Longtime shopper at Footlights for many years. It is an excellent place to buy dance supplies! Shop is attractive, staff is super, parking garage is convenient.

The products are very high quality but the customer service was not up to par. The manager or employee acted as if it was a hassle to assist me while acting with enthusiasm and urgency to service my white counterparts. Sadly I was on a tight crunch and unable to take my service elsewhere but my experience was very lackluster and disheartening being that the employees were also black themselves.

My experience at Footlights (Silver Spring, MD) was amazing! Molly was personable, professional and polite from start to finish. I was able to make an appointment with ease. During my first visit, I had 4 fittings. Due to the outstanding customer service received during my first visit, I contacted the store to schedule fittings for 10 girls who attend The Davis Center. Each of the 10 appointments were completed efficiently with 100% satisfaction. I will be a returning customer at Footlights.

Staff are so nice and great products/prices

My granddaughter trains with the Davis School of Ballet Im DC. I was told to go the Footlights to buy leather ballet shoes for my granddaughter. Arrangements were made by Ms. Davis. I drove 45 minutes from Capitol Heights Md. To Silver Spring Md to go to this store. Upon arrival in I was told that unless I booked an online appointment I would not be allowed into the store. I told the clerk that Mrs. Davis had made prior arrangements for her students. Again, I was told that I could not enter. I left and will not return ever. I understand that Covid19 is real, but I also understand common courtesy.

The long wait outside is ridiculous. Go elsewhere.

I loved this place. My daughter had her first fitting for pointe shoes. The people there were so helpful. I highly recommend this place for a ballet dancer.

Nice store. Everyone is always friendly and polite when I come here. They have always had either exactly what I wanted or a good alternative here. Service is usually pretty fast unless its a little packed. Everything is well organized and tidy. The employees have always been very helpful.

Very good customer service and friendly besides being helpful. Found what I went for and more.

I will always do my best to support Footlights the way they supported me!! My daughter was leaving for IABD in the morning and I was not able to get her new leotards in advance because of her auditions that were out of town, and I went to Footlights frazzled (dance parents know my pain!). Stephanie and the team helped me find three different leotards from another Footlights store, so she would have enough; and then the next day Stephanie met me at 630am so I could give them to my daughter by 8am to travel. Never in my 47years have I experienced a store going to these lengths to support a customer before store hours. My heart is filled to know there are, not only, good people in the world but good companies that still care about people more than money!!!!!!!!!!!

Typically very crowded. Staff are useful and selection is great. Seems prices are fairly competitive too.

They truly know their product. It is very cleat they care about the guests. A great place to be fit for shoes. There is usually a $15 fitting fee but they will tell you what brands cater to your foot shape and arch. The best pointe shoe fitters in town without a doubt and a huge selection of tap shoes. If they do not have it in stock they can do orders. Often times they have great sales and promotions for students and teachers.

Overall our experience has been five star and golden! Cherlyn was amazing as always! My daughter studies classical ballet in Columbia, MD and we live in North Baltimore. None of the Footlights locations are convenient, but we gave the Silver Spring location a try, liked it, and remained loyal. My experience today has led me to this review. It was a touch busy, there was an impatient mom being waited on a head of us and we waited patiently until it was our turn.As always, Ms. Cherlyn was professional, polite, friendly, and beyond helpful as she juggled customers. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for the one presumably “in charge” to admonish Cherlyn in the middle of the store, in front of customers.It was wrong and unprofessional. My eleven year old daughter wanted to shy away from purchasing the pointe shoes and just leave because of the other women.My daughter has been dancing since she was three years old. As the parent, I have always double checked the shoe boxes for correct color, size and pairing. So the one who was apparently in charge needs to be reminded of a few things:Don’t immediately blame your associates for the customer frustrations and complaints. From the moment we walked into the store that mom paid little attention to her child or transaction. She was solely focused on her phone.Make sure your customers leaves happy. Cherlyn was making that happen for us and the other girl that came in.

