Thread: A visit to the Lee Valley store in Ottawa

There is also a gardening centre. Lynndy headed there ..



... and managed to get some some help from one of the staff there (well done Rob) ...



Of course, I put in my order while she was preoccupied ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thank you for the pictures. It's one thing to slobber over all the "tools" in the LV catalog, it is quite another to see one of everything on display.
The LV store on SW Marine Drive in Vancouver, BC, appears to be laid out in exactly the same fashion. Shop in one and you know where everything is, everywhere. The Veritas things glitter like jewellry.

My experience with the staff? I wanted a particular water stone. They had none in stock. So, my very helpful tool-chick simply unlocked the display case, took out the stone that I wanted and sold it to me.

Possibly I missed it = I'd like to see even a part of Leonard Lee's tool collection.

Hi RV

I spent a good bit of time - on and off - visiting the tool collection, either with Rob (Lee) or Doug Orr (who does a lot of the scouting and selections). The collection that Rob has put together dwarfs anything that Leonard put together (I saw both). To my eyes it looks incredibly extensive - planes, saws, chisels - bench parts .... you name it, it has it. It is a library of tools and used by the R & D guys for ideas. I did not take photos, either of the collection or the factories, since I felt that they were not for public consumption and, anyway, I was there on a personal visit.

Regards from Perth

Derek

...that's all I can say or do....
Lee Valley is definitely on my list of to do places.
Many thanks for the eye candy Derek.

Can someone send me a liferaft, I just drooled!

If I every decide to leave these fair shores, Canada and somewhere there is a LV shop is on top of the list.

A Lee Valley store is full-frontal tool porno.
No other way to describe it.
The gardening section is no better.

My LV, Haida-style crooked knife blades are made by Crescent Knife works on the west coast, in Vancouver, south of my place. Then they send the blades to Ottawa. A little trip of possibly 2500 - 3000 miles.
So I order the blades. The order is filled in Ottawa. Then they send the blades all the way back to (nearly) the west coast for me to play with.

Derek: thanks for the info. Private things are best kept private, particularly the industrial R&D and manuf. processes.

Some years ago in the YVR store, they had little chits of paper that you filled out and took those to the service desk to get somebody to pick your order. Up on the wall behind them was a 10 x 10 display of 4" x 4" "samples" of chip carving designs like snowflakes, no two of them the same. Derailed my thoughts for a minute.

Derek

Thanks for the photos and yes I envy you for your visit (especially for the behind the scenes visit)

Not sure that SWMBO has yet realised that my desire to visit Canada is to be caught drooling in a LV store
Wonder if I can get the credit card limit increased specifically for such a visit?

Derek Cohen!!!! This name is going onto my hit list!!! To show photos like this is more than a mortal man can take!!

Seriously though, what an experience it must have been and probably a huge torment leaving behind all those great bits of gear you can only see in catalogues. My own (pathetic) ambition is to go to Carba-tec, Brisbane.
That will be as close to "Tool Heaven" as I would ever get. Its amazing just how population and a big and accessible market can produce such outlets. It will be a long time before Australia can boast such an outlet as the Lee Valley Stores.
If anyone is about to travel to Canada keep in mind I have a strong back to carry your bags and I promise not to tell your other half what you got up to over there

Thanks for the Store tour Derek (Yeh OK I'm jealous)

Thanks for posting the pics Derek, brought back a lot of memories visiting the Lee Valley Stores in Vancouver, and the one in Calgary which I visited on multiple occasions. Both look very similar to each other and to your pictures of the one in Ottawa. The other thing I noted they had at the Calgary store was sort of a big meeting room which they also used for temporary displays and monthly workshops. Although I lived in Calgary for 3 months I could not attend the first one because it was booked out and I was away for the weekends of the other two.

Originally Posted by BobL

Thanks for posting the pics Derek, brought back a lot of memories visiting the Lee Valley Stores in Vancouver, and the one in Calgary which I visited on multiple occasions. Both look very similar to each other and to your pictures of the one in Ottawa. The other thing I noted they had at the Calgary store was sort of a big meeting room which they also used for temporary displays and monthly workshops. Although I lived in Calgary for 3 months I could not attend the first one because it was booked out and I was away for the weekends of the other two.

Hi Bob

Ottawa is the home of both Rob Lee and the Lee Valley factories, as you are likely aware. The store (here) is one of a few buildings in close proximity (same street), with factory building being larger than you could ever imagine (all levels of administration, R&D, fabrication, and storage). Within this complex are workshops for demonstrations and even for children to have lessons in woodwork.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of these workshops. I was torn between taking a million photos of everything (to show everyone unable to be there) as if I were a journalist, and just taking in and discussing the amazing information presented by my personal tour guide and friend, Rob Lee.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by chambezio

Derek Cohen!!!! This name is going onto my hit list!!! To show photos like this is more than a mortal man can take!!

Seriously though, what an experience it must have been and probably a huge torment leaving behind all those great bits of gear you can only see in catalogues. My own (pathetic) ambition is to go to Carba-tec, Brisbane.
That will be as close to "Tool Heaven" as I would ever get. Its amazing just how population and a big and accessible market can produce such outlets. It will be a long time before Australia can boast such an outlet as the Lee Valley Stores.
If anyone is about to travel to Canada keep in mind I have a strong back to carry your bags and I promise not to tell your other half what you got up to over there

Thanks for the Store tour Derek (Yeh OK I'm jealous)

Rod end of February might be worth a trip over through Nundle to Tanonee and Visit Artisans on The Hill Trend Timbers will be there with a small sample of LV.

Originally Posted by derekcohen

. . . . . I was torn between taking a million photos of everything (to show everyone unable to be there) as if I were a journalist, and just taking in and discussing the amazing information presented by my personal tour guide and friend, Rob Lee.

Good point, sometimes, as my son says, it's better to leave the camera in its case and actually smell the roses.

Thanks Ray
Yes I did see that bulletin and showed the wife as she likes trinkets and shiny jewelery. I showed her because I think she needs to get out a bit. Her problems keep her at home vegetating. It will be a bit of a juggling act with going down to Katoomba but we'll see