Back when I was in college and given the chance, I would gladly make the 140+ mile trip to Design Lab Chicago. Just something about their old building, the sales staff
etc. that would always make a happy visit even if for only something small and my stocking up on what I could of the free samples they constantly offered. Could have easily and more effectively gone to their now defunct Farmingcale branch, but for me the Chicago Branch was Theater. Got my first
swag shirt from them even if I got chided about having had to pay for it. Also got “Old
Rover” from them, it was a 1K
Fresnel they named and sold at a discount as used gear. Still have Old
Rover hanging in my garage, it has a history and has a lot of shows under it’s belt. Has a certain meaning for me - a shop that names their fixtures or at least some of them. I normally also name my own unique fixtures but less so such as “Faith Wall #8."
Always liked Design Lab Chicago over places I was aware of like Grand
Stage in the big two of three. The sales staff at Grand
Stage back than for me seemed somewhat snotty and to have an air to them in lacking interest in me hanging about and associating with a small time customer. This was well before I at one
point got an interview with them and wasn’t qualified - their loss in me ending up where I did these days in doing what I do. These days Grand
Stage is no doubt fine, I
walk in there infrequently and get treated well enough granted I have more experience than the sales staff as common to most places of the floor staff, thus know what I want and understand waiting for the sales ticket while they are experiencing stuff like computer problems or in finding stuff on it. It’s impressive enough in knowing where I work that I get extra attention I suppose in some ways, or otherwise that I seem to know what I’m doing. I understand their tribulations, but even with the move Design Lab did to a not so nice “Trixie a offering” neighborhood, (yep been offered during my only visit) and the new building, it’s still in many ways more home for me in less bull in a china shop and more just techie to techie. That’s a personal choice on my part not reflective of who stocks what or the quality of either.
Chicago Spotlight is the primary dealer for one of my mentors. He goes way back in the industry to a
point pre-dating most theater supply/rental houses in having his own company F&S if I remember the name correctly, and has nothing kind to say about the owner of Design Lab. This is also reflected by one of the key designers he works with that was at one
point a seemingly in-part owner of the company that has little use for them now.
What ever the case, Grand
Stage in also being quite large and decent and also have their Art Drapery Service the others don’t. Chicago Spotlight now also does rigging in addition to Grand and Chicago Scenic Studios (who has also been known to
stock & retail gear), Grand sews
drapes beyond just buying them from others. These are or were for me the main theater suppliers/renters in the down town Chicago area. For those on the North Side of Chicago, they often shopped at either ILC or Upstaging depending upon how far North or now West for Upstaging in having moved, you are. Go far enough North and Mainstage Theatrical in Milwaukee Wisconson in all ways being similar in rigging and theater supply to Grand was also a good supplier.
Barbizon also has a branch in Chicago but it is more an office space with a small amount of studio gear in
stock. Most stuff in it being a small office had to be ordered - still it was an office near the Elston Ave.
Hub of great very well stocked Elston Great Ace Hardware and Menards is in a good location even if only an office space with normal working hours. Need Studio gear, they either have it or will
call one of many movie houses in the area for you in getting it or even sending you to them. They still supply me with studio gear at times and or when I need stuff on quick notice can normally head me into the right direction. This is for studio gear what the Chicago branch more specilizes in.
Also down Elston Ave. is Grainger who wants to also
stock me with my lamps and or become known as a theater suppler. (deleted about the extent they wish for the S/S market in sales.) Again as listed... McMaster Carr also has a Chicago are branch and can also be considered a theater supplier in many items including lamps.
(At times I’m in my own little heck for dealing with suppliers when they pleed to get a sale and I can’t even tell them a starting price to look towards in only getting pennies per say lamp. This as opposed to the days when I was the TD to a theater and paying more than at times 65% what I currently pay for similar lamps also doesn’t sit well with me. Incredible at times the markup on lamps and other stuff. I try where possible not to be a sales person, just can’t do it - not in me any longer where it was not a direct specific markup above cost. Those resale accounts I do handle have a specific and fair 20% markup for what I sell I had to get approved of in “good guy discount.” Hate retail sales, used to do it back in college at the special order
desk to both Builder’s Square and Hines Lumber. Back than, it was specific markup and the challenge of getting what the customer wanted. These days ... I try not to mess with retail and just stick to being the buyer which has it’s own competition problems.)
Beyond this, there is Pete’s Lights / Performance Lighting (on the North/North West Side), and TLC on the South Side of the Chicago area. While these two companies are production houses and are not as known as theater suppliers that have say direct accounts with say J.R.
Clancy all the above have no doubt or have similar accounts with for something like a
head block, they can also get most stuff. Len is also on the South Side I believe somewhere and has the ability to retail gear as with lots of other (no cold shoulder to a reputable member that is a very valid retailer) smaller scale production companies that can just as easily sell product plus provide good service.
For lamps, there is Kennedy Webster down town that stocks lamps and lamp bases to most common including
ETC fixtures and or Sitlers Supplies in Washington Iowa that often is just as good in stocking such things. Interlight out of Hammond Indiana while they didn’t
play game with my initial lamp pricing but at retail is also very reliable as a lamp supplier. Brook
Electric in Chicago also does Theater Supply to some extent in having a sales person that specilizes in say the
Leviton gear
line or in stocking what theaters use. Not so uncommon that a electrical supply if large enough will have a sales person that specilizes in such things or if the only game in town such as in Branson Missouri, the local electrical supply being also a theater supplier for the town.
That’s all locally or in the Chicago area. (Probably missed quite a few suppliers that are as it were theater supplier sources also.) When I have shows on tour and they say blow out not just their 20% spares, but need a lamp or part within a few hours of the opening act, I have dealers all over the country if not world. Who ever is local I
call around to becomes my next best friend be it theater supplier, production company or theater. Had believe it was Metallica at one
point putting together some
ghost light fixtures on stands a few years ago. They needed some
mogul screw lamp bases in the San Francisco area like immediately - show opened in a few hours... noting like prior planning... Another buyer and I both hit the phone books and called absolutely everyone in that city before we found what became our local theater supplier for that city Victor Lamps & Parts Inc. who happened to have them in
stock. Barbizon at one
point saved me while in Denver in a show needing a lamp for a
Lycian 1271 follow spot, other instances of even TMB in California sending a runner out to say
Kino Flo and dropping it off at the show site for me. All Bulbs
drop shipping lamps overnight to Birmingham England not once but twice two days in a row after normal shipping hours. This was for lamps our sister company in England didn’t have, nor did TMB / London have in
stock though they were another choice. Often West Coast suppliers have the advantage for me given I don’t normally get my
call for getting stuff overnighted until well after my own shipping hours. If before say six PM, normally I can get stuff out the door in my area, otherwise after that I have to contact West Coast suppliers. Something early in the morning, it’s East Coast but normally it’s mainly West Coast suppliers I rely upon say a last minute
call to Ushio for a overnight delivery. Bulbman, Bulbtronics, Multi-Lite even MoonLight and Premere
etc. often are also useful there.
For the most part, my main suppliers are the manufacturers or their chosen local supplier that has special discounted prices for what I want. If say I want a
Altman, I E-Mail my rep at
Altman. If I want an
ETC, I do the same... If I want a
Martin... These days I go direct but between the other primary buyer and I, amongst other buyers we spend over like two or three million a year in purchases. Already bought enough lamps this year to
purchase a large
house. Already bought enough plugs this year to
purchase a car.
Bit larger scale.