Morgan and William were a great help. We are nubies to the dance industry. We know we need some foot protection for our ballerina and Morgan made that happen. Thanks Footlights!

Footlights is our go-to place for dance supplies! The staff knows their product and work with you to find the best product to fit you. The staff also remember you when you come in!! Their selection is top-notch for all styles of dance, and their dance apparel is always updated with the latest styles. They truly love what they do, and it shows! We are repeat customers!

All of the personal dance experience and collective training combined with the professional and polite demeanor of everyone here; lends itself to a constructive and accommodating environment for dancers of a multitude of genres. I personally viewed and inspected children’s tap, jazz split-soled, and ballet/toe shoes. I think these are acceptable for the vast majority of students, although, I personally danced in Gamba or Freed toe shoes primarily, many moons ago. My two nephews loved all of the various dance shoes, dance bands (although they only had the full seat as opposed to traditional) and other dance clothing; they also enjoyed the enthusiasm, sincere smiles of all the staff, and the general experience overall. I recommend Footlights and specifically appreciate Miss Stephanie, Ireg, Aaliyah-Marie (forgive the spelling), and all others who helped us.On our second visit we had to exchange >$1000 of leotards for different sizes and although the representative who helped us appeared a bit less warm on this occasion, we were still able to have a very positive interaction with Miss Stephanie and were able to enjoy the 20% discount, as well.

Everyone was shopping for summer intensives so the options were limited on a couple of items this trip. Hiwever, the selection is always great and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. I try to go early before the store gets busy. Love this spot.

Im so disapponted!!! My daughters ballet recital is this coming Saturday..Im working on a weekdays until 6pm.I need to buy her a new pair of leotard and tights. I know I dont have much time getting in there before they closed so I tried.. Were just 5 minutes late... I even saw some customers inside paying. I talked to one of the ladies working in there and explained that I badly need to buy a pair. She said shell talk to the manager. My little one was so happy of the thought that they might let us in. But they didnt. The manager said that their cash drawers closed already...after I saw some customers inside. My daughters so sad and heartbroken. She said how can she perform this coming Saturday...We tried to go to Target to let her feel better. They had a ballet accessories too and they ordered a leotard that exactly fits to my little girl. Were going to pick it up tom..

This is a nice little dance store. On the day I went, there was a friendly and helpful salesclerk named Jazmine. I bought Capezio extra-soft adult tights (Jazmine showed me the extensive array of available colors) and SoDanca tan canvas ballet slippers. Jazmine explained how to change the color of the slippers -- if I wanted to do that -- using floral paint. In the store, I noticed a lot of merchandise for children (costumes, backpacks, shoes) and for adults, a large selection of jazz and ballroom dance shoes, in addition to leather and canvas ballet slippers. Pointe shoes are also available; theres a special fitting room in the back. Parking is available in a parking garage directly across the street from the store. I was in the store 15-20 minutes; when I went to pay at the garage, to my surprise, my parking was free! This was on a Tuesday afternoon.

The customer service here is terrible. Not very accommodating. One of the sales ladies didn’t know the products carried in the store. It wasn’t very busy either. It wasn’t until a diff sales lady saw me trying to remove the pirouette shoes from the holder to find my size that anyone even offered to help. I then heard her exclaim that people were ‘testing her nerves today.’ Like. Not really what I expected. I had a better experience in the Alexandria store. Moreover, for them to have just restocked shoes, their stock was pretty depleted for brown girls. Everyone seemed kind of overwhelmed between the phone and the customers in store. Even suggested I go to Les Gals instead. Yikes. I kinda needed the shoes right away, but next time I will try Les Gals considering everyone in this store appeared so flustered.

This dance shoe store had everything I needed for my dance class and dance socials I attend.

They need better hours because I would be literally RUSHING across town to find out there closed.

