"Local" Theatrical Supply Shops

[Kelite]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

You don't want to know what the shipping charges are when buying tape by the case, and it comes palletized by common carrier.

Derek's right.

Since shipping charges for heavy gaffer tape is kinda pricey, Apollo sends certain quantities direct to the dealer or dropshipped to the school/theater/etc at no shipping charge. Now granted, this isn't overnight shipping but UPS Ground or other available ground carrier.


Check with your Apollo gaffer provider and start saving shipping bucks. UPS, FedEx and USPS are not getting any cheaper as the days roll by...

 

[ship]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

First of is the obvious a budget type of thing 10% spares for all lamps in the inventory at a minimum of course but some times it happens.

Than the what other theaters are in your area that you can borrow from given a 9:5 supplier type of working hours type of operating hours, much less price. Have friends out there should never have to travel far or risk an hour before curtain have to risk not having a lamp. Two hours is a bit extreme, heck I not only supply my sister companies at times but have also supplied even my distributers in a pinch. I once loaded in a Osmand show in Bramsen Missouri and got a tour of the very local electrical supplier that was also the town’s local theater supplier. Incredible this place beyond conduit had say HPL lamps in stock but they can and that was part of their business on request. Heck my main electrical supplier in the Chicago area has an industry supply specialist for them that focuses on the entertainment industry for sales. Heck, beyond that your local Home Depot, Menards, Ace or Lowes can even stock for you stage and studio lamps by way of contacting them if remote and cash there perhaps to hold some for you and even late night door opening contact in doing so as supplier for you. Who knows could be cheaper for gaff tape or lamps and no doubt you would get a manager’s after hours phone number that could open up the store for you after hours and even perhaps a fair discount.

Local theaters to me have my phone number in a 24/7 way if not borrowing from each other for what they need. Depends on the lamp of course and what you all have in common as per some system for such a thing.

Not persay saying that you should not also design around the problem as a designer. Certainly you can find a clip light with PAR lamp to replace in some way some fixture that cannot be replaced and put elsewhere for effect temporary. PAR 38 in one place and what you need or fit moved about in design to work elsewhere as required.

Still the local theater if no spare, supplier close to you Home Depot or local DJ shop or what ever if not. Yea, hoops and ladders to getting Home Depot to stock say HPL lamps but it can be done as concept. Same with even gaff tape.

That source with you no doubt had the lamp you were looking for or you didn’t coordinate much with them on similar fixtres.

Lots of options but still also your own spares as a start. Same day... sure could do the drive but only if others about me didn’t have them.

A question for all of you out there - about how far away from your theatre is the nearest place to buy gaff tape or other miscellaneous theatre goods? Obviously for those of you in the large cities, New York and Las Vegas especially, there's probably a supply store on every street corner. But for those of us who live outside the major cities, how far do you go to get what you need?

What prompted this question: I did a community theatre show a few weeks ago where we rented out an old high school with very limited lighting resources available. On the night of the final dress rehearsal before opening night, I realized that a lamp in one of my FOH instruments had shattered. The theatre had no spare lamps or instruments that weren't already used, and there would have been a large dark area without that instrument. So I had to drive about 2 hours each way to Rochester, NY just to get one $25 lamp. Plus, it gets really annoying to be paying upwards of $10 just on shipping when I need more gaff or spike tape.

I find it hard to believe that there's no closer source, especially since we just got a new Broadway touring house where I live, but so far I haven't found any. On a side note, is there anyone who lives anywhere near to Elmira, NY who knows of a local place?

 

[Raktor]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Overnight postage distance away...

Realistically about a 40 minute drive, but the stuff I usually need is cheaply shipped (gobos, gel etc.)

 

[midgetgreen11]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

There's only one local supply house in Rhode Island. Well there are others, but they're more or less for renting equipment rather than buying parts etc. Unfortunately, that local supply house is extremely substandard. Poor service, high prices, and a low stock. (I've adapted to their only carrying Lee Filters for gels)

 

[ruinexplorer]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Before Barbizon opened its doors in Phoenix, the best place to get supplies was the local scene shop/rental house (the only other supplier was long gone). At that time, Phoenix was the 8th largest city in the nation. Size of the city doesn't always mean good local dealer. When you look for local distributors, I find that they are often part of a rental company of some sort. The best part is, even now that Phx is the 5th largest city in the nation, you are still going to have to call in favors if it's after 5:00 or on the weekend. If it's something out of the ordinary (what? you want lime green gel?) you will have to order it anyway.

As for pricing, you usually get better deals if you open an account with your local retailer. While I love the guys at Production Advantage, when Barbizon opened in Phx, I stopped using them because I got better prices (and didn't have to pay shipping).

When I was TD at a local Rep house, I had a LD who was notorius for using everything in inventory plus 3%. We purposefully kept a few spare instruments in the basement (which we refused to let him use even though he knew that they were there) so that we could replace any unit that failed.

