Lion In the Sun of Park Slope

06/16/2008 Posted by KFBridges

I just can't say enough about Lion in the Sun. While looking for invitations for my upcoming wedding, I found other big name outfits cold and really impersonal. ('The books of invitations are over there,' was the best involvement I got from staff at those competitors.) But not so at Lion in the Sun. When my fiance and I walked in to the shop -- on a busy weekend, no less -- we were greeted by a staff member who worked with us tirelessly to talk through just what it is we were looking for from our invites. She brainstormed ideas, working with us to create custom invitations that we didn't even know were possible. She guided us through every detail, from wording to typeface, and suggested several ways we could get the invites of our dreams in our price range. All in, the owner and staff at Lion in the Sun spent about 4 1/2 working directly with me to get everything just right. With the blase attitude of vendors in New York's wedding industry, Lion in the Sun is a gem, not just for their gorgeous invitations but most of all for their customer service. I'm thrilled to recommend them.

Pros: Customer service is phenomal

Cons: Can't think of one

05/25/2008 Posted by avhq

I typically don't write reviews for anything, but I have to say I had a wonderful experience working with everyone at lion in the sun. They were extremely knowledgeable, creative and patient. They have an amazing selection of all kinds of stationary, and it was really a pleasure to work with individuals who really knew what they were doing and were able to work with my budget and needs. They are the best.

05/13/2008 Posted by BrooklynPhil

Lion in the Sun offered us great expertise and variety of choices for our invitations. The staff is very pleasant, efficient and does a great job of checking in with you after you've placed an order. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for stationary for a special occassion.

01/12/2008 Posted by wrallo

I can't say more positive things about the folks at Lion in the Sun--not only are they completely professional with outstanding customer service, they are friendly and extremely knowledgeable about their products. I was planning a September wedding, met with Melinda and felt that she instantly "got" what it was I was envisioning for my invitations. Melinda put my mind at ease from the very beginning, taking the time to explain the different cost options, the differences for print options--any and all questions were answered (they are very patient!), I never once felt intimated or judged....it was clear they were there to provide what I wanted...and perhaps more importantly, put my mind at ease thoughout the entire process. Planning a wedding can be stressful, but with Lion in the Sun doing my invites, I felt 100% confident that I was in good hands and could relax a bit. In fact, I ended up ordering too few invites (my husband invited 36 additions last minute)--this could have been a total disaster, but Melinda and her team were absolutely wonderful, willing to go to great lengths to ensure I would have additional invites without having to order another 100. They never seemed irritated and were very creative in finding a solution that would work. Melinda became a friend in the process, I swear I would NOT have gotten through wedding planning without her and her team. I would recommend to anyone looking for beautiful, quality invitiations and superb customer service to go to Lion in the Sun!! Also, their calligraphers are AMAZING....So many of my guests not only commented on how unique and beautiful my invites were, but also the calligraphy (they can pretty much recreate any font you'd like).

Pros: customer service, quality of product, friendly atmosphere

Cons: none

11/11/2007 Posted by sophienicole

First, let me start off by saying I have never written a review on Citysearch or Zagats or any of the other sites for user ratings. But my experiences at Lion in the Sun have me logging on to rave about this incredible Park Slope paperie. When I got engaged, we went to Kate's paperie to do the save the dates. While they came out beautiful, the process was not one I was pleased with. I had to keep calling to check on the arrival date and the proofs and the salespeople were generally unresponsive. I was treated like a dispensable and replacable customer despite the very expenseive order I had placed. For my invitations, I decided to try Lion in the Sun. What a world of difference! Not only were my invitations exquisite (deckled edge and calligraphy engraved), but the staff and service were flawless. Proofs came in on time. Any questions I had were promptly answered. I never felt rushed when i was in the store and everyone there seemed to be genuinely excited about my wedding and the planning experience. We didnt just do our invites but our place cards, menus, programs and escort cards--all of which were timelessly elegant. By the end of the process, I felt like Lion in the Sun was a second home!! Its been two months since the wedding and today I returned to get engraved stationary and once again, a wonderful experience. Everyone wanted to know all about the wedding and I was given a discount on my order as a frequent customer. With a world (and especially much of Brooklyn) developing a big-shop big-money corporate mentality, a small family-owned shop like Lion in the Sun stands out even more!

