The Light Bulb Center

They had the fluorescent bulb I needed for my desk study lamp. It is a kind of rare bulb and I thought the price was a little high but what can I do when there are no other stores around that have specialty bulbs like this one.
Stan is a very friendly guy and I would do business with him again if I am looking for a neat black light or niche kind of thing. A good $ 30 well spent cause I can enjoy my lamp now every night

Sold me a light bulb for $ 40 and found it online after walking out for $ 9. Quite the mark up. I won’t be coming back. And forget trying to browse this store, it’s a hoarders paradise. No walking around in here.

Wow, I’ve never been in a retail store/​shop/​lighting store quite like this. In other words, «don’t judge a book by its cover.» The store looks like a cross between a thrift shop, antique shop, and run-​down storage facility. It’s cluttered (to put it nicely) with tons of stuff — dusty old boxes, stacked 5′ high; lamps; fixtures; bins etc. Literally, there is hardly any floor space to walk around, much less enter the store! That being said, Stan really knows his stuff. If you’re looking for that hard-​to-​find light bulb, this is the place. Stan is very friendly and helpful. This appears to be a small mom & pop place, so I was glad to give them my business. I wasn’t looking for a fancy showroom; I was looking for a very hard to find lightbulb, and I found it.

I have had an unfortunate experience at this business. I brought an antique lamp given to me by my now-​departed grandma for some basic cosmetic repair as well as redoing the wiring to bring it up to date. I was quoted as having approximately $ 50 in repairs which I was happy to pay to support a small business, even though I had been quoted lower elsewhere. I felt there was a disheveled charm to the place and I trusted them being a mom and pop kind of place. I was told it would be just a couple of weeks and after some time when I contacted them, they told me it wasn’t ready but to call back in a couple weeks. When I did, Sylvia, the owner’s wife (I think), asked about the lampshade. We agreed that she would look for a new lampshade as well for me, which I appreciated. I wasn’t in a huge hurry to have the lamp back and felt like repairing it would be a tribute to my grandma. Sylvia found a couple in the range of $ 75 which was, in my opinion, a lot for a lampshade but she said it would look really good and was silk.
I never received a call indicating that my lamp was complete and in the meantime because my husband was in a really serious accident and other serious life issues that have transpired I hadn’t contacted them for some time. Now they’re telling me it’s going to be at least $ 300 for me to get my lamp. They’re holding my lamp hostage! They said it’s for «storage fees» which I never agreed to… and they never even contacted me letting me know the lamp was ready for pick-​up or that there would be storage fees if I didn’t come and get it. I feel it’s so important to support small businesses… but this is where it can come back to haunt you. Poor business practices!

I needed a light bulb for a 15 year old machine and they didn’t sell that bulb at home depot, but the guy gave me this address. This place is located in a cool area of la mesa with a lot of small local businesses, and this place is no different. The guy that works there was as nice as can be. I was in and out within 10 minutes. The parking isn’t great, I just foung parking on the sidestreet and walked. The store itself is something else, wall to wall stacks of stuff. I’ didn’t even see the guy when I first walked in, but was glad he was nice and helpful. Good overall experience

I stopped by The Light Bulb Centre in La Mesa off of University on 11−20−11.
I like that it’s spelled «centre» instead of just plain ol’ «center.» It adds an air of respectability.
OK, here we go:
It’s a place where you will likely find ANY bulb for any fixture you’ll ever want. This place stocks a butt-​load of light bulbs! Seriously.
Things to consider:
The guy who runs this place, Stan, is pretty cool. He’s an old school merchant: helpful, pleasant, knowledgeable, talkative. He’s quite the character…
The place is a fire hazard, rat trap-​looking place. Seriously. Only one customer at a time can get in (the rest wait outside until they’re called in) because it’s so cluttered inside.
Because he carries hard-​to-​find bulbs, they’re priced accordingly. The two bulbs I bought were $ 11 each. Yikes! (But I sure was happy to find them.)
Stan and his wife (?) carry regular bulbs, as well. However, I recommned that you buy those at other locations as readily-​available households bulbs are sold for a premium. I suggest you patronize this shop for the hard-​to-​find bulbs instead.
It’s not located in the best neighborhood. Expect street urchins to approach and ask you for money/​food/​work.
NOTE: I like that this guy is surviving in this tough economic environment. I was the 4^th customer waiting for service on a Saturday. And he was able to quickly help each of us.
Take that HOME DESPOT!

This is a weird little place. It looks like a pawn shop with lots of boxes from the 1970s stacked inside. I was looking for a specific light bulb and the owner was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately the only matching bulbs he had to offer were old & dusty (like the shop) and overpriced. So 5 stars for friendliness and 1 star for inventory.

Looks like they are still «closing». I wish they would not cold call. Wait till I call you.

Unsolicited phone sales pitch even though I am on every do-​not-​call list. If they start out that way, how good can they be?