Pros
Quiet workplace, freedom to take on independent creative projects, late morning start time
Cons
It was clear they were only looking to fill a specific position that no one else wanted. They were willing to shaft anyone into that position and wouldn't promote because they knew it would be hard to fill the assistant position again.
I went to a great school, received a lot of praise for my portfolio, and demonstrated above-average technical proficiency, advising them on what modeling and rendering software they should consider looking into. I took a lot of initiative by putting together monthly display palette boards, developing a company newsletter, and implementing new pipelines to improve documentation, communication, and streamline steps to more efficiently complete routine tasks.
They often alluded to opportunities to partner with designers to benefit from commission, discussed paths toward promotion/advancement, but they did not materialize. Another design assistant who went to the same school as me, but worked at a different location, was promoted in less than a year while I was left as the assistant at my store because it had a historically high turnover rate. I was being paid minimum wage and never offered any additional compensation or a promotion for all of the work they said they loved so much. I put forth new ideas to improve documentation (e.g. designers should submit a google form to request a sample vs a post it note on a desk, which can get lost or may be missing key info) and they were shot down because "no one here will understand how to do that" and didn't want to train their employees to learn any new skills.