What will I be doing?

This is the perfect home business for people who enjoy working with their hands. A furniture upholstery service, as you certainly guessed, upholsters or reupholsters furniture. Some purchase frames and add padding and materials to make a new piece of furniture while others renovate old upholstered furniture to look like new. Some do both.

What will I need to start?

Upholstering furniture is a skill that can be learned in a classroom or on the job, or it can be self-taught at home. It takes lots of practice to develop skills that can be sold. But it is a rewarding business in many ways, including financially.

Upholstering furniture requires tools, equipment and materials. It is an excellent home business because a garage can easily be converted into both a work area and a show room. The work area is typically a 4 x 4-foot work table with the top 18 to 24 inches above the floor, depending on the type of furniture being upholstered. Materials are stored on rolls mounted on one wall or on the ceiling. Upholstery tools are kept on a stationary or portable workbench. An industrial sewing machine can be mounted on its own table.

Who will my customers be?

You can sell your furniture upholstery services to individuals, businesses, furniture stores and small furniture manufacturers. Some shops try working with all of these customers until they find the best market for their services. Others have more experience with one or another customer group and initially serve them.

One successful furniture upholstery service began her business by purchasing used chairs with damaged upholstery but good frames for less than $25 each, reupholstering them, and selling them through classified ads for about half the price of new units. Not only did she build her business, but she also built her skills.