The shop did a great job repairing an antique lamp. Their customer service, however, left a lot to be desired. When I dropped off the lamp, the young man told me he'd called me with an estimate for repair. I never got a call. I couldn't call them, because they have no phone. I sent an email, and that was also unanswered. When I visited the shop two months later, I learned that the lamp was still waiting for repair. I complained about not being able to get in touch with them, and that evening received the email below. The next day, I visited the shop and encountered the owner, who was arguing with and berating another customer. She told me she was aware of the email, acknowledged it was unprofessional, and that she had talked to the employee, her son, but she didn't apologize for it. Here's the email I received: From roger lamplighterlamps.com Subject: Re: Lamp status Date: Friday, March 13, 2026 5:29 PM I once again, apologize for missing this email. Your lamp is ready for pickup. Would recommend coming in on any Saturday, so that you don't have to deal with me. And quite frankly, I don't have to deal with you. Would you like to know what else is wonderful? Me traveling a half hour into work, and a half hour back home, to do a thankless job for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you really want us to get a phone, I would recommend paying Verizon $40k+ for fraudulent phone calls that they know are fraudulent. -Chris read more

Stopped in just to get help with the a couple of floor lamps. One had an issue with the pull chain and the other appeared to have a short. The gentleman who helped us fixed the pull chain at no charge and also confirmed that the other lamp was operating fine after testing. Really appreciate this kind of community service. We would have happily paid and will next time we're in market for lights or lamps highly recommend! read more

Great customer service and experience. Let me k own that they had to order parts and timeline to expect them to be ready. They were able to fix crystal vintage lamps with new wiring and my mother was very pleased with the results! They are a small store with many, many items, every inch of the store is utilized, but they definitely have what you need or can get it quickly. A bit pricey, but excellent workmanship so worth it in my opinion. They texted me when the lamps were ready and were extremely excited to see them restored as much as we were! read more

See all

I have a lamp that requires a rather unique bulb that needed replacing. I went to a few stores in the area and was told each time the bulb would be a special order and was advised to try 1000 bulbs. 1000 bulbs had to do some research and then told me they found a compatible bulb. Well, it was not compatible, and it broke off in the socket when I tried to install it. Then I recalled Lamplighter in old town Alexandria. I took the lamp to the shop. The man who greeted me recognized the make of the lamp, took the lamp in back and removed the broken bulb. He then told me I had been given an incorrect bulb. I asked if he knew where I could get a bulb. Well he reached onto the shelf as he had one in stock. Great service. (I bought two.) One final point, you will not find a phone number for the shop. They will text you when your lamp is ready. Rather unique not publishing a phone number, but they do great work and are very responsible about texting when the job is finished. Their notification method by text works well. read more

A gem. They are so knowledgeable here. They restored an antique lamp for me. The price was reasonable and they fixed it quickly.

The older woman that works at the store has a nasty attitude. You'll know her if you ask her, "Do you work here." She'll respond "yes" but roll her eyes as if it obvious she does. My apology but, changing a bulb in a lamp store is not OBVIOUS you work there. This store primarily sells tacky lamp shades in one color and fixes old lamps. Use at your own risk but I would ONLY speak to the younger guy. Wash your hats when you leave because it's very dusty in there. Best wishes. read more

Amazing service, extremely knowledgeable on all things electric. I was able to light up my world with light bulbs and services and supplied through this small business in old town Alexandria. read more

Fantastic experience with this Awesome shop! We brought in 2 antique lamps to be rewired and put in working order. Chris took such Great care of us , finding out what our preferences are, leading & guiding expertly. Felt so good about leaving them and couldn't wait to get them back. They were ready yesterday and WOW what an Amazing job he and his father did for us! They look So Great in our home. Very reasonably priced for all the work that was done.Highly Recommend this Awesome family business. They also have a Wide Selection of Beautiful lamps and accessories for sale. Thanks again for a job Well Done!!! read more

The place is a dump. It used to be clean when the mother was around but it looks like the kids don't know how to run the place other than running it into the ground. I have a sneezing fit from the dust when I walk in there. read more

I needed a repair for a 1940s tall lamp ( torchere ) that had belonged to my grandmother. It has a beautiful swirled glass shade, and I really wanted to save it. I just happened to be in Old Town, so I stopped in to ask about possible repair. Even without the lamp, and only the broken porcelain switching part I had been carrying around in my car, the man working there knew exactly what I needed ,had it in stock, and was friendly and polite. The part to save my beautiful lamp was under $25.00! He also suggested new cord, but I think my husband had rewired it before. If not, I will go back. The Lamplighter is not a fancy shop; it's an old fashioned, working repair shop . You get help there that you might not be able to find at a big box store. When I was there the woman ahead of me was also thrilled with the price of her repair. read more

