Pros
The number one perk would b getting to work at the best art store in the Bay Area. Their selection is second to none and the employee discount helped quite a bit. It was a pleasure serving in customer service assisting customers, getting to talk about a subject I am passionate about on a daily basis while deepening my knowledge of materials. In the frame shop I was given the opportunity to learn framing skills which is a priceless education for any artist. The atmosphere at Lenz Arts is generally relaxed and they had a very positive culture of always making the customers happy.
Cons
Being a family owned small business I will say there were a few minor quirks working here. They tended to hold onto old stock a little longer than necessary, things on the administrative side were a little bit disorganized/old school (the main office had a mountain of unfiled paperwork and the framing software was literally programmed on Commodore 64 which was kind of cool in its own way). Also, a lot of framing projects were pulled off by the seat of their pants. Being a college town, there was a high turnover rate in all levels of staff. When I left I still had immense respect for Management.