Sarah S.
Yelp
Let me begin by saying that I always try to shop at locally owned, small-scale stores. I don't mind paying more for goods sold at these types of stores because the service and knowledge base of the staff is typically better and because a higher % of every dollar stays in the local economy.
That said, I will probably never come back to this store.
I do projects around the house on a regular basis. I'm not hip with the woodworking jargon. I know very little and am pretty much self-taught at what I do know. I sometimes watch you tube videos before trying something. I'm just somebody who comes up with an idea and tries to figure out how to execute it. Sometimes I want help. Sometimes I don't. But I can tell you that I 100% don't want to feel judged. I think most people don't.
I just walked out of Highland Woodworking after having the most frustrating, judgmental interaction with a shop merchant that I have ever had. I simply wanted to buy some stain for some countertops. I just wanted to look at the colors and pick one out. I think 4 different people asked me repeatedly if I needed help. It was like I wasn't supposed to be in the store without someone helping me. Maybe they thought I would steal things? Maybe that's a policy? I felt a little insecure even being in there because things are obviously above my skill level, but, hey, I just want to stain some wood. It's a free country, right? I have a credit card. I'm a citizen of the commodity exchange.
Finally, after dodging 3 helpers and explaining to each--in the time span of 2 minutes--that I was just looking for some stain, I gave in when the fourth, most assertive person came up. Fine, I thought, I guess I could use some help. Sure.
So he helps me. I guess that's what you call it. He asks me what I'm looking at--which is obvious--I'm looking at stain chips for wood stain colors. Water-based, because that's what I think I want, and frankly, at this point I'm so uncomfortable that I don't even want to shop here anymore, but I'm really not wanting to go to Home Depot. So I'm sort of entertaining his questions and he keeps sort of quizzing my knowledge of how to do the project I'm doing, which makes me really nervous like they won't sell me the stain if I answer the question wrong. Do I have a tack cloth? Well, I should use a microfiber one instead. Do I have a sanding block? Well I should get one. Ok. Ok. Do I have the proper grit sandpaper? Geeze. All I want is stain color and maybe some clear coat. Some of what he said was helpful, but the way it was delivered had just enough of an edge of judgment to it that I kept just wanting to leave the shop empty-handed.
Finally, after feeling really overwhelmed and trying not to be rude I started talking about my orbital sander. Why? I don't know. The man made me feel awkward and there was sandpaper on the wall and my default is to talk in awkward situations. That's when I asked him about orbital sanders and that my husband and I were thinking about getting one that was a little more consistent than the one we have. It's true. But I would normally research the juice out of the internet before mentioning it in a store--especially a snooty wood shop store that makes you feel like a criminal for not wanting assistance and an idiot for not knowing your way around the linguistic intricacies of a project involving wood. So he sort of entertains my convo and then points to a sander across the shop and says that's what he uses but that it's really very expensive. And I said we aren't looking to spend a mint, but want something more reliable. He just says "well I guess I can't really assist you with that." And that's it. What!? I mean I guess I should be glad he left me alone, but I just felt sort of insulted like I was definitely not cool enough to talk tools with him, so back off. And then I went to check out and found myself so frustrated by the entire encounter that I decided not to buy half the things I had collected at his suggestion (just the stain and a microfiber cloth) bc I felt sort of insulted and out if place and suddenly thought "why am I shopping here !?!" But I did want that stain and the microfiber cloth seemed useful.
So maybe that sounds ridiculous, but I promise you, I was incredibly uncomfortable and felt silently (or maybe not so silently) judged. So they get 2 stars. (One for the fact hat I didn't just walk out and because it wasn't quite a 1 star experience bc I didn't end up with food poisoning, a lawsuit, or a bodily injury). Maybe one day I will be cool enough to adore this place, but right now I just want to leave this parking lot without returning. So I thought I would share that with you. Lest you go here looking for something simple and without having done the reading.