Toby Clarity Lighting

Toby is the MOST HELPFUL person that I have ever worked with in the lighting business.
He is super knowledgeable and always willing to help. his prices are so much lower than anyone in the business in the city and work is always done as per my request.

I work in the Construction industry and use him a lot. He has rewired every kind of light for me that you can imagine. Nothing is beyond his capabilities in the lighting world so feel free to trust him with your old and new pieces!

I bought a table lamp that needed to be fixed . Toby did a great fast job fixing it.  I brought in morning and picked up in afternoon. Toby couldn't have been nicer and I can fully recommend Clarity Lighting for all of your lighting needs .

He  seemed  more   interested  in getting  lunch than  helping  me.   I   was  not able to  find  him  at the  store  all this   morning.    I  have  been waiting to  get  a   light  bulb    that   he  did  not  have  in the  store.

Zero stars.  Totally unreliable, wildly expensive, owner flew off the handle was rude and extremely combative.  This place may have been great years ago, but owner doesn't have any help anymore and can't give realistic deadlines on when work will be completed - he also has a terrible attitude when something doesn't go his way.  We brought in a vintage chandelier for rewiring, owner seemed like he could do it, said it would cost $500 plus tax to do and he'd have it delivered back to us in two weeks.  Two and a half weeks go by, I call and he said next week.  The next week, still no word from him, we call again, he says next Tuesday, maybe earlier.  Later that week, when earlier didn't happen, I call to confirm we're getting it on Tuesday as we are having our contractor come in to do work and they need to install the chandelier.  Owner said next Tuesday, but don't schedule anything, because you never know what might happen. You can't rush me.  I pushed for a firm date to expect it since its been over a month when he promised it in two weeks, and he hung up on me.  Called me back and asked me what I wanted to do, I said I wanted the piece on Tuesday, but again, he was non-committal.  Finally, he got mad and just told me to pick up my piece and he'd give me a refund, which we did, and he proceeded to again be rude, combative, called me names, etc. in person.  At some point, he told me he was doing me a service like a favor -- which I reminded that I was paying him $500 to do.  Very negative experience.  The good news for us is that we just took the chandelier to local hardware store that does lamp rewiring -- they told us a week or earlier and are charging us $50.  I'd recommend the same for anyone else unless you don't care AT ALL when you get your fixture back and don't mind getting WILDLY overcharged.

A nice friendly local business.
I went in for advice on replacing part of a lighting fixture, in the end the owner wasn't able to help me but he was very nice / friendly and tried to help.

Meanwhile I saw various others come in and pick up repaired lamps, shades and buy bulbs.
The store is not big and there are not a huge amount of lamps etc inside but the owner will help you find something specific if you ask, he is quite a character and seems pretty cheerful, happily humming away while classical music plays in the background.

So I had a 47 year old lamp that is very sentimental - it needed some attention. I asked for them to polish it, rewire it and put a new lamp shade on it. I put a deposit down. I got a call that it was ready - but I couldn't pick it up because my apartment renovations weren't done. I already put a 50% deposit down. So I walked in to see how the lamp came out and to pay the balance -  I said I don't like the lamp shade as that  is not what we selected and then the guy pulled another lampshade he had right there but again it wasn't what I asked for. Because it wasn't written down he ignored my comment. So instead of having it delivered like I requested, i walked over with my original invoice... still same BAD lamp shade that doesn't go with my home. I said this is still the incorrect shade... this business owner literally freaked out on me and told me i was lying... why would i lie about the incorrect lamp shade - he ordered the lampshade not me... and then he said 'why did you pay for it then?' It's not documented that you wanted to change the lamp shade. I said I told you I didn't like when I came in to pay the remainder of my balance and to please fix it. Clearly it wasn't done. This clown didn't want to resolve the problem but argued and screamed at me and accused me of lying. Of course i screamed back because this guy got all weird and bible beating about demons....Finally after his nonsense of him telling me I have demons and he concerned for me... he finally refunded me for the lampshade... he is a clown and didn't want to own his error - never mind find a solution. If you need to repair a lamp - go elsewhere- DO NOT GO HERE! I have been living in the neighbor for 30 years - previously referred business to him. NEVER AGAIN! Now after this experience where instead of fixing his mess - he claimed I have demons. I paid for a service didn't like the lampshade and he didn't want to fix the problem. so while he kept talking to me about my demons - I took a picture of the catalog (phone number) and the style number of the lampshade I wanted and I am ordering it directly - while this lunatic was refunded the lampshade on my credit card.... I just spoke to the lampshade company (wholesale) and my lampshade is ordered problem solved - he is a child who would prefer preaching is bible BS than fixing his error... if you need a good lamp repair - this place isn't for anyone who cares how they are spoken to... he automatically accused a paying customer of being a liar... preaching his nonsense on others (his projections) too bad he didn't own his error - instead I got his bible thumping BS - it was like being in some sort of clown school !!!

