Meet Joanne Ramirez of Valley Upholstering Inc. in Northridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Ramirez.

Joanne, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We opened Valley Upholstery Inc. in 1986 in a small shop on Chatsworth Street in Granada Hills. My Husband Gaspar was a master, self-taught furniture maker and I was strong in design, sales and accounting. It was a match made in heaven. Business began booming strictly by word of mouth. We took on many large corporate accounts, Macy’s, Robinson’, J.C. Penney, Sears and more. We were sub-contractors for all the majors. We began doing more corporate work than residential i.e. mfg. custom booths for restaurants, night clubs, corporate board rooms and any place there was a need for seating. We still open the doors to the public and give them the same prices we would to designers and architects. We have traveled the US and Canada installing the products that we manufacture and are still experiencing growth. We work only in hardwood for our frames and still have the ability to mfg. 8-way hand tied upholstered furniture. Then cheaper and more shortcuts most furniture manufacturers take the better it is for us still doing it old school.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every day is a struggle of one kind or another but if you take the time to listen to what your customer’s dreams are of how their order will turn out there are none that can’t be overcome.

Valley Upholstering Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our specialty is custom upholstered furniture. We can make sofa’s chairs, sectionals love seats, chaise’s to any height depth length or shape your room requires. We go into a home, restaurant, nightclub or anywhere and actually layout paper templates to the curve of a wall to make your furniture as couture to the room as your clothes are to you.

We manufactured all the lobby furniture at the Mark Taper Forum, reupholstered the Lobby at the El Caballero Country Club and the list is endless. Also so many beautiful and gracious Movie and Music stars throughout southern California and New York. People that are interested in Quality know what we are about. We take no shortcuts.

What I am proud of is that we have no one that has been unhappy with our product for over 30 years. Nothing broken or fallen apart. Our work is the work of masters that become heirloom pieces.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by laying my head on a pillow each night knowing everyone I have served is happy and I have the excitement of seeing the next project.

Pricing:

• Labor to reupholster $100 per LF Not including fabric of which we have a huge selection
• New custom furniture $250 per LF sofas, sectionals, love seats,)not including fab we have huge selection
• Custom chairs $800-$1200 not including fabric of which we have a huge selection

Contact Info:

• Address: Valley Upholstering Inc.
  18165 Napa St. #8
  Northridge, California 92315
• Website: www.valleyupholstering.com
• Phone: 818-349-4336
• Email: [email protected]
• Yelp: Valley Upholstering Inc.