Merkaz Stam Religious Articles

My husband called to see if they would tie linen tzitzit to his linen tallit and they said yes. It’s been 3 weeks and after numerous attempts to follow up with them, the tallit is still not ready. My husband is taking the tallit to another store in Crown Heights that will do same day service. Incredibly poor service and no communication with customers makes for an overall frustrating experience.

I came in to the store last Friday to purchase Tfillin. While the store was small for the amount of merchandise and people in it, there was a good selection of books. I immediately found a set of books that I had been looking for (it was on display.) I quickly marked them as mine. The owner took time to show me a few parchments and asked my what type of Tfillin I wanted. I put down my deposit and happily left.
It was a great experience being in there. The owner took time to answer my questions and make certain that I knew what I was getting.

I ventured in there yesterday to purchase a siddur containing the selichot (penitential prayers for fast days). There were too many employees for such a paltry showroom. Garbage, boxes, and packing materials were strwn all over the floors, and the sefarim shelves were so cramped together in such a small space that it was nearly impossible to pass through the aisles and peruse the stock (whether this b’shogeg, or b’meizid is another story, and for those of you who don’t know that that means and should get themselves to a Jewish bookstore quickly, that is to say, deliberately, or by error). This store didn’t seem very remarkable in terms of selection, but they do carry many Jewish learning periodicals, and I am sure the Habadskers that hang out in the 770 shul across the street find this very convenient for their purposes, as it is right across the street from the shul. A surly young bloke asked me quite rudely what I wanted when I ventured into the sefarim area, and when I told him, he handed me the larger size of the book, which comes in a smaller size, as well (of course, the smaller size is cheaper). Now, I am certain these salesmen do not work on commission, so it could be that he had some stake in increasing the bottom line (a relation to the elderly, bearded owner, perhaps). When I asked if I could receive a discount, since I am an educator (I had paperwork on me showing I was working as a one-​on-​one therapist with an Orthodox Jewish agency), the elderly owner essentially laughed at me, and said there was no discount beyond not being charged sales tax. I took my business to another, roomier, larger store in the neighborhood, where the salespeople are kinder, more helpful, and where the business practices are more just and compassionate, and where they were selling the smaller-​sized book for $ 26.