"Hung a canvas tarp under a second floor deck with minimal tension and corner grommet tore out completely. Company says it knows about tearing problems and warns people on it's website, so they will not refund or replace. There is no mention of tearing or what they consider inappropriate use. They directed me to an "Ideal for" link off of the product pages where they mention the use of wax and oil making it not recommended for "canopies". No clarification from them as to how a consumer is supposed to assume that means it will tear under its own weight. As an aside, my initial email to the company was ignored and I was required to call. Their response is that I should have read up on blogs posted by the company before purchasing and that the failure is my fault. They are now ignoring me again. Best to avoid this company. "

"This business operates much like the New York camera stores did 25 years ago - gruff customer service people who make you feel like you're taking them away from something more important and whose curt answers discourage further questions. This approach to the customer fosters misunderstandings, which the customer will ultimately be held responsible for. Don't think for a minute that "the customer is always right" philosophy will be found here.

I have placed three orders from this company over the last 3 years. I've been happy with two of the three. The most recent order was a purchase of a couple of remnants, one of which was listed as "Photo grey". The term photo grey has specific meaning and is not the same as calling a fabric simply "grey." Photo grey is a colorless middle grey that can be used for white balancing but more importantly does not have a visible hue. So, when I ordered this "photo grey" fabric, that's what I was expecting. What I got, however, was a brownish magenta "grey" with an evident color cast to it that was clearly not a "photo grey" when compared to several grey cards I have. I politely contacted the company and sent them a picture of the problem and they told me that they had been selling this same fabric for 25 years and that the fact that I didn't like it was my problem. Therefore, the return shipping (not to mention the shipping I already paid to get the off-grey fabric delivered) was mine to bear.

In my previous orders, I purchased commando cloth, a thick, light-absorbent cloth used in theaters and photography. It is great and I like it. I had them hem and put eyelets on one large piece that I use regularly. I love it!

Herein lies the conundrum with this review - if you have first hand knowledge of what you are buying, which you would only get through a sample or visiting them personally, you are likely to get what you want. However, if you're like most people who won't get a sample and don't live close to Chicago, you run the risk that what happened to me will happen to you. This becomes even more likely because your normal process of asking questions to help you make an informed decision will likely be discouraged by the uninspired customer service at this company."