The art of the lamp.
Lamps are easy to access online these days, but they’re not as easy to fix. That’s something Hunter Thompson, who owns the Upper Westside’s Lamp Arts Inc. with his parents, knows all too well. “People need to understand lighting and what goes into it to understand what we do,” he says. “You can get a $50 lamp online, but you can’t have it fixed for less than that, although some people just love the lamp regardless and want to fix it.” The company, which does repairs, sells lamps, offers custom items and more, has been in Atlanta since 1949, and Thompson has been a part of it since 2012.
Here, he delves further into what services the business provides.
What Lamp Arts services are on offer?
We are a full-service lighting showroom. We import and restore European fixtures. We offer repair services to customers and design firms, from basic socket repairs to rewiring French chandeliers. We have corporate clients; for instance, we supply the lampshades for the Omni Hotel at The Battery Atlanta. We work with more than 30 suppliers, giving us access to a lot of newer lighting. We stock over 10,000 lampshades in our showroom.
What about custom pieces?
We also do custom lampshades— probably more now than ever. We can make lamps in specific colors you are trying to match or make custom fixtures. For example, if you found two perfect vases, we could convert those into lamps. We do custom bases and fabricate larger fixtures with nothing but a picture to go on. We once made a pair of three-tiered, 10-foot-wide chandeliers for a movie set.
Is lamp making a dying art?
It’s a lot to deal with all the components of lighting and having everything you need to work on them. It’s made us niche because fewer and fewer places have the knowledge and staff who can do it. You don’t have to worry about the quality of work with us. We’re a well-established small business based on service and making sure our customers are happy. Our repairs drive customers to us, and then they realize that we can do everything from making a custom shade to repairing a turn-of-the century chandelier.
LAMP ARTS
lampartsinc.com
@lampartsinc
