2022 ... Time for a New Chapter

 

'Running a full time handcraft business can take a lot of time. Add classes and it can take up all your time.'

 

Throughout the COVID pandemic, Upholstery Couture was lucky enough to be a small, nimble company, easily adapting to new types of business, keeping up with an increased demand for residential and commercial upholstery. Even though the prices of fabrics and materials had risen sharply, and delivery timelines were unpredictable, business was brisk and consistent - our residential, commercial clients and designers are already booking well into our current Fall ‘21 season.

 

With a heavy heart, we have come to realize that upholstery classes are no longer compatible with our ever-changing business model and conflict with the amount of time we wish to dedicate to our work every week.

 

When we started the upholstery school back in 2012, we began with an overwhelmingly positive outlook. Throughout the experience, I have grown as a person, but also a designer, and I largely attribute that to the positive culture I was able to establish alongside the excellent calibre of students passing through my door wishing to learn and excel. I deeply appreciate having had that opportunity.

 

As I enter this last chapter of my work life, I feel an overwhelming pull to explore other interests that I have been putting off for years. I have always looked at handcrafted, upholstered furniture as art and it is time for pursue that mindset with gusto, as well as investing in my own continued professional development while I still can.

 

I would like to thank for you for your enthusiasm and interest in this wonderful craft. If you have taken my classes in the past, I hope that I was able to awaken something in you, something lasting, something propelling. I know that some of you used it to start your own small business and that is amazing – I couldn’t have asked for more.

 

I sincerely wish you all the best. May 2022 allow you to follow your heart with courage and conviction.

 

Martina, Principal, Upholstery Couture