Great service ! Brought in a vintage lamp in that had a wobbly socket and neck, Toby did a stellar job fixing it and making it good as new. I was worried it may not be fixable after having spent a small fortune to purchase and ship from specialty store. Took a few weeks but well worth the wait. Highly recommend !

Toby was able to rebuild a transformer and make our track lights work again. He's a good and honest man. He will take good care of your electrical needs.

I went into Toby's shop asking advice about light bulbs, he was so patient and helpful.  I will return.

Toby is very helpful and friendly. He had what I needed on hand, and I was in and out in minutes, but only after some pleasant conversation about the neighborhood. I will be back next time I need help with anything lighting-related.

If only I could give zero stars. I came to Toby Clarity based on Yelp reviews, but sadly my experience was horrendous.
I contacted Toby first by phone to get a sense of whether he could rewire a fragile porcelain chandelier- an heirloom fixture left to me by my mother. I needed to have a longer chain given my high ceilings. He said, if rewiring was necessary it would be $75 per arm (x's 6 in this case). So I brought in the chandelier and he thought that it should require only the center to be rewired plus a new chain. Somehow he came up with a price of $548.73 which he said factored in a 10% Yelp discount. First red flag- he required payment in full before any work was done. I wanted my fixture so I paid.  Side note to return to later- two flowers were not attached and he suggested I hold on to them so as not to be lost or damaged. Made sense.
Within less than a week he called to say my fixture was ready. I came to pick it up and when I got it to my home and unwrapped it I found he took the liberty of using a bright yellow gold cord and chain which was totally incongruous with the antique finish of the fixture. His logic- it will patina with time.
The other thing that was awry was that now the finial was not secured. Given that I was unhappy, he offered to make it right and asked that I return with the chandelier and pick out a cord and chain that were acceptable to me. When shown to the back of his shop I saw such disarray and he didn't seem to have the ability to order the right parts from a supplier. Instead he looked through a tangle of cords in a drawer, and we found one that was an esthetically good fit. No such luck for a chain, but I was able to order one on Amazon and had it sent directly to him. Since he was making good on the chandelier (or so I thought) I also had a lamp shade that needed a fabric refresh. I gave him the measurements and he estimated it would be ~ $150, so I brought it in. I picked a taupe linen like fabric from a swatch book he had and he was unsure if the guy he outsources to would have that particular fabric, but he'd let me know. We left it that if that fabric was not available I would provide fabric since I was not keen on any other swatches in his book. Two weeks  passed without word. When I called to follow up he said- oh yes, the fabric I wanted was in stock and the shade was ready. Now, $250.  I also inquired about a credit for the price of the chandelier repair since I had purchased the chain. He said he would have to check with the vendor to credit me for the one he initially used. I came to pick up the lamp shade- once again all wrapped up and hard to see what's what until I get it home and unwrap it. Sure enough not the fabric I ordered. I was not happy but decided not to pick this battle since the fabric used was an okay match and I could see the care in that workmanship. I preferred to wait to say anything until I came back in to collect my refund and could see the fabric swatches again to be sure. Yet again, I had to make another call regarding the credit for the chandelier chain which he said was $12 credit and which he preferred to give me in cash. But back to the chandelier.
It took a while for me to get an appointment with an electrician to hang the chandelier and only then did I begin to notice how shoddy some of his work was.  I found that his incompetent worker sealed the holes with glue, where I was supposed to be able to thread and hang those two flowers. When I called to ask him how to remedy this he immediately got defensive, denied any wrong doing, and said I brought it in that condition. Also, one delicate section (a leaf on an arm) had broken off and his worker glued that on, but not in the right place so there was a visible gap. I ended up having to buy putty and gold leaf paint to extend the little leaf patterned arm and make a hole that enabled me to hang the flowers and to fill in the gap in the other section.
But here's where the story really goes south. I hadn't been on the east side for a few weeks and when I finally popped in to get the $12 that was owed to me, he told me he already paid me from his pocket and that I didn't remember. I told him with all certainty that I had not been paid and he proceeded to scream at me in a menacing fashion getting all dramatic and putting his hand on a bible. I asked him if this was how he was going to treat a customer that spent $800 and he continued to scream. I have never encountered such a crazy and incompetent business owner in all my years. I don't lack for patience or manners, and I don't easily get upset, but I flipped this guy the bird and left his store. So RUN, away from this shop if you place any value on your lighting fixtures or customer experience.

