here?) there is a long counter along one side of the store, customer's "take a number" and place their orders when called. Most of the tools etc are in wonderful display cases, but behind lock and key. We didn't stay long because we had limited time with our friends, and I didn't want to bother with customs returning to the states. But heck, at least I now know what the store behind the catalog looks like!

Jay
 
Jay,
The stores I've been in have plenty of things out that you can handle. As well, just ask the nice folks behind the counter and they'll take things out of cabinets for you to look at. OR, when you buy something, they bring it to the counter and you can inspect it before bringing it over to the cash register.

However, you seemed to have missed something... Over in the corner of each store that I've been to is the "discount/return" display. This is where you can find the surprise deals. This is where you'll find some of the "special purchase" items, and also things that were returned, or have missing items from the package, marked down nicely.

...art
 
Allen, it reminded me more of Service Merchandise or Best Products (remember them?) Only much nicer products. I've only been to the one by Art.
 
Allen, it reminded me more of Service Merchandise or Best Products (remember them?) Only much nicer products. I've only been to the one by Art.

It's a catalog store. In my youth I visited a few stores that had catalog counters, but never a store that was _exclusively_ a catalog store.

Even Lee Valley does have some cabinets with "special buys" and other
non-catalog items in them.

(ie: in the Ottawa store last month I found a barrel full of pool cue seconds. What's up with that?)

As to your last comment... i've been to three of them (Edmonton, London, and Ottawa). Time for a survey - how many have you visited?
 
I've been to the one in London, back in June 2005. It was a quick trip in and out, because we where on are way to Niagra Falls and I told the wife it was on the way ;) there was alot of road construction plus we got lost out around the airport:huh: so I didn't get to spend all the time I wanted to.

If I remember they had a combination of hands on and behind the glass displays. It was nice to see and play with some of the things you see in the catalog, I made a sizable order when we got back home :D
 
Hey Jay glad to see you are on your way, and still have access to the internet as you travel. As always, travel safe my friend and watch out for those Maine Moose!

I also hope you still got my phone number. I will be around all weekend (and since our shop is a 4 day a week shop, that means I should be near a phone starting now). It would be great to meet you.

I double checked with my boss if it was okay to show you and your wife the latest boat we are working on, and he was like , "Oh yeah, no problem..." so that is a go. I really hope you get the chance to stop in and see it. Its not floating but rather in a building but still very impressive..as a 15 million dollar yacht should be.

As a woodworker I think you will really appreciate the woodwork inside this boat. One carpenter alone worked one whole year on just the circular staircase, and I got 6 months on the cabinet trim...and that was just the stainless inlay let into the cabinets and granite countertop!! If you get the chance, stop in, I think you and your wife will really enjoy it.
 
...One carpenter alone worked one whole year on just the circular staircase, and I got 6 months on the cabinet trim...
Well, if the workers would quit dragging their feet and milking the job for all it's worth, then that boat might not need to cost $15 million. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Sounds like a heck of a boat, Travis. :thumb:

[We now return to our regularly scheduled Lee Valley thread.]
 
Lee Valley has been at the Woodworking Shows the last couple of years in our area.
Sure wish they would bring more goodies :huh:
They have hands on displays, but you cannot buy anything there at the show from them. You order, pay, they ship.

Steve, they're not picking on you. ;) That is how they work at the woodshows here in Canada also. However, the shipping is free, and there is usually a 7% (?) discount as well, so it still is cheaper than visiting the store or ordering from the catalog.
 
Lee Valley has been at the Woodworking Shows the last couple of years in our area.
Sure wish they would bring more goodies :huh:
They have hands on displays, but you cannot buy anything there at the show from them. You order, pay, they ship.
Another likely reason for them doing this is the cost of moving the merchandise to and from the show. In addition to the shipping costs, in some cities, moving packages into and out of a convention facility like a woodworking show can be a costly proposition due to union regulations. Lee Valley can ship merchandise from their warehouse direct to the customer for less cost than shipping it to a show, I'll bet.

I base this observation on having done a fair amount of trade show work, and seeing our company pay a lot of money over the years to move a pretty small number of boxes into and out of show buildings. I got chewed out once (I believe it was in Las Vegas, maybe New York) for moving a box of product literature into a convention center on a handtruck without a Teamster's card. Carrying was OK, but if it had wheels, it had to be a Teamster moving it.

Sam Blasco or Bob Marino may have better insights on this. ;)

[And as a pre-emptive strike, I want to warn against this thread turning into a pro/con union discussion. I'm just making an observation about moving merchandise.] :rolleyes:
 
Long Drive to Lee Valley

when Lee Valley came to the Pomona (Calif) WW show in 2005, I bought the just-released Mk II power sharpening system. The fellow who demonstrated the equipment told me a wealth of information. It would have been a difficult item to buy through just a catalogue photo and description.

It is too out-of-the ordinary. I don't believe they charged me for shipping, and it was worth the wait.

Gary Curtis
 
Heeey Frank's back:D

I've never been to a Lee Valley store, but they are by far my favorite tool vendor. If I could buy everything from them I would.

I was thinking I should make a post about amazing customer service they've given me in the past, but I haven't gotten around to it yet, so I just say good things about them every chance I get.
 
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