BBC Lighting

This place is pretty amazing. They have every light fixture you can imagine. The service is top notch and the people are pretty patient and helpful. I did not feel like I was being bothersome since we went to every part of the store looking for the perfect light fixtures for our house. I would recommend this place highly if you are looking to get one of a kind light fixtures.

BBC Lighting has been my go-​to store for just about anything I’ve needed to illuminate my various properties over the years. Their prices are light years (pun intended) cheaper than most other retailers, and in some cases — even online retailers. Very rarely (if ever) will a storefront retailer price match an online retailer, but BBC did just that, and the item was even in stock, allowing me to take it home that very day. They even dropped the price yet ANOTHER 10% when I mentioned in passing that I once met one of the owners! On another occasion, the online price of a large dining room drum pendant on BBC’s web catalog was identical to that of the same item on Overstock and LampsPlus, but when I went in to purchase the item, the in-​store price was nearly $ 80 cheaper. BONUS!

About a year and a half ago, I purchased an expensive table lamp with a half-​dome shade made entirely of polished river stones. I had once noticed that the shade looked crooked, and when I attempted to straighten it, I realized that the center cap (with the hole) at the top was manufactured way off center, making it virtually impossible to adjust the position of the shade so as to make it level. For several months that sort of gnawed that me, when upon a recent visit to purchase an item, I casually mentioned this annoyance. They told me to bring it in for a look so I did. The gentleman literally walked over to the identical item on display and simply switched it out! He was worried that I wouldn’t find that acceptable, but not only was that the BEST possible solution, but it saved me the time and hassle of returning the entire lamp and possibly the headache of ordering and waiting for a replacement. My OCD is thanking him!
Yes, the place is cavernous, with an unusual layout, and their often strange assortment of non-​lighting-​related merchandise gives off somewhat of an «Adams Family» vibe, but the sales associates never seem to be standing around doing nothing. My only irritation is when an associate is helping me, they’re often distracted by other customers with questions, and they end up juggling multiple customer needs at once. I suppose that beats having no help at all.

An enlightening shopping experience!
If you are looking for a statement piece or have a very particular nieche to fill, BBC is your place. If you are looking for something more in the basic spectrum of affordable lighting, I would highly suggest your Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Menard’s variety of big box hardware stores. We recently purchased an older home replete with some poor-​mid 90’s lighting choices that are not appropriate for the age and type of house. There are eight bedroom sconces and six living room sconces that are screaming to be replaced. The price ranges for what we were looking for was in the $ 30 – 80 range here compared to $ 17 – 30 at the big-​box stores. Considering the quantity that we need to replace, these purchases will be made elsewhere. However, when it’s time to replace our Liberace-​style front entry lighting, I’m dropping the coin here. If price isn’t an object, BBC is will be your friend. Their selection of high-​end lighting is truly spectacular, especially if you have the space for larger pieces. There is also a good selection of lamps, light posts, track lighting, and ceiling fans. I really love the crazy American idol decorations; I’m not talking Clay Aiken, I referring to their Elvis, Marilyn, and James Dean ephemera. Lot of kitschy Route 66-​type stuff here on display or for sale.
If you have some crazy light bulb that you need to source or your Granny’s old lamp that needs to be rewired, BBC is the place to go. If you can’t find it or fix it here, just replace it. It’s not worth looking any further.

OMG! How come I never heard of this place before stumbling upon it in need of kitchen counter island lighting? What an eclectic, crazy mishmash of quirky antiques and collectables all housed within the confines of a warehouse sized, reasonably priced lighting store. Great selection of items and there prices pretty much can’t be beat (18 — 20% below other stores and Internet pricing)! This is a store the kiddies are even sure to enjoy while looking around with you for DIY ideas!

This is your go-​to place in MKE for limited supply or hard to find lamps; hands down, no other lamp/​lighting/​fixture store (including/​especially the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes) I’ve been to has the same inventory that BBC carries.
Need help or advice? Again, there’s no place like BBC. Everyone who works there is patient, informed/​knowledgeable and anxious to share their expertise and advice with customers.
Sometimes parking can be tough; there’s not a lot of parking on the street (St. Paul) and there aren’t that many places to park on the lot, which basically services a dock area, so be prepared to walk a bit when you decide to go.

I could spend days looking around at all of the stuff they have here — I’ve spent several hours doing so and that wasn’t enough.
I remember coming here when I was younger with my dad, enjoying popcorn while he looked for fixtures. They are straight business here with tons of sales associates that will come to help you find what you’re looking for, provide suggestions and options, and overall get a collection that works together. If you have pictures of the space that you’re looking to update with fixtures show them since they know what works with various sizes, shapes, and colors of rooms.
The associate that I dealt with said he works on doing full houses for new builds a few times a week and then fixtures here and there for updates daily so they see a lot of what works and what doesn’t work.
This place is a labyrinth with rooms and aisles that you will take you to more rooms and aisles where you won’t know how to get back. They even have a few rooms of random sports and gambling items for sale or a mug shot and signature of Al Capone for $ 10,000.
The majority of the fixtures are a little pricey yet they are quality and they do service you very well when you’re here. They do have the standard lights that are less as well as a clearance section you can shop.
If you’re coming on a Saturday morning, enjoy the popcorn, and plan to spend a few hours looking around.