Toby has integrity and highly recommend . He knew exactly what part was needed and repaired my lamp.

What a find. Open during the pandemic; repaired my much-loved, often-broken halogen lamp the same day I brought it in; and Toby couldn't be nicer. So many stars.

Took my custom steampunk lamp in on Friday afternoon, they said they could have it fixed by the next afternoon. They did beautiful work, and very reasonably priced. Great guys!

Fixed an old favorite floor lamp to a good as new state!
Highly recommended.

Toby and Juan did such a wonderful job restoring my great grandmother's chandelier.   They were really caring about all the details.  I am so happy I did this project with them.

I stumbled in after having a bad experience with a installation done by another local lighting company. I asked Toby if he could send his guys over to check over the work and install my light correctly. He did just that. In fact I had him install another light because I was so pleased by his professional and knowledgeable workers. I have a few other rooms that I am planning on hanging lights in and I'll be calling Toby. Don't waste your time with these other clowns in the neighborhood.

I'm so glad I found this place and they did a great job in working on the electric outlet in my apartment.  Juan was very knowledgeable and I am very happy that everything is working now.

the worst.  Filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.  Apparenlt, Toby bought the name as it is now Toby's Clarity Lighting.  Here's what happened.

When I initially spoke to Toby about my repair, I was given a rough estimate of $45 to fix my lamp.  When I arrived back at the store to pickup my lamp, no work had been started and Toby was not at the store.  Toby's worker quoted me a price of $67.  I stated that Toby had quoted me less, but agreed to have the work performed.  The worker advised me Toby was expected and I could discuss the fee with him.  As the work was being performed on my lamp, Toby arrived at the store.  He and his worker were in the back.  His worker stated I didn't want to pay the $67, but rather the amount I was quoted earlier.  When the work was completed,  Toby advised me it ws $95, plus tax, making it just over $103!  As I wanted my lamp back, I paid the amount.  When this charged was posted to my credit card, I disputed the $30.45 I was overchared  with my bank.

Because Toby had been so honest once before, I phoned him today. Once again without pretension, he told me to come in and assured me, from my description, the problem with my old lamp seemed quickly and easily remediable.
True to his word, Toby rapidly understood and inexpensively fixed what I feared might have been a big deal.
Toby is a genius with electrical issues, and at the same time did not make me feel like the electrical dummy I am.

Fast honest service, it's as simple as that.

Toby is knowledgeable, helpful, dedicated to making you satisfied, follows through and follows up. Few other business owners are as solid as he is and because of that he's my go to for all things lighting.

We had a lamp that needed repair. Checked out yelp and found good reviews for this store. Called ahead to confirm they could fix our lamp and the man on the phone responded Bring it in and I am sure we can work something out. We were really excited we found a place that could help us, so, even though the store was out of our way, we took a 20 minute train ride up and when we arrived to the store at 3:50om today, there was a sign on the front door (Please see attached photo) that said will be back in 25 minutes and it also stated the time was 3:30pm when the note was placed. At first, we thought, no big deal. We sat on the stoop next door patiently waiting. At 4:20pm, 50 minutes after the sign was posted, we were still waiting. We called the shop but the telephone went unanswered with no answering service and nobody there when we rang doorbell. It should be noted that the store closed at 5pm. We ended up leaving frustrated, as we wasted our Saturday afternoon (between the subway ride, the walk to the store, and waiting on the stoop).Fortunately, we were able to get our lamp fixed at another store, Just Bulbs on East 60th street. Wish we had gone there first rather than wasting our time at this joke of a store.

Toby and Juan were able to take my French flea market find (a tiny angel lamp) and rewire it for American sockets and bulbs.  They even had a charming shade to finish off the new look.  All this came at a fair price, quick turn around, and very friendly service.  I can't thank you enough!

I had an old-fashioned electric clock that worked fine, but the bulb didn't stay lit. Even though it was a clock, Toby said he would try to fix because it was essentially a lighting problem. When I picked it up he charged me $40. After I got it home the light failed the next day. I brought it back. He said he would refund me the money if he couldn't fix it. When I picked it up the light was working, and again failed the following day. When I called to ask for my money back, he said I supplied the wrong bulbs. Far as I can see, he charged me to change light bulbs, and didn't do anything further

Exeselent service got everything I need it at one place looks like they fix lamps too so I'll bringing it some lamps in thank u Toby

This store has that fabulous lamp you need to make your apt PERFECT!!! The owner is super helpful and knowledgeable! I am happy I found this store!

