Mark & Maria McKinney of Artisan Upholstery Inc (Mt Gilead, NC)
What does being an upholsterer mean to you?
An upholsterer means to me that I am a craftsperson (or artisan) that specializes in repairing, restoring, and creating custom upholstery for furniture, boats, jet skis, and golf carts. I love using traditional techniques with modern materials and bringing new life to old or worn-out pieces and to create unique custom pieces. I love the attention to detail and creativity. Plus, I get to work on something different every day or week.
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How did you get started in upholstery?
Mark started in 1993 tearing down, but he taught himself how to cut and sew and was soon reupholstering furniture later the same year.
I (Maria) got thrown into because of marriage! After several years of Mark working for two different upholstery shops, we decided to go for it and go out on our own, starting Artisan Upholstery, Inc. in 2018 out of our 2-car garage before selling our home and moving full time to the lake where we found the perfect spot in Mt. Gilead, NC just minutes away from the beautiful Lake Tillery.
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What types of upholstery do you do?
We concentrate mainly on residential indoor and outdoor furniture, pontoons, wake and ski boats, jet skis, and golf carts. We do take on smaller commercial jobs for restaurants and doctors’ offices. We dabble a little in the classic truck seats from time to time. It’s just us two working in the shop and office and occasionally we “volun-tell” our kids to come helps us as well (Rena, 20, Waylon, 13).
How long have you been upholstering?
Mark has been reupholstering since 1993 - 31 years!!! I (Maria) have been moral support for over 30 years. I started helping with tear downs and deliveries about 6 years ago, plus I have over 27 years of customer service experience and management.
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What is your biggest consumer demand?
Our biggest demand is simply providing professional, high-quality work and a high level of customer service. We have a 1-week turnaround time for work to be completed without skimping on the high quality (even for boats or multiple pieces of furniture)!
What is your favorite upholstery project you've done?
Hard to say with all the boats and furniture we have done over the years. Everything transforms into something beautiful and unique in the end.
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What is the strangest item you've found in a restoration?
A 12” pair of channel locks and a webbing stretcher still attached to the webbing.Have you noticed any up & coming trends?
Mixture of different fabrics on furniture for a unique and more modern look. For boats, people are leaning more towards a luxury look with leather like vinyls and pressed vinyls, but many still love the traditional look of their original interior!
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What changes would benefit the upholstery industry?
Trade Schools! And Boat Manufacturers working with outside upholsters for input (not just their in-house upholsterers) . It is completely wild to see how some boats are put together making it a challenge to tear down and install when a client wants to reupholster their complete boat. But we make it happen!
Have you ever been featured on television, online, or in another Publication?
Nothing other than good ol’ Facebook!!
Do you have a shop animal?
Fred Fox & about 9 deer heads (and NO we don’t do taxidermy – it’s just a little piece of home in the shop!)
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Some answers have been edited for clarity.
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