So beyond your future planning on making sure that you have enough supplies (gels, lamps, tape), if you have a plot that is in such a critical state as to having a dead spot, consider keeping a spare instrument as well.

 

[bdkdesigns]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Trust me Derek, I know ALL about shipping rates and how quickly they kill budgets. Being in Montana, unless you want to, or even have the time to go on an all day drive to Washington, things have to be shipped. Not to long ago, I just had a shipment of 8 or 9 cases of Black Gaff, 5 cases of Marley Tape, 3 cases of White Gaff, 5 cases of Cablepath, and about 2 cases of different colors of Spike tape. This will last us the entire school year for both the university, the Montana Rep educational outreach tour in Montana which is out right now, and the Montana Rep national tour.

I expect next year's tape order to even larger because we are adding another national tour to the normal schedule. The demand for this years remount of To Kill a Mockingbird has been so huge that the tour will return at the end of the Spring semester as usual, and then head right back out again in the fall. It will then swap out with the new show and head back out in the Spring as usual.

And that's just the tape order, we also replenish our lamp inventory, connector inventory, gel inventory (we keep between 10-30 sheets of every Rosco color in stock at the beginning of each year along with select colors from other manufacturers), and other random expendables that might be running low. So yeah, I know all about those lovely shipping charges. Especially when a show requires a fogger or hazer, those also cost a pretty penny to ship. Two large bottles of Neutron haze fluid almost took up half of my $500 Dance Concert budget (the Marley tape money minus shipping also gets taken out of this budget with the money replaced when people buy rolls of tape when they rent out our Marley).

 

[highschooltech]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

My local theatrical supplier, Cal Stage, is 17 miles from the Pageant, in Santa Ana, CA. This is typically a 30 to 40 minute drive, one way.

I like cal stage but for me i think that BCT is closer. For big stuff that we absolutly need we send some one up to Angstrom in the LA area. They can usually make the round trip in under two hours depending on the time of day.

 

[Van]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

I'll admit to being very lucky when it comes to the supplies thing. I have a Miller Paint < regional Paint supllier here in the GNW> about 10 blocks away. straight across the river, about 2.5 miles, Is DTC a Grip and Electric supply house. Across the river and South three miles is Hollywood Lights. Across the river and way over by the Airport is Pacific Grip and Lighting. I have a Home Depot about 3 miles from my house at which I can stop in the morning for supplies and during the day I can choose from the Jantzen Beach HD which is 5 miles straight up I-5 < which is a ***** in any of the rush hours> or the SW Portland store which is closer but harder to get to. My Favorite supplier is W.C. Winks Hardware, I usually stop there every morning during the Production season. They are right next to the bridge I cross to get to work and carry more bizarre and exotic hardware than you can shake a stick at. My major supplier of Lumber is Mr. Plywood they are about 10 miles away almost straight Eat of me, but they deliver for free on orders over $250.00, with the cost of materials reaching 250 has never been a problem. I guess if I had any real complaint it would be about soft good. I hate the fact that to get Duvetyne I have to send to Rose Brand or Norcostco, closest outlet... San Francisco. The shipping is horrible when buying by the bolt and their prices are high enough to begin with.

 

[TimMiller]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Lots of people act suprized when i tell them i keep parts for moving lights, and things to repair most conventionals on the shelf, even if they are parts for lights we dont even rent or sell. Also, we answer the phone 24/7, to me its nothing but good business and helping out your customers.

 

[len]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

There are a bunch in Chicago, which is 45 miles and anywhere from 60 - 180 minutes away, depending on traffic.

 

[RichMoore]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Since I live in a "two horse-backwater fishing village", I am 150 miles away from the nearest supply house, which is Texas Scenic in San Antonio, Texas, which is about 3 hours away. Consequently, I have to stay on top of my expendables inventory and make sure that I am well stocked on replacement lamps, gaff, gels and whatever else I may need. I also am well connected with the other venues in town and the local stage pros, so if something were to come up unexpectedly, I can call on those folks to help me out and likewise, they can call on me if they are in a bind.

A good website with good prices is dentertainmentgroup.com

 

[Van]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

Since I live in a "two horse-backwater fishing village", I am 150 miles away from the nearest supply house, which is Texas Scenic in San Antonio, Texas, which is about 3 hours away. .......

I love Texas Scenic ! I have several freinds who have worked with them over the years. They are a good company with a wide variety of supplies

 

[cvanp]

Re: %26quot%3BLocal%26quot%3B Theatrical Supply Shops

When I'm at my home in Central New York, I'm about 50 minutes away from good ol' Syracuse Scenery and Stage Lighting. Probably about two hours away from BMI, but of course they are amazing and ship everything super fast.

Now that I'm in Buffalo I'm not sure what the theatre supply scene is like, but heck, I'm not too concerned. The school gets it and pays for it now