10/29/2007 Posted by aprilly

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the folks at Lion in the Sun, particularly Ashley and Melinda. I recently moved to Manhattan from Park Slope and throughout my wedding planning process, I regularly traveled back across the bridge just to work with these talented women. While the paperie stores in the city are overwhelmingly big and busy, LSPS is a pleasure to visit. I had hand-drawn images that I wanted to incorporate into my wedding invitiations and Ashley helped me create invitations, menus, table cards, and thank you cards with a cohesive look that was even better than I had imagined (sweet and personal, yet clean and well-done- AND affordable). Not only was she extremely gifted at listening to my ramblings and offering perfect suggestions, Ashley was also kind and easy to work with during such a hectic time! In addition, Ashley and Melinda went completely above and beyond the call of duty for me, TWICE. First, when the printing company (unaffiliated with LSPS) fell behind schedule, they demanded free rush shipping and negotiated free thank you cards for me as well. Then, the day before the wedding I realized I had made an error on one of the table cards and they reprinted it on the spot. I have never been so impressed with high quality, personal service as this- so much so that I was inspired to create a Citysearch account just to write this review. I highly recommend LSPS to any bride-to-be who wants creative, professional service in a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

Pros: Warm, creative, and personal service

Cons: None!

09/09/2007 Posted by allieneale

We absolutely loved working with the staff at Lion in the Sun for our wedding stationary. The staff, especially Ashley and Melinda, were phenomenal. They guided us through every step of the way in choosing a save the date and invitation that were absolutely perfect for us and totally reflected our personalities and what we were trying to express through our wedding. And we came to them with a somewhat unusual idea for our wedding program (we wanted to have a special drawing done by an uncle integrated on the front)....and they absolutely made our vision come true! Everyone is incredibly friendly and patient....and by the end of the process, we really felt like everyone in the store had become our friends. I absolutely can't say enough positive things about this wonderful gem of a store.

Pros: Everything about this terrific store is great...

05/12/2007 Posted by samantha646

I am overwhelmed at even how to rave --but here it goes. First of all, the finished product, our wedding invitations were beyond our expectations. We are getting so many response cards (and phone calls) telling us that they are "the most beautiful invitations" that they have seen. Melinda helped us customize invitations that captured and expressed our personalities --so that besides being elegant they are also quite unique! The quality of the invitations is exceptional too --and really the quality is so high and the prices were so reasonable. Melinda and her staff treated us wonderfully, they were kind, patient, responsive and resourceful. They put a lot of effort into our invitations and it felt like a labour of love coming from them. Melinda is soo creative too! The store itself is great to browse around in. We bought gorgeous guestbooks and scrapbooks, among other things. We came in from Manhattan to do business with Melinda --and it was well worth it!!! I would have traveled even further because this type of individualized care is so unusual!

Pros: A beautiful store to sit in too! Melinda has a lot of experience.

03/03/2007 Posted by ecarvin

My fiancee and I just picked up our wedding invitations from Lion in the Sun today, and we couldn't wait to sing the praises of this impressive little paper shop. Here's why you should go there for your important cards and invitations: 1. After just a couple of visits, everyone on the staff seemed to know our names. (Especially Melinda, Mallory and Ashley. See, we can remember names too!) 2. The selection was impressive, and included options we hadn't seen elsewhere. In addition to the usual brands, they had some choices by independent artists -- including one in the neighborhood, whose design we ended up going with. 3. Despite being quite busy on weekend afternoons, they took the time to work out every detail of our invitations, and were patient as we indecisively flipped from book to book. 4. They volunteered several suggestions to save us money -- ones we wouldn't have known to even inquire about. 5. As we finalized our invitations, they were always extremely responsive over email. Go to Lion in the Sun -- it's worth waiting for the F train.

Pros: Variety, personalized service, creative eye

Cons: May have to wait your turn on busy weekends

03/02/2007 Posted by grimrosary

It's like I've marked every major event with this store--engagement party, wedding announcements, invitations, thank-yous, birth announcements (two now!). Every time I've never been given less than tons of options and the attention to assist my sorting through it all, whoever is helping me. And that includes the first few times when I spent hours there going through every possibility. They are great at making suggestions--different paper textures, colors, fonts. And I've received so many compliments over the years--I send everyone I know to this store.

Pros: Great new location on 4th Street & 7th Ave.