Customer service was above and beyond excellent. They were pleasant and helped me find the necessary items my dancer need quickly.

I had to ask for assistance while the adult and younger employee gabbed about music.No other customers were in the store when I entered. They both saw me. Neither acknowledged I was there (no greeting). Even when I stood right in front of them at the desk/cash register, I had to interrupt their conversation to ask for help. Service like that from the young person (18-22 y/o male), I get because it’s happening a lot with young people but, from the adult, who was at least in her 50s, that was unacceptable for sure.I bought two pairs of dance shoes.

We have had the best experiences at Footlights. Dont let the small store front deceive you; its a treasure trove for local dancers and their parents. The all-important pointe shoe fittings are alone worth the trip. Gigi and Joe are ever so patient, kind, and helpful. On both slow and busy days, you never feel rushed and you walk out knowing youve tried many shoes and walked out with the perfect ones. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Great service, good shoe selection-- and theyll order what they dont have in. Were delighted to have them in town; theyre an easy walk from the Metro and across the street from public parking.The staff are knowledgeable, patient, and generally *epically* helpful-- which is vital for dance shoe fittings, which are finicky and lengthy. Also have a good selection of dance clothing and accoutrements.

Easily the best dance shop in the area. The folks working are very knowledgeable AND they remember customers. Kind of an old time customer service vibe.

Great job at fitting pointe shoes. The line is often long but they are worth the wait. Now that my daughters foot is not changing we phone in an order & have it shipped. Thanks for the great service.

As a dad with no knowledge of ballet, the Footlights staff made shopping for my daughters uniform a much less stressful experience. They were friendly, very knowledgeable and patient with my questions.

Looking slow line, but great staff.

Staff is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Ballet shoes for toddlers at a very reasonable price that is high quality.

Worst customer service ever. My twelve-year-old daughter came in at 3:07 on a day they close at 4 and the attendant was initially refusing to do a pointe-shoe fitting for her because she didnt come in at least an hour before. Id like to point out that there was no one else being fitted, the attendant wasnt busy, and no one had told us about this before. She finally agreed to the fitting, but only after repeatedly chastising us for being late. Then we had to wait in line for several minutes to pay even though one of the employees at the register wasnt helping any customers. This employee, an old woman who clearly hates her job, was particularly rude and argued with us again about the one-hour rule for pointe-shoe shoe fittings even though she didnt even want to help us check out. This store treats customers like dirt. Save yourself the hassle and dont buy anything here.

Unfriendly. I was there with my two little girls and wanted to try Ballet shoes and Leotards. But they were so unfriendly that we left disappointed.

Knowledgable and helpful staff and a great selection for dancers.

Well organized, my 10 year old daughter loved it. She learned a lot within a one week camp.

My daughter and I love footlights. They have a great selection of shoes, tights,leotards and more

Rude as all get out! I am not sure if it is because I am plus size or chocolate, but I felt like I was not welcome.

The employees there were very helpful and nice. The prices there are very reasonable as well.

Every dancer is treated special here

I really like this dance store have everything we needed

I was actually in the store while the previous poster was trying to get in. Its unfortunate that her post portrayed this store negatively based on her issue with not coming before they closed. They had already begun shutting down and locking up. She was immediately told the status of the store, but kept insisting. The employees were very kind, but needed to decline. Others attempted to come as well, but were able to understand the store had closed. Plenty of places sell tights now like Walmart, Payless, etc. She should have been proactive. Not the stores fault.Anyway, this store is absolutely amazing. It is far from me, but worth the trip. I purchased pointe shoes for my daughter and she was helped with finding the right pair. Much better than Jr. Mode and more reliable than ordering online. Im happy!

Great crew, great help and a great selection. Excellent location.

Some staff were wonderful and patient - others seemed annoyed by the presence of customers. The wait was crazy long with no space for people to wait without being in the way in this tiny space.