A great selection of specialty lighting, from antiques to modern chandeliers. A good spot for anything you cannot find at Home Depot. Premium prices but the selection cannot be beat. read more

This hidden gem has the part I was looking for and Karen and Chris were very helpful with my need today and others I have planned for the near future. I highly recommend stopping in if/when you have lamp and repair needs. read more

Search no more! I have been online and box stores for months, looking for a lampshade for a mid-century style lamp. Finally, was guided to Lamplighter and the search was over. Don't let the storefront fool you! The lampshade selection Is very large. Although it primarily caters to "old town, federal" customers. there was a large selection of linen drum and empire shades that fit my needs. I trusted the owner to show me his choice. Saved me time (Covid) and is perfect. He also took the time to convert my lamp from a bulb requiring a clip on the bulb to a harp. The price was reasonable and I would definitely come back again for rewiring a few lamps. read more

Excellent and fast repair of my Stiffel lamp- new electrical cord and new switch. Cost was as estimated, repair was done more quickly than expected. read more

I did not find a lamp that would work for me but enjoyed a conversation with the owner. He suggested that I return at the end of Jan as his inventory will be larger. i will do that! read more

I needed my lamp repaired and I took it here. He immediately was able to do the repair. He has won a life long customer. He listened to my concern and then I had my old lamp back. Also a nice collection of lamps for sale. read more

Walking through Old Town Alexandria is supposed to make you feel like you've taken a time machine back to the days of George Washington. Likewise, visiting the Lamplighter will bring you back to the days when businesses cared about you walking home with a product you love, not an empty wallet. The sales associate had no problem as I browsed every lamp and finial in the store, looking for the one that matched my decor just right. When I found the right one, she gave me a brand new shade because I wanted one as modern as possible. Cost of the new shade? $0. At no time was the saleswoman pushy -- she even encouraged me to go for a walk to re-fill the parking meter and contemplate if I did indeed want to buy a new lamp. That being said, this store isn't cheap. However, you will definitely have a lamp that you can pass on to your grand-kids/nephews/adopted baby from Vietnam/whatever. Don't be scared by the "Grandma" lamp shades as you walk in -- there are plenty of modern gems along the walls. read more

Am afraid to bring my lamp here based on some of the negative reviews and as they won't even answer the phone (seems to have been disconnected? Not even an answering machine). read more

Great mom-n-pop store with friendly and professional consultation. They also have a great amount of different shades and individual parts for all kinds of lamps. Highly recommend! Support your local businesses!! read more

The Lamplighter not only has great prices. But, the Customer Service is at the highest standards of professionalism. They listen to what you say and do everything possible to fulfill the needs of the Customer. I could not have asked for better service and selection of merchandise. I cannot give a higher recommendation. The Lamplighter is a treasure here in Alexandria. read more

I love this store and don't understand the negative comments. I have shopped at The Lamplighter for the past 30 years and it's always a great experience read more

Worst customer service I've ever encountered. I brought in a lamp to be repaired and was told it would take a week. Two weeks later I went to pick up the lamp and found it sitting on the floor in a corner with other lamps waiting for repair. The woman working there pointed to the floor of misfit lamps and said some had been there for two months. I reminded her that she had said a week and I mentioned a funeral reception at my house and she told me "I'm sick of hearing excuses on why people need things fixed. First it's Mother's Day and now a funeral, I've heard them all. It's not that important." This person should not be working the front or talking to customers. Unfortunately I believe she was the management. read more

This is the place to go for anything to do with lamps. I just had the dimmer switch repaired on an expensive table lamp. The repair was perfect. They also sold me a new bulb that lasts forever. The staff is excellent. Really nice helpful people. read more

I dropped off a chandelier for rewiring as well as a pair of antique lamps in the middle of November. We were told it would take a couple of weeks to get the lamps rewired, and we'd receive the chandelier back in about six weeks, right after Christmas. None of what was discussed what was delivered. I called at the beginning of January to see how things were going. I was told the chandelier had been rewired but they needed an A-frame to put it back together. Nothing had happened with the lamps. Were were told they would call when the lamps were done and then again when the chandeliers were complete. A month later, after still not receiving a call, my husband went in on Feb 5 to check on the status. The lamps were done despite the fact we were never called. We picked them up. They seem to have been well done, so there isn't any complaint about the work. However....he checked on the chandelier, and it hadn't been touched. We were given false information. It was never rewired. It was still in the box we brought it in. We lost another month of time, and when talking to the technician, he has no idea when they can work on it because another chandelier is on their only A-frame. Not only do they not know when they can work on it, I was all but told I was wasting his time by voicing my concerns. Now, three months later, we're picking up a chandelier that has never been touched. The communication has been horrible, and we won't be coming back. read more

