57TH STREET BOOKCASE & CABINET

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Sam was terrific, and went out of his way to accommodate my concept, sending me professional, computerized designs. In the end, I selected a single carpenter who could also construct a mantel, which is what I decided I also needed. But Sam at 57th is someone to work with and get things moving.

I cannot thank Chip and his team enough for the beautiful work. Chip the owner came out personally to measure. He was extremely meticulous. Not only did he measure well which I would have expected, he took the extra time to look at my books and make some recommendations, since a lot of customers choose a size too big for their space and their actual collection. Chip called several times to clarify specifications. (Electrical outlets that I wanted to be accommodated). He used solid maple wood which seems to be a rarity when I was gathering estimates. His team that installed the bookcases was professional and extremely thorough. They even touched up the paint after they finished installing. I had requested a beadboard back on the cases. When Chip could not order good quality beadboard for the size I needed, he built the beadboard from scratch. As someone who doesn't know much about carpentry I really appreciated how consultative they were throughout the process.

unknown

As a PhD Student, theologian, and clergywoman, I was super excited to get custom bookcases. I have a hodge podge of cases. Living in Evanston, I knew I could just add on as needed, and I was prepared to begin with an $1000+ investment. The person that sold me the books told me it would take 6 wks. While I stood in the store, I marked the date he gave me on my calendar. Six weeks came and went and I called the store and the owner answered and was nice and told me things were really busy. He said, "They will be ready next week." I received a call on Friday from the delivery person. 8 weeks after the order date. He told me I had a balance plus the delivery was $90. I did not recall the delivery being that high, for some reason I recalled $40 and I said I would call the store. The owner, Chip, left me a message before I had a chance to call him. He told me that my bookcase could not be delivered until I contacted him. After I finished what I was doing, I called Chip back. He was very upset. I explained that I was frustrated because I had anticipated that the bookcases would be ready around April 11th. (The actual date the first gentlemen gave me.) And that the delivery charge was higher than I expected. He said he called the guy who sold me the bookcases that he indicated that he told me that the delivery was $90. Chip said, "But I am willing to overlook that." Chip was so upset and confrontational that I was in shock. I was trying to calmly explain what was bothersome to me, and he wouldn't let me finish a sentence. At one point he said, "I can refund your deposit." At that point, I summoned the calm that I use as a hospital chaplain when trying to defuse tense situations. I was very much taken aback that I was the customer, and he was the owner of a retail establishment. I asked him why he was confrontational. I am not sure that he ever answered the question because of all the yelling. So I finally said, "I will take the refund and I will see you shortly" and I hung up. He called back and apologized and said he was sorry for being confrontational and getting angry. A couple of times in the second conversation he said, "I am sorry but..." He indicated that he had a check that he would mail to me or he could still have the bookcases delivered for $40 delivery fee. I told him I needed to think about it and I would get back to him. After spending some time thinking about it and talking with others, so I was not making any rash decisions, I decided to go into the store to receive my refund. Chip gave me a check without hesitation. If I was only buying those bookcases, I might have had them delivered. But because I wanted to have the option of adding on in the future, I could not abide by that verbal abuse and give the store that amount of money. I recognize that everyone has bad days, but most successful people in retail are better equipped to calmly interact with a customer. Chip is not. I will not purchase bookcases from them, and I will tell my friends the story, but I figure people can make their own choices. The one thing I will say without question is that this is not an establishment with the motto "the customer is always right."

They did a nice job except for the fact that they used a wrong color to paint it and since we pointed that out they corrected it.

Their work was excellent. They are responsive.

I love 57th Street Bookcase! It's a joy working with them -- and the cabinets they produced are really beautiful and high quality -- in addition to completely fitting our needs and our space -- and all for the same or less than we would have paid for a mass-produced piece that would have just been so-so. I lover the clean modern lines and the high-quality woods they use. Everything is first rate.

Chip Devenport, the owner, worked closely with me on the design and measurements of each piece to ensure they would fit well in our space, first in the store and then in a visit to our house. Throughout the design process Chip listened to what I wanted (I had very specific requirements) and contributed his many years of experience to bring up areas that may be challenging and offered alternatives. He had excellent ideas for how to make bi-fold doors work in a small space. He also had great ideas for finishing touches on each piece. The estimate to complete the job was 6-8 weeks, but it ended up taking approx. 10 weeks. The two employees who came to do the installation were professional and neat. Everything was cleaned up after the pieces went in. The entire installation took about 3 hours. The wood that was used is really beautiful. Chip selected pieces with quality grain for the desk top and credenza top where there are the largest expanses of solid wood. The only thing we decided to do separately was add our own hardware for the drawer pulls. Overall we are thrilled with the new office. I hope to use 57th Street Bookcases and Cabinets again for a couple of other custom jobs.

They had good workmanship and accommodate whatever your needs are. They are detailed oriented and make good bookcases. They are good builders.

Explained their process in detail, accommodating to my daughter while we shopped. The bookcases took approx. 5 weeks to be delivered, came and installed them. Very pleased with quality of the bookcases.

We are very happy with the book cases they built. They did a very nice job.

The experience was excellent. My only regret is that we are out of space and can't fit any more bookcases anywhere.

I really liked them. In fact, they are in the process of making something for my kitchen too. They were honest, and they do beautiful work for a reasonable price. The only thing to consider is that they are very slow.

The customer might have to do some calling to follow up on things, but the work is fantastic and the installer was on time, incredibly helpful and anticipated things I hadn't thought about. This was a great experience overall and we got exactly what we wanted.

I had some trouble with the initial communication. I had to travel to Evanston to get the process going to have bookcases built. When I called to have someone come to my house to take measurements and to discuss details, a new employee had difficulty understanding what I wanted. Our misunderstanding was cleared up. I talked one of the owners into coming to my home and we were finally on the same page. Measurements were taken and all options were discussed. I felt no pressure to buy the most expensive bookcases. It took about a month to complete the project and then install the bookcases. It wasn't a big job but it was still done in a timely manner. The installer was about 1/2 hour late for his appointment. The installation went very well--Luis was great. No mess, everything done efficiently. Except for the initial ordering process, which I hope has been made easier by a now more experienced employee, the experience with 57th Street Bookcase & Cabinet was an overall good experience.

My first experience was negative; even though I had drawn up preliminary plans, their employee did not understand what was needed, and could not estimate the cost to build. I left the store unsatisfied. On a subsequent visit, I found an employee capable of understanding the specifications. That employee did an excellent job of enhancing my design, and produced clear plans for the finished product. I suggest that if you are doing custom work and you don't like the first design, try a different designer! The furniture making was high quality, with fine work on joints and joins. However, there were aesthetic deficiencies. The wood chosen for the front of the furniture has very irregular grain, and is not attractive. I wish they had paid more attention to details like that even though this was only a $200 piece. Store samples led me to believe they are capable of better work! They did deliver ahead of their estimated date, which was a plus.

Very responsive and nice to work with. Staining is probably a better way to go with them rather than paint (it is their usual process). Although not cheap it was definitely the most affordable way to get what we wanted. There was some slight damage done when I had these delivered, but given other options I would still hire them.

57th Street did a simply outstanding, archival quality, superb job. Chip and Mark were knowledgeable, friendly, and accurate in their estimations and measurements. Luis was fast, friendly, and a joy to have in the house. The finished library is absolutely beautiful and well worth every penny. We could not be more pleased.

GREAT WORK, GOOD DELIVERY, EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE. THEY CUSTOM MAKE THE FURNITURE TO MEET YOUR NEEDS, SO PREPARE TO WAIT WHILE THEY DO THE WORK.

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