Painted Ladies

I met Mary a year and a half ago. I thought she was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. She did great work on a couple of chairs of mine so next I hired her to create a couch of a very unique design, which I had provided photos and even actual samples for her to get a good idea of what I was looking for. She told me she needed $ 1000 dollars for materials to create the couch, so I gave it to her. Weeks went by and of course I wanted to know how the couch is coming along so I asked her to send pictures but she responded with unrelated pictures of random materials draped on furniture that already existed in her shop.
And it went on like this for many months. I’d give her extension after extension just to see a sample of her work and at some point I realized she really wasn’t doing any work at all on the couch, nor had she even bought the materials necessary to make it.
So I called her and told her it wouldn’t be in my best interest to work with someone who could not even provide a sample after so much time, and at that pointed she started yelling hysterically about how it’s so abusive for me to be giving her deadlines to see a sample. Not even the couch, just a sample! Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Mary to anyone, please take heed from my experience and find someone else your furniture needs.

Mary is a scam artist. I had just moved to Venice and got suckered into her store with her saying she made furniture for Urban Outfitters. I blame myself because I paid her upfront (cash), and she promised to have the pieces painted in 4 days. A week later I was calling to hear how things were going, nothing was painted properly, she had done a terrible job. The first time they came to deliver the furniture, a piece of the top of the dresser peeled right off as it had already come off and they tried to just tack it back on there as if it were nothing. I went back to Mary and I tried to be reasonable, saying that I really had a different idea of what she was going to deliver, and if she thought that they could sell what they had made for me, then that was great, but it was not what we had discussed, especially for $ 300. She went nuts. She started yelling at me like a crazy person, telling me that it was good I paid cash, that I could do whatever I want, tell people all about it, she didn’t care. I was so uncomfortable and upset I was close to tears and she started saying «IS THIS WHAT YOU DO FOR YOUR DADDY?». She then turned on a dime, and offered to hug me, and said she felt like a mother to me. Honestly there is something seriously wrong with this woman. I just wanted out of there. If the worst thing that happened to me in that store is that I overpaid for some crappy furniture, then I lucked out.
I agreed to take the furniture however they painted just to be rid of the situation and chalked it up to being taken advantage of as a newbie in the city of LA. Learned my lesson.
Still trying to sell this furniture for half of what I paid for it on Craigslist. No bites.

After my sofa was stolen by my upholsterer who lied and said that he didn’t pay his storage I was beside myself. Who does that!!! It was a French Rococo sofa. I searched high and low for a replacement sofa and I found it here. I was so happy with it. Mary is an artist and is a business woman and knows her furniture. She was very sympathetic after I told her what happened… she actually knew the upholsterer! Apparently upholsterers are a small circle of men in L.A. She gave me an awesome deal. I have bought other items from her I prefer to refinish my own furniture but she can also paint it if that’s your thing. She has a great assortment of French style furniture that is rare and one of kind. She works with your budget and is very very reasonable compared to other similar stores. She is a very down to earth cool person which makes buying things easy there is never any presure… if you are looking for a specific piece she has great follow through and will call you to come by.

Mary is awesome! She provided me with opulent vintage furniture for an amazing price for my daughters 4^th royal tea party! Shabby chic décor at its finest! Everything was done on time. However her furniture is an acquired taste. She is artist and her furniture reflects her art. So if it’s not you don’t waste your time and slander her! She’s amazing and so are her one of a kind pieces. Reasonable pricing! Returning customer!

Mary is very rude im sorry to say. Her hack paint jobs are a joke. A glorified garage sale. Parking also sucks. Not really worth your time unless you happen to be looking for a piece that is a particular shape and this your last resort.

DO NOT GO! QUALITY OF A FOUR YEAR OLD!
I had to go back a second time for her to fix it. The final product is horrible. She told me she had a hard time matching the colors… obviously. It looks worse that when it was delivered.
Delivery day: She calls me and asks if I live in an upstairs apartment. I do, so I have to pay the delivery guy and extra $ 20 cash so she could send two guys instead of one.
The handles are still wet so I got paint all over my hands. She had one whole week to paint this before delivery. She blamed it on the «100% humidity»…
The dresser was FILTHY. It took me an hour to clean it. There were dead spiders inside. The feet of the dresser were caked on with dirt. She obviously bought this at yard sales and sold it to me with a crap paint job for $ 190.
On the first round, she did not paint in the crevices of the drawers. She promised silver handles and only half painted them. She neglected to even try painting under the handles. I had to coach her through it when I went back to her store for a re-​do.

I am not surprised about the reviews accusing the owner of going MIA and being flaky. Thank goodness I didn’t lose any money or furniture parts like others did– I couldn’t get a call back!