I have purchased many lights here over the year and always had great customer service. I had a ceiling fixture that i got there about a year and a half ago – high end pretty expensive. After the year and a half only 1 of the 4 sockets were working. So I brought fixture back to be fixed. To my amazement and delight they replaced the whole fixture no questions asked! It is so rare these day to get that kind of great customer service, I will definitely be buying my next lights from them.

This place is really cool, but I cannot emphasize enough that they mean buisness. You want a light– theyll make you find a light.
Best prices in the city, but they sell ritzy stuff, so be prepared to fork over some dough. The salespeople walk all over the place with clipboards asking you repeatedly if you need help. It’s great if you are looking to buy, but a little intimidating if you are just trying to look around and get a feel for things because you know nothing about lights. I’ll take it over no help at all– that just annoys me.
Steve was our very tall salesman who helped us find some great fixtures for our new apartment. He knew how to do buisness and helped us pick out some good pieces.
After you are overwhelmed and leave spending hundreds upon hundreds of dollars, reward yourself with a good burger in the Menomenee Valley– Sobelmans or Oscars.

Awesome customer service. I love visiting bbc lighting and checking out all those interesting things and antiques they sell there. Don’t forget to get your free popcorn before you leave!

Love it! Best place, hands down for lighting! Skip Menard’s and Home Depot and head to BBC. Almost every light fixture we own is from here including custom pendants and sconces and we still spent less money than at a big box and out lights are very different from what is normally at big box stores. My only negative comment, stay away from Casablanca Fans! Bad product, squeaky and cheap. Check out the montecarlo brand instead!

Love this place!
Finding the right light fixture can be a very overwhelming proposition. After looking at several different stores, my husband and I walked in to this one. We were delighted at the variety in price and style offered here. After a few minutes of browsing we were approached by a store associate who helped us navigate the sea of lights. He knew a lot about each vendor and which styles would complement each other.
We ended up purchasing two fixtures and learned a great deal about the differences in LED vs fluorescents. I am so glad that we didn’t settle for something at Home Depot or Menards.
Tips: Take a lot of measurements at home so you can narrow down what you are looking for when you arrive. Know the price range and the style you would like to go with ahead of time so you don’t get overwhelmed.
There is a parking lot located on St. Paul, not sure why some reviews said parking was limited.

Two excellent choices for light fixtures are near each other, so convenient. This is the more affordable of the two, the other place is high end custom stuff, mostly out of my price range. Instead of wasting your time at Menards, Home Depot, or Lowe’s, try this place if you want lamps or light fixtures for your home or office. This place has a much better selection of affordable lighting interior and exterior than the big box DIY stores, and the sales help is friendly, patient and helpful. They also have an odd eccentric collection of other stuff for sale here, so shopping is entertaining as well. I’ve purchased a hall chandelier, and hanging bathroom light, we’re planning on coming back for exterior front walkway lamps later.

Bar none the coolest place to purchase light fixtures. If you need a fixture go straight to the Popcorn maker and then to customer service and ask for Sean. He was the most helpful individual I have ever done business with. I will be back for another fixture soon, solely because of Sean’s willingness to answer my questions and educate me through the process.

Be prepared to be completely overwhelmed when you walk into this place. It is crammed full with lighting options from the mundane to the sublime. I went on the recommendation of our contractor fully expecting that I would go home and order the sort of o.k. light I had found on Overstock. BBC’s selection was amazing, and while you can spend thousands of $ on a chandelier if you want to, they also have some real bargains.
I picked a Tiffany style pendant on clearance, took it home, and my contractor immediately said, «Too big.» So I got to try out their 30 day return policy the next day. The return was easy, and I found a smaller piece that I like just as well for less money. Score!
I hope I’ll need more lights soon so I can go back here to shop!

Thousands of lighting and ceiling fan items. Free popcorn, 50 cent soda, kids’ rides, and scuptures, antiques, weird collectables and toys. Also, free fake $ 1,000,000 bills!

These guys are seriously great. The store is full of amazing lighting options if you want to stand apart from everyone else who buys from big box retailers.
We purchased a beautiful chandelier and foyer lamp from BBC and I could not possibly be any happier.
Pic:

Our Chandelier was missing some parts, and I thought I was going nuts because I had no logical way to hang it. So I called BBC and told them what was going on and they said swing by.
Came in and went to parts, and was immediately helped out. They confirmed I was missing parts and hooked me up with what I needed and even showed me how to get the project done right which was amazing.
I can not wait to go back into BBC and buy more from them for the house.