We brought in one old floor lamp with multiple problems and one new floor lamp with an in-line switch problem.  Three days later, our lamps were returned problem-free at a totally fair price.  We'd taken one of the lamps to another nearby shop and rejected it because his price was double the cost of the lamp!  Not so at Toby's.  If you've got lamp trouble, he's your guy.  He's really nice and reallycompetent, too!

Based on my experience below I am rating this place two stars.

I needed to have two lights modified and dropped off one of them on a Saturday and was told that it would be ready on Monday.  I paid in full for the two lights to be modified.  When I went back to the store on Monday no work had been done because the necessary parts had not come in so I was told to come back on Tuesday.  Tuesday afternoon I drop off the second light and was told that both lights would be ready the next day.  My wife checked in on Wednesday but the lights were not ready so she told them we have to take them back Thursday evening no matter what.  My wife gets a call Thursday afternoon that the lights are ready.  When she goes to pick them up, she is told that I only paid for one of the lights to be modified.  The handwritten receipt had no details on it so she unfortunately had to pay again.

I believe paying in full, in advance, and not receiving a detailed receipt cost us both time and money.  I would recommend that if others want prompt service at the agreed upon price, do not pay in advance and get a detailed receipt of items bought or services to be provided.

Great service! Toby (the proprietor) was very knowledgeable and patient and helped me figure out exactly what I needed. I feel like He really cares about his customers and I recommend him enthusiastically.

I came in with a small repair.  The guys were really nice and helped me out.  My wife has used them several times and they have always been helpful.  Great neighborhood lighting store.

My lovely but old chandelier had problems- bulbs kept blowing out and then the dimmer blew out. I called my building's electrician, who recommended Toby Clarity Lighting. Toby and his team are great. They were able to make the repairs on site. They are professional, fast, and efficient.  I highly recommend Toby Clarity Lighting.

Lovely gentleman owner who cares. Toby picked up, fixed and returned my modern lamp. When the repair went bad he was willing to do the same thing all over again. And his prices are reasonable. Totally hands on.

Not A-OK ... Just OK.  Toby was very responsive but unfortunately the experience fell short.  After a number of attempts to pick up a lamp that was in for repair, it was finally ready about 3 days late (not horrible but a pain).  I was then charged about $35 more than I had been quoted as the repair was apparently more difficult than anticipated (again not horrible but annoying).  When the lamp was tested in the store for me with its existing bulb, it did not work.  Oddly, the lamp did work with a new bulb and the old bulb did work in other lamps.  I collected my lamp and decided to keep the old bulb to use in a different lamp at home.  Toby told me to leave it with him as he could fix it so it would work in the original lamp.  After trying to pick up my bulb 3 times from when it was supposed to be ready (annoying), I was finally told that it had been thrown out by mistake.  I was told to make up for that, I  could buy a new bulb from them at cost.  All of this was again, small stuff, but very annoying,  plus, its been 2 weeks and I have heard nothing back.  My gut says I should give up on that.  My rating reflects ok instead of lower because the most important thing, the lamp, was fixed.  But between the higher cost, missing deadlines without communicating such, and the nonchalant attitude about the thrown out bulb, I would have a hard time going back.

Great store. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Expertly rewired antique lamps for me. Did a great job at a good price. Was very happy with their work.

This is your go-to place for lamp repairs!  When my old lamp repair shop closed, I found myself in need of a repair and searched Yelp for a new place on the UES that wouldn't hold my lamp hostage and then take my trust and too much of my money. Clarity Lighting was the answer. The owner Toby, fixed my bedside lamp within a half-hour, charged me a reasonable price and even gave me a six-month warranty!  Now that's service and integrity. When you need to see the light, go to Clarity Lighting.

To be lucky enough to actually have a lightbulb store in my neighbourhood, I had never before really thought would be a necessity, but this place has gotten me out of so many potentially time-consuming tasks, i am happy it exists.
I, for some reason, have found myself in need of numerous speciality/uncommon light bulbs, and this place has always had them when I needed them.
If only with they were open a bit later, but I didn't want to remove a star based on their hours, because most independent/small businesses in the area close around the same time, or earlier, so I don't really want to be negative on that point.
They also sell some nice fixtures and lighting accessories, as well as do repairs, and it puts my mind at ease knowing that clarity lighting is just around the corner, should I ever need a repair or speciality bulb in a hurry.
The store owner (?), or whomever is always working there, seems very educated and helpful with lighting and issues, so that always makes it an easy and seamless transaction.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in need of any type of light bulb or repairs.