Store was supposed to call me back to see if they could fix my lamps and tell me what the price would be. Never received a phone call, two weeks later went to the store to find they were sitting there, on the floor, in plain sight, being overlooked this whole time. Employee in the store was rude when I was obviously unhappy. "Well, we've got ONE person in the back fixing lamps." Sorry; not my problem if you can't hack it. I walked out without having anything done, and feel like they wasted my time. This store looks just like its website -- dated, dingy, past its prime (if it ever had one) and full of ugly lamps. Not sure how it stays in business. read more

In looking for a lampshade, this was the best store I found with regards to selection and staff expertise. ...When I say staff I mean the owner, who pretty much requires that you bring your lamp to try on the shade before you buy the shade. This makes a lot of sense, it's like buying jeans online without having having tried them on: you just don't know if it will fit. read more

Cute store that also does repairs! Love that it's family-owned.

The best place -- the only place -- to get a lamp repaired. Antique or kitsch, they treat it with the same care and respect, all at prices lower than they have any right to be. One of the real treasures of Old Town. read more

Delightfully run shop for lamps, lamp repairs, and light bulbs. I purchased three lamps in Morocco that needed electrical work - they were perfectly rewired. There was a better variety and better prices on light bulbs than I am used to. Very pleasant experience all around. I highly recommend this shop! read more

I really wanted to "Buy Alexandria" when I needed to buy a cased glass shade to replace a broken one. My husband took in the broken shade and was told they'd special order one & call us when it came in. They said it would take 2 weeks. 3 weeks later, my husband went back and was told it would be another 2 weeks. 3 weeks later, I went to a store in Springfield Plaza and 3 DAYS later, I picked up my new, special-ordered shade. read more

The lady working in the shop on Saturday (the owner?) was not at all helpful. The entire point of visiting a specialty shop is to receive a greater level of customer service and speak with knowledgeable sales staff. The woman working seemed extremely bothered with any questions and was quite snarky in her responses. It was clear she didn't want to help me. I had a few questions, such as regarding the shade of white of the lampshade and also the name of one of the shades, and she was far from helpful. I'd prefer to give someone else my business. read more

I needed a new lampshade and found this store in Old Town to have a very good selection. Family run - it's been there for ages and Ms. Lillian said she's been helping customers choose lampshades for 65 years, so she knows something about it! Lamp repairs, shade repairs, bulbs, finials, you name it. read more

I took in a lamp to have it converted to allow me to put a new spider-type lampshade on it. They did it while I waited for $8.10. Service was really friendly. read more

Full disclosure, they didn't repair anything. I do my own lamp conversions, and had a tricky problem for which I needed a few supplies. The local hardware store didn't have the parts, and were unsure how to answer my one question, so they steered me here. After navigating past the somewhat unhelpful desk clerk (who was literally deaf and couldn't hear me), the repair expert came out from the back of the store, and gave me about hundred dollars worth of advice, and sold me about a $1.50 worth of parts. I can't speak to their repairs, but the service was top-notch. read more

Reduce waste and recycle your old lamps. Get it repaired instead of purchasing a new one (actually never occured to me until I started to look at ways to reduce waste.) This is a great place to take your lamp for repairs (they do welding if necessary) or to get a new look. read more

Awesome service. They were so helpful when I bought a lamp from an antique store. I was worried about the wiring so they redid the electrical wiring. They also put a new harp on it so the shade fit the lamp better. Very friendly service. read more

I got an antique lamp (that hadn't been used in at least 30 years) rewired. The price was very fair, the work was done pretty quickly and they called to let me know when the lamp was ready. The institutional knowledge of this place cannot be overstated. Great place. read more

Lady behind the counter very very rude and snarky. Got the part I needed but i will never go back. Don't know how they have managed to stay in business this long with such poor customer service. read more

One of the most ridiculous customer service encounters of my entire life! The crazy old lady at the front of the store can't hear over the phone. I asked her a simple question, she yelled for me to stop talking so fast, first of all. No one has ever, in my 33 years mention that I speak fast. The shop says on it's website they are there to help with all your antique lighting needs. I brought in two vintage ceiling lights to be rewired. I drove all the way from Capitol Hill to drop off the lights. The electrician wasn't in that day, so they said I could call the next day. I called, she said he was very busy and probably couldn't get back to me in the next few days. I called again today, and said I called yesterday, she said he was still busy, but said, "Hold on, I'll just transfer you and be done with it." I asked him all my questions finally and then asked when he thought the lights would be finished, he said, "As soon as I can hang up the phone and work on them." Unbelievable. So rude it's laughable! read more