Ellington & French — Local services in Berkeley

Buyer beware:

Don't think you can return those pricey bath and body goods, even if they're untouched and purchased just the day before. My husband got me some soaps that weren't the ones I had asked for, and they wouldn't exchange them. The soaps were still in the tissue paper and bag from the store, and were clearly unopened because they were still sealed with a tamper-evident sticker. I wasn't there to witness the transaction, but my husband was surprised and upset to hear that the store wouldn't exchange the product, which suggests that they didn't say anything to him and that if they have a return policy posted by the cash register, it's not super visible. The owner was super rude in response to a similar review on Facebook, so don't expect a lot of customer service. I could've imagined us buying a lot of gifts there, but it's not worth risking it. The story has lovely (if pricey) products, but just be aware of what you can and cannot exchange/return. The store is clearly more concerned about making a buck in the short term than with building goodwill with their customer base as a...

This place is not family friendly. I came with my wife and son and we were perusing. I bought a glass for home espresso, my son was looking at markers, and gnome crayons while I stood there next to him putting things back after he picked them up. I thought the crayons would make a nice gift for him. One of the employees sitting at the register came up to me and said: "your toddler is trashing the place". We froze and didn't know what to say, and just brushed it off, because what are you going to do. It was, however, insulting and embarrassing, and far from reality. We left and will never be...

I needed to order a special hand creme that had to get to me by Christmas (5 days). Tina took my call and promised it would be in the mail that night. Not only was it in the mail but I got an email with my order and a tracking number. When I recieved the order in only 2 days it also came wrapped in the most beautiful wrapping paper and bow. I was taken aback by how nice it looked and by my immense appreciation for all the thoughtfulness of Tina to wrap it so beautifully. I would recommend Ellington and French to everyone. What great products and service!!...