Amidst the buzz of a changing neighborhood,—with Brenda's Meet & Three, Kava Lounge, and a new Mediterranean restaurant coming soon— it can be easy to miss the smaller storefronts in neighboring NoPa.
Joel's Upholstery shop is tucked away on McAllister Street between Central and Lyon, its entrance shaded by a tree. Walking past you can hear music playing and the occasional squawk of a bird, though until now the rest remained a mystery—at least, to us.
The cockatiel's name is Sunshine, and yes, he can speak (a little). Mostly he's like a guard bird, positioned near the door to alert Joel when anyone new comes knocking.
Small but tidy, Joel's Upholstery is a jumble of works in progress, stacked sectionals, and a long worktable with tools. The man himself is kind and humble, and shared a little bit about how his business came to be.
A neighborhood resident for 14 years, Joel Perez launched his own shop two years ago, though business only began picking up in the past year and a half. After graduating high school, he decided to forgo the expensive college experience and learn a trade, and fell into the world of custom upholstery. After decades working for others, he finally decided to go out on his own, and thus Joel's Upholstery was born.
Most of Joel's clients learn about him through word of mouth, and a few are street walk-ins. He and Liz from Cut & Sew down the street share recommendations, as their businesses complement each other but don't overlap (Liz will take care of custom slip covers, he can handle custom upholstery).
With antique and vintage furniture in fashion, he's getting a lot of mid-century modern pieces with good bones, but that need a fabric upgrade. He says that his biggest challenge is silk, though he's learned how to work with it. When we talked to Joel, his current backlog of projects was four weeks deep, and expected to increase to six weeks around the holidays.
The reason? The space is small, there's only one of him, and custom upholstery is no quick job. After seeing some of Joel's portfolio, it's clear he cares deeply about his work. One only has to glance at his Yelp page to see that the neighborhood, and his customers, love him.
So whether any of your furniture is in need of a little upholstery love or you just want to meet Sunshine the cockatiel, give Joel's door a knock next time you pass by.