This painted lady is crazy! And scary! She tries to be helpful, she really does. My daughter went there looking for a desk. The painted lady smears paint all over secondhand furniture and thinks that is somehow art. We finally found a desk that wasn’t painted yet and purchased it, really just to get out of there. And my daughter felt that she actually rescued the desk from the painted lady. The price was kind of reasonable. However, the painted lady and her helper nicked up the top trying to get it in our vehicle. They could be on drugs. I don’t know. I’d say go check i out if you want to experience something that is beyond words, but not for the furniture. Sorry.

Anyone who doesn’t adore this place or its owner is a one-​star, tasteless tool with a chip on their shoulder.
It’s the best. Mary is the best. Nothing but love and fabulosity

ANY GOOD REVIEW IS FAKE!!!
If I could give her a 0 I would. Please whoever knows anything about Unilocal should know that people who have 1 or 2 reviews are all fake. Let me tell you about Mary, she is the most unreliable person you will meet. All the pictures you see are probably either fake or from far where you can’t see all the mistakes she has made. So, we go to her «shop» which looks like it’s just a bunch of junk around and she showed us her pictures of things she has reupholstered. we decided to go for it because she gave a good rate. If i knew any better I would have never done it. it was like throwing our expensive fabric and money into the trash. Not only did she ruin the expensive steel furniture we had but she also never fixed the problems she promised she would.
I gave her a chance to redeem herself and she said i’ll fix them and pick them up but she never did. She is a LIAR. We gave our stuff to her more than 6 months ago and she still hasn’t contacted me back about fixing the messed up couches. The threats are everywhere, the bottom of ripped, the couch isn’t even even. on top of it all, all of our fabric that we gave her (there was a lot of extra) is gone. DO NOT TRUST THIS WOMAN she’s FAKE!!! Mary, if you are reading this. I warned you about writing this review if you didn’t fix your mistakes!!! You really should be reported!

Really can’t understand the negative reviews for this place. I love, love, love old furniture and the things here are great! Dropped in on a weekday afternoon and had the store to myself. Mary was so sweet and friendly, showed me some beautiful pieces and even offered me a diet coke. She gave me an awesome deal: a vanity, mirror, chair, and headboard for like $ 300 bucks and even custom painted them all to match! They look amazing in my bedroom and seriously everyone who visits me comments on them. Love!
I think maybe some people don’t really get vintage furniture and are expecting ikea?

We love mary !. I came to her for a few pieces for my apartment and spa. this lady is awesome !! not only does she work out a great price, each piece is custom and amazing. thanks mary for being so great !!!
The Taras!

Mary is out first extremely personable and friendly but don’t let this fool you she doesn’t deliver results. Her pieces are rushed and the craftsmanship is crappy. If I would have Unilocaled her before I would be $ 350 richer lol. Anyway, total rip off here don’t waste your time.

Okay so here goes. I got a bedside table and a dresser from the painted ladies. The shop is a complete mess and when I went in with friend, the owner Mary, had wet paint everywhere. She got paint all over her Burberry bag and Mary «cleaned it up» meaning she spread the paint everywhere and the bag is pretty much ruined.
It took a week for the furniture to arrive. When I got it there was a hole in the side table. The dresser was even worse off. The paint wasn’t mixed, there were smears of other colors on it, and there were blobs of paint underneath. It looked awful. One of the dresser drawers was completely broken, it was unuseable. I called Mary immediately and it was excuses about how «I had rushed her» and it was my fault that the furniture was messed up. I was trying to figure out when the furniture would arrive and wasn’t getting a response.
The took the side table back and all I got were excuses in terms of the dresser. It took a few weeks before the delivery guy would come and pick it up. Mary did end up being helpful in trying to repair it and ended up getting me a new one. It took about a month to get. The furniture finally arrived today. The delivery guy, her husband, was rude and cussing in my house because he brought the dresser in backwards. The last time he came over I had to help move the furniture in and carry drawers. I have never had furniture delivered where I was asked to help carry it. um really?
Okay so now about the current condition… the paint is still kind of wet, and there is paint all over the drawer pulls (the dresser is painted grey and the knobs were supposed to be blue). The grey is all over the pulls.
I will never go here again. I tried to get my money back before I was pressured in to getting this new dresser. Basically, she wouldn’t give it back to me. I was fine taking even half to not have to deal with the painted ladies again. It was impossible. I’m not sure if I am even going to keep the furniture. As of right now, I am just frustrated I don’t know if I even want it in my house.
The price was «reasonable» but the service and product was awful. I will never deal with this place again and will never recommend it.

This place is whack. I went to this store for like one minute helping my friend to pick up a mirror from this absolute crazy. Her store is a total hoarders paradise– full of furniture she finds on the street and decides to haphazardly diarrhea pastel colors all over. She gave my friend her mirror — a sloppy sea foam green mess that was still wet — as well as a razor, to get all of the paint off the mirror part herself. And this was a day and half after the mirror was supposed to be finished.
Needless to say, I am horrified. Don’t go here.

