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Business & Tech

Fort Lee's Master Upholstery Makes Old Furniture New Again

Re-upholstering furniture from the inside out.

is owned and operated by Engin (Andy) Yildirim, who has been in business at 569 Main St. since 2006. The upholsterer does furniture repainting, caning and chair repairs, custom upholstery and wood finishing on all types and sizes of furniture.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Yildirim has been doing odd jobs in furniture finishing since he was just seven years old. He graduated high school and decided to come to America in 1993 to perfect his skills and talents. At the time, he did not speak English.

Working in the service industry did not afford Andy a geat opportuity to pick  up language skills; his first job was at an Amoco gas station on Palisades Avenue in Fort Lee. But Yildirim would ultimately go on to gain experience working in a carpentry shop, as well as doing cabinet installations and finishing touch-ups, and he also worked at a Huffman Koos warehouse in Elizabeth, where he fixed furniture.

His English eventually got better, and with some experience under his belt, Yildirim decided to go into business for himself.  

Today, making and keeping his customers happy, and not getting stressed about competition, helps Andy succeed. He loves what he does and feels secure enough to let word-of-mouth build his customer base.

Old furniture is the pith of Andy’s business. Customers bring in good quality but worn furniture with stable frames and ask him to fix it.

“I brought in a wood desk chair to be fixed a little while back," said a Fort Lee customer who gave her name as Kathy D. "They took it apart and made my chair like new. They fixed the caning on the back. After picking out fabric from a very large selection, the seat was re-upholstered, and they even removed and replaced the old glue and touched up and polished the frame. I love it.”

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"Since 2006, the economy has changed; it is not getting better," Yildirim said. "Fabric was cheaper, it was easier for the customer. Before, you could buy a yard for $60, $70. Now the cost is over $100. I would love to sell my customers fabric for less money, but the times make it hard.”

He said a lot of people believe they can simply go out and buy new furniture for less than it costs to fix what they already have, but he also said older furniture tends to be better made and lasts longer and therefore worth the expense of having it repaired.

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“[People] don’t realize how important the upholstery and frame are," Yildirim said. "Now they use plywood instead of wood that causes furniture to corrode at a quicker pace, keeping me in business.”

Customers and borough residents Henry and Frances Fernbach brought in some dining room and kitchen chairs to be re-upholstered.

“[Master Upholstery] did a wonderful job," they said. "We are very satisfied.”

Finding the insides of one chair feeling wobbly, Yildirim explained how coils become worn over time, a common problem he can fix or replace.

"The new coils don’t stand up like old coils," he said. "My customers often think after I give them a free estimate they can buy new furniture cheaper. I tell them they don’t realize the quality that is missing with new furniture."

After replacing the coils, Andy recommends his customers use blue foam as cushion filling because the old, white foam wears out easier. Blue foam is fire proof and lasts twice as long, he says.

When it comes to replacing the fabric of a chair's cushions, Master Upholstery includes a wide selection of more than 400 fabric books to choose from.

Working closely with both clients and designers enables Yildirim to give his customers exactly what they are looking for.

Loving what he does, working hard, keeping a positive attitude and finding the proper location is Andy’s working philosophy.

“Location is key [for a business],” he said.

The married father of one also said, "I keep a tight budget because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring." 

"I worry about her future," he said of his two-and-a-half year old daughter.

Part of succeeding in business in Fort Lee is embracing the diversity and making yourself available to communicate. Yildirim said he does that in part by famliarizing himself with various cultures "to keep on top of my business."

“Turkish and Americans communicate easy," he said. "I’ve made myself aware of the ‘slang’ the Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and even Greek and Indian people use. I pick up their slang easily. I can even make a joke in French.”

After doing business in a high-rise in Fort Lee, Andy’s then partner took cash for a job, something Andy had always advised against, and foolishly misappropriated it. Hence, Andy found out the hard way that his honesty, integrity, talent and desire, along with his confidence and craftsmanship, would be better appreciated and respected if he worked alone.

"Sometimes I find being so available to my customers limits my time to work," Yildirim said. "It’s hard finding capable workers to do what I do."

But he also said it's not easy doing some jobs entirely by himself, and that sometimes, when he has a particularly big upholstery job to get done, he calls in part-time help.

Master Upholstery offers free estimates and free delivery, and parking is available. Business hours are 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Call 201-944-6055 to find out more, or visit Master Upholstery online.

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