Heck yeah! This place rocks!
Bottom line: Phenomenal selection. Great customer service. Awesome pricing. And who doesn’t like a little popcorn when they’re light fixture shopping?
I have an old, old house (100 years!) and every remodeling project requires traveling all over the midwest and Ebay to find the right items. I couldn’t bring myself to buy a chandelier and sconces online without seeing them in person. It’s hard to imagine the size, etc… so off I went to the internet to find a lighting store in Chicago. Oops! Who knew that BBC was in my backyard? Google did… and thank goodness for that. After reading my fellow Unilocalers comments, I checked BBC out on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
The place was packed to the gills with shoppers, but I did that on purpose. I wanted to be a little anonymous my first time there — I like to wander around, check everything out before zoning in on one territory/​item, etc. Unless you are super-​focused and know EXACTLY what you want, I would recommend the anonymity because BBC is lighting Las Vegas. There is so much to look at and take in that they need to feed you with popcorn to keep your blood sugar up.
After about an hour of meandering, I settled into the crystal chandeliers (my original purpose in going). Despite being super-​busy, one of the salespeople (David) asked me if I needed help. He was already helping another customer, but wanted to get me started in the right direction. When he came back after finishing with his first customer, we talked crystal chandeliers for a bit. He recommended NOT purchasing that day, but rather gave me some websites to look at and then recommended coming back and talking some more. It was probably the best advice on earth! The chandelier I would have bought that day is NOT the one I ended up buying.
When I went back, I went on a weekday, when business was slower. I showed up in flip flops and a t-​shirt and was helped immediately (another David… we’ll call him David II). I know another reviewer comments on being treated like a second-​class citizen, but that wasn’t my experience. Anyway, David II showed me the Schonbek catalogue to confirm my choices — chandelier and 3 sconces (I will have best lit bathroom on earth). The original David was also there that day and after a bit of chatting, did offer me a discount. I’m sure it’s something they would do for anyone, but I felt special.
Paid for my stuff… special order… just picked it up yesterday. Totally easy and they helped me bring it all out to my car. As for the parking, there is a huge lot across the street, a smaller one on the east side of the building and tons of street parking.

I had been looking to replace a couple of bedroom fixtures, but wasn’t finding anything I liked at the larger home improvement stores. I live in a small condo and most lights seem to be made for people in McMansions (both size and style).
BBC is a bit tricky to get to if you don’t look it up on a map first, but you’ll find it. The building an entrance is a bit nondescript so keep an eye out. This place definitely has all the selection you’ll need. If you can’t find something here, then good luck with every finding anything you like. The prices are good for the brands that they have. At first I was thinking it was a tad on the expensive side compared to the big retailers, but when you put it into perspective of quality and selection it’s a really good deal.
The only thing I found odd about BBC were the random pieces of both cheap and expensive non-​lighting junk. You’ll stumble across old junk in some areas (the Osama bin Laden inflatable punching bag was a blast from the past). Also scattered around are autographed pictures. Everything from the cast of the Mary Tyler Moore Show to a frame containing the mug shots of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby, complete with separate pieces of paper containing their signatures. All for sale.
The checkout process is a bit different — even old-​school. You have to talk to a sales person in order to get a ticket so you can check out. They may have to go into the back room to get your box, so you might have to wait around while they do that. No big deal, just be prepared. I can’t imagine how they would do this any other way considering the layout of the store. It works well and we didn’t have to wait too long.
I liked BBC because it has a different vibe to it and it allowed me to step outside the shackles of the limited selection found in other retail shops. It’s also not as expensive as some of the boutique galleries, so you’re not walking around feeling like a poor, broke peasant. Give this gallery a gander and see if you don’t agree.

Wow — a temple to all things related to illumination. Reasons to love:
1. Everything under the sun that is lighting related. Take Home Depots selection and multiply it fivefold.
2. Good prices — check out the clearance area, you know you need something here.
3. Free popcorn!
4. Helpful staff though they are rushed on weekends
5. Across the street from Sobelmann’s — oh yeah! Get yo’self a ceiling fixture and a cheeseburger without moving your car.
I can do without all the kitcshy crap strewn about but the vintage carnival rides are cool.

Ok first of all, I love any lighting store that isn’t blindingly bright with all the wasted electricity.
Secondly, the whole experience is fun here, with the popcorn and the wacky statues and the ‘million dollar bills’ they give you. Everyone we’ve talked to has been friendly and efficient.
And most importantly, the selection is really good, and at nice prices. I like it better than say, home depot. More choices and more variety. Definitely will come here for any lights I need.