Passion for traditional skills leads to new business expansion
A love for upholstery has seen Shropshire businesswoman Fiona Wynn develop her skills from upholstering for friends and family, to expanding and moving the business into a purpose-built workshop and working for a wide range of clients at her base in Whitchurch.
Fiona’s passion for upholstery took her initially to a local evening class in a village hall where she completed her first upholstered winged back chair, and what followed was to change the direction of her career. Redundancy and the arrival of her children gave Fiona the opportunity to take a look at her future work and she decided at that point to enrol on a course with the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF). That was back in 2012, and here her passion and expertise in upholstery led her to gain a distinction upon completion of the course in December 2012. She was now ready to launch her own business and Fields Upholstery was started in February 2013.
To begin with Fiona was kept busy with work from friends and family, but as her reputation grew for producing beautiful and professional upholstered work, recommendations brought in new clients from further afield. It became clear that she needed more space than her front room to carry out her work and started converting a barn in to a purpose-built workshop.
The upholstery work Fiona carries out is quite varied, from all types of chairs and seats to headboards and footstools. The essence of her work is about reviving pieces of furniture and bringing them back to life. These may be pieces that have been in a family for generations and restored for the next generation, or ‘lucky finds’ that people have picked up in auctions and want to give a modern twist to.
Fiona said:
“Every piece I work on is different, and I love the fact that as I strip back the layers you get to see the original fabrics and mechanisms used in the make-up of that piece of furniture. It is such a wonderful feeling to work on a piece, take it back to the original bare bones of the frame, and build it up again into a beautiful and functional piece of furniture. Many of the pieces I work on I know will be handed down to the next generation and it is great to be part of that process.
“The new workshop is fantastic and allows me to work uninterpreted without worrying about leaving tacks on the floor, which my family always seemed to find when I was working in the sitting room of our family home. This is a really exciting development for the business and I owe thanks to Shropshire Council for their support with funding and business advice, which allowed me to convert the barn into a dedicated workshop. The funding was from the Business Enterprise Fund, part of the European Regional Development Fund, and has really helped me to move my business forward.”
Fiona is also active on social media and via her blog provides tips and advice on upholstery, which includes topics such as how to choose fabrics, upcycling and how to get the finishing touches right. The website also showcases the online shop where people can buy finished pieces of furniture such as headboards, footstools and cushions.
Fiona’s secret to her business development? “Perseverance – always.”
Fields Upholstery is based in Whitchurch, Shropshire and Fiona’s blog can be found on her website http://fieldsupholstery.weebly.com.
Contact details: email fionawynn76@gmail.com.