Loves this little hidden gem in Venice. Reasonably priced and Mary was fantastic!

I needed some french/​shabby chic armchairs for a project, and came across Painted Ladies. The frames were the right style, and Mary said she could have them repainted and upholstered. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as she didn’t really have any finished examples in the shop. I decided to give it a shot, picked out 4 chairs, and dropped off some fabric with her. Got them back 5 days later and couldn’t be more pleased. Painting, stuffing and upholstery were all well done. Super impressed. I uploaded a before-​after photo of the chairs — it’s the pink polka-​dot and green-​pink floral ones.

I Adore Painted Ladies
Now don’t walk in this place expecting order or glam. It’s CRAZY… with glass, screws and razors all over the place.
Mary is on the same level but hey who am I to judge. She has got a great selection on vintage furniture at a great price.
I purchased a dresser and desk from her and I have never been disappointed with the price or item.
Would I ever let her paint my stuff… HECK no… she’s a crazy lady with the paint brush and it’s just not my style plus I have the man power to pick up all my items as well as the tools to paint it myself.
If you are into vintage goods and a great price this is your place… if you are looking for a stuffy, high priced experience stay away please she is my diamond in the rough!!!

WORST PLACE BY FAR~
The Owner Mary is very very very RUDE!!! She used to do a ton of drugs and as result has crossed eyes and a bad attitude.
I was looking for many pieces: a headboard, nightstands, a vanity, a mirror. and I was willing to spend $$$ on good quality pieces. Instead of saying hello when I walked in she yelled from the back of the tiny store to not touch anything.
The whole place smells terrible and everything is piled on top of everything else making it IMPOSSIBLE to find anything and measure or take a good look.
She requires money upfront for everything including just to hold something you may be interested in.
If you do end up buying something here DO NOT LET HER PAINT IT. She charges double the price to haphazardly splash a muddied version of whatever color you request.
DO NOT GIVE HER ANY MONEY UNTIL YOU’VE SEEN THE FINISHED PIECE BECAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU WON“T WANT TO PAY FOR IT!
Besides all this there’s NO PARKING and her delivery service is terrible!

Literally just got my furniture delivered 30 minutes ago & had to Unilocal about it.
I’m transferring to a university in southern California and had to find furniture for the bedroom in my new apartment. I wanted to go for a «vintage-​shabby-​chic» look on a student budget. I looked on craigslist — found nothing. Ebay — nothing. I searched countless places for something classy, fabulous and affordable and found NOTHING… until Painted Ladies.
My mother and I accidentally stumbled across this little shop in Venice while trying to find a mattress store. I saw some cute vintage looking furniture outside which only led us to the charmingly packed treasure trove waiting for us inside the door.
This place has SO much furniture. Literally, the desks and chests and dressers and everything are stacked on top of one another. The selection was incredible and Mary, the owner, was extremely helpful. The minute we walked in the door, she was there to help us find whatever we were looking for.
There were 3 key pieces of furniture my bedroom needed (besides the bed): a vanity desk, a nightstand, and a dresser. We were probably in the store for less than 30 minutes and were able to find every single piece for a stellar price. Mary worked with our budget and was very on top of her game — clearly she had been running a successful business for ten years.
First, we found the dresser. Based on the layout of my room, I decided on a short, wide piece. Needless to say, if I had wanted something more vertical it would not have been a problem. It is in the Queen Anne style, and was brown when we found it. It is in very, very good condition and is very well made. Second, I found the most beautiful vanity desk in a similar style (Mary kept referring to it as the French princess). Unfortunately, the vanity desk I fell in love with was already sold — but she said she would not have a problem getting another exactly like it! The point is, I found the vanity desk. Last, I found a nightstand. Originally, I wanted your average, little nightstand (which there were plenty of) but I opted for a bigger piece of furniture — getting a very small dresser instead. This piece was dark brown when we found it but the style was great and so was the quality.
Oh and they custom paint everything. I wanted all of my furniture white with a vintage-​shabby-​chic look, which they were able to do in several hours. The dresser looks absolutely stunning and looks like it could cost easily $ 800+ from Pottery Barn or something. Paint is missing in all the right places, making the paint job appear authentically vintage and antique. They did the same job on the nightstand but I like the job on the dresser better (maybe because the original color was a lighter brown?). My vanity desk will be painted as well.
Painted Ladies delivers too, for a small fee. I felt bad that the delivery guys had to carry my furniture so far through my apartment complex, but they did it with no complaints and were really cool about everything. My vanity will be ready for me in a few weeks when I move the rest of my stuff in. (I’m from SF)
Overall, we bought three BEAUTIFUL pieces of furniture for $ 400, including delivery and set-​up within several hours of us entering the store. I had an excellent experience, we’ll see how long it takes for my vanity to come in and if I have any problems there. Mary did a great job taking care of us today, so I don’t think we’ll run into any issues next time.