Today we’d like to introduce you to Reyes Cervantes.
Hi Reyes, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was 18, I was looking for a job and my friend worked at a company called Gilcraft in Rancho Dominguez. My friend was going to retire and helped find an entry-level position. Gilcraft specialized in upholstery and furniture making. It was a large company of over 800 employees. I received hands-on training learning from the bottom up on how to upholster and build furniture. I learned every skill imaginable, and after I mastered the artistry, I was put in charge of training and educating new employees on how to upholster and create furniture. Unfortunately, the company no longer exists, but I did stay till it exchanged hands in ownership. The owner passed away and his family eventually sold off the business. Following my work at Gilcraft, I worked for Ital Arts also in Rancho Domiguez. I stayed at Ital Arts for about 18 years starting out part-time, then I was hired on full-time. At Ital Arts, I continued to teach and train employees there. I was a mentor and I really enjoyed it. At the same time, I started my own company Maleiny’s Upholstery, working part-time fulfilling orders that came my way.
I saw that Ital Arts was also headed in the same direction as Gilcraft. They eventually sold off and I knew I had to work on my own business and be my own boss. For the last 20 years, I have had my own business and have a team helping run the operation. I get to do the work I want to and have more say in the stability of my job and company. I love working on upholstery projects for hospitals, health care facilities, event rental companies, and restaurants. We also do residential and commercial upholstery too. Some of our work is in many fine hotels in Southern California. Owning my own business also allows me to spend time with my loved ones. Family is the hub of my life, and at this point in my time I get to spend a lot of time with them. In fact, I named my business after my eldest daughter, Maleiny. I also love being a grandpa. My grandson is curious and wants to learn and do all the things I do. I hope he wants to be an entrepreneur like me one day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, there are ups and downs along the way, but for me I learned so much working at the two companies. I learned the skills to upholster and build furniture as well as managing employees and running a team. I had hands-on training that no college education could buy. It set me up to succeed with starting my own business. Some of my past challenges include transitioning from scaling my business from part-time to full-time. It took about three years to accomplish this. I had to have enough time and orders to get to the point where I could leave Ital Arts and really focus on my business full-time. My current issue is what most businesses are facing: the pandemic and COVID-19. Luckily, we still have orders and people needing furniture reupholstered and created for things like hospitals and home staging companies. The biggest issue is when a worker gets sick. We have to stop work and quarantine. We want to ensure health and safety as a priority for everyone. Running a business is challenging. There is always something that comes up and you have to keep pushing through the obstacles if you love it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My company is Maleiny’s Upholstery, a family- and minority-owned business located in Gardena in the South Bay community. We speak English and Spanish. We specialize is furniture upholstery and crafting furniture from scratch. We can upholster anything a customer needs, but we love to work with hospitals, health care facilities, hotels, restaurants, interior designers, event rental companies, and other residential and commercial projects. We even know upholstery for automobiles, if needed. At Maleiny’s Upholstery, we work to provide beautiful, high-quality work at an affordable price. We know it can run very expensive with fabric and labor, but we do not price gouge our customers. We value and appreciate their business and trusting us. We want to reach more customers and businesses that need upholstery and furniture making services in the South Bay, as well as all over southern California. We have invested in our relationships with other suppliers like fabric companies, furniture hardware companies, and more in order to present the best options to our customers and make beautiful custom orders as requested, creating new furniture, or restoring beloved treasures.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My grandson, Reyes, named after me is the light of my life. He is so smart, curious, and loving. He is what keeps me going even in the hard times. I also love Mexico City. We have a lot of family there and I miss it so much. It is a place of culture, beautiful land, and delicious food.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.maleinys.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maleinys_upholstery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maleinysupholstery
Image Credits
Main photo by Christine Donee https://www.christinedonee.com/
White chair and waiting room chairs/benches by Shanna Castro Photography https://www.shannacastrophotography.com/