Its a great little store with friendly, mostly knowledgeable, employees.

This is my go-to place for dancewear, shoes especially. The staff is friendly and extremely knowledgeable, and they will work with you until they find a shoe that fits your foot correctly. There is a sign-up board inside for pointe shoe fitting, but it can still be done same day. They do charge a $15 fee for fitting pointe shoes, but I understand that this is only if you get fitted and do not buy shoes (many people have taken to getting fitted in stores and ordering online, and I think this fee is to mitigate that loss of business).They are a little bit on the pricey side, but I dont mind paying a little bit extra for the help and expertise of the staff there. Five star quality, the only reason I might consider four stars was because it is (not insignificantly) on the pricey side. They do offer a discount if youre currently studying dance, and I believe there is another one for professionals as well, which helps some.Overall, this is my favourite place to buy dancewear, especially shoes (since my feet have some special needs that other dance stores have not known how to deal with / fit properly). Its a bit far for me (around an hour), but completely worth the drive for the service and expertise!(A/N: I have never been to the other location/s, so this review only pertains to the Silver Spring store)

It is good but Im close to the one in va but I got my first pointe shoes there

It was okay. I tried to get new pointe shoes because my old one was broken but did not get them. Do not have the faintest idea why though. Btw I was getting pointe shoes for my daughters not me.

I have a perfectly good dance store in my area and Im grateful. So I feel for folks that have to travel a distance for basic dance supplies. However, as my daughters feet have strengthened, shes going through pointe shoes at a rate my pocket cant keep up with. So I wanted her to try Gaynor Mindens which are not carried by our local store. Id heard good things about the Frederick location but didnt want to travel that far. I was glad to see there was a closer location. And our experience was all good.Yes, they charge a $15 fitting fee but only if you dont purchase the shoes. With so many folks getting fitted solely to go Buy them online, the fee is justified. It takes time to get fitted for pointe shoes. We were third in line for pointe shoes so we had a wait. However, when it was our turn, the sales rep gave us the same level of time and attention. If I have a gripe its that he seemed to be the sole fitter though there were other staff there. But again, the process takes someone with knowledge so maybe the other staff just arent up to speed yet.I appreciated the customer service. He asked the right questions and encouraged my daughter to try the Gaynors alongside her Blochs so she could see the difference and that really helped her make an informed decision. I had heard the store didnt allow the dancer to do much in the shoe for fear of getting them dirty etc but he allowed her to go up as many times as she needed to get a feel for them and even asked her to bourré so she could feel them during movement.For an additional $12 theyll sew the elastics and ribbon, but we passed. Personally, for the cost of pointe shoes the least a young dancer could do is sew them. Theyll have to learn how eventually! Sensing my daughter had danced awhile he asked her straight out did she sew them herself vs asking if we wanted their service and once she said yes he didnt bother to ask. I appreciated not being upsold the extra service.Because these Gaynors are a new shoe for my dancer, well have to see how they work out. But if she ends up liking them, Id definitely go back to this store for them. Despite having to battle beltway traffic, Id go back on a weekend if need be.

Love this store! Great selection of dance wear.

Good selection but really brutal return policy.

Amazing selection, experienced and helpful staff, just an overall great experience.

This customer service is attrocious!!! Most disgusting attitudes ever!! I will never come here ever again and i dont reccomend it to ANYONE.

I went in not knowing much and the young lady was amzingly helpful and got me just what I needed.

Terrible they had the nerve to not let go about me arriving a few min late before the fiting and the old lady boss was rude and barely wanted to help apparently they dont know the customers always right......service needs to be improved

Friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable

Great customer service!

We have being buying here several times and we always experience some issues. Last time we were promised a product would be there and it was not. Moreover everything seems significantly more expensive than in other shops. Not recommended.

Very nice working staff.

Great customer service

A small shop yet they have everything.

Good one

Great service

Friendly staff.

Wide selection

Had what I needed