Decorating Outlet

The Decorating Outlet is the outlet store for the Shades of Light catalog. The staff is beyond nice and helpful! This is a place you should check often as they are always getting new items in-​store. During my last trip I found an outdoor porch light I had been coveting at Shades of Light and it was 50% off the markdown price!!! What a steal! Granted it did have a small non-​visible flaw, but no biggie! Note, not everything there is damaged.
They sell rugs, lighting, shades, drapery items, fabric, small furniture, and all kinds of other décor items. They also can have items ordered from the Shades of Light catalog and sent directly to the store, so you don’t have to deal with shipping.

A friend and I came down to the Richmond area for the day to go thrifting, and decided to make a couple of additional stops at stores mentioned by one of my favorite home blogs, including Decorating Outlet. I was particularly hoping to find some replacement lampshades for two buffet lamps, because they require a spider fitting and are an odd size. Well, the store itself is packed with items. The two staff members, however, were completely uninterested in helping us. When we first came in, the female staff member was already helping someone, whom she clearly knew, find a lampshade. Despite the fact that no other customers were in the store, we were never greeted, asked if we needed help, or even acknowledged with a nod. Instead, after the other customer left, both staff members decided to gather around the computer instead, chatting about the new website for the store. Only when we left, and said goodbye, did we receive a half-​hearted «thanks for coming in.»
I realize this is an outlet store. But when you have a total of three customers in the store, and two of them spend a considerably amount of time looking through the lampshades, you’d think they might make an effort to help. In the end, they didn’t have what I needed, and the attitudes of the staff did nothing to make me want to shop there, so we left empty-​handed.

This place is awesome. Damaged and marked down Shades of Light lamps, rugs and accessories at awesome problems. I want to move in here so I get all the great deals before anyone else :) This place brings out the competitive shopper for me for sure. So if you see me pulling into the parking lot, outta my way ;)

Few people know that this is the outlet location for the tony Shades of Light near Willow Lawn. SInce I can’t afford the stuff there, when I come to the southside, I stop in here to see if I can find a bargain. And, I can hit it on my way to my monthly pilgrimage to WIlliams & Sherrill.
It’s right on Midlothian at the front of a small shopping center and in the summer, they have a fabulous sidewalk sale. If you covet designer drapes that would normally cost $ 500 a panel, you can get them at this sale for 50% off or more. I bought a really cool black and white toile lampshade at the sale a couple of years for $ 10.
The store itself is pretty small and has mostly lamps, shades and drapes, but there are a few pieces of statuary and other arty home accents. Ask for help from a salesperson for browsing the little room of drapery in the back as it’s pretty crowded and stuffed with merchandise, so it’s hard to find what you’re looking for in the right lengths.