The biannual Long Point show is a fantastic event that draws attention to some of the biggest names in Long Eaton upholstery – but in addition to these national names, tucked away in workshops on side streets or in business centres, are small upholstery businesses which are still very much a part of Long Eaton’s rich upholstery heritage and contribute a lot to the both the industry and town’s economy, writes Samarah Dawson, BDM at WEBS Training …
At a glance there are over 50 upholstery businesses in Long Eaton, with more than 30 of these being these micro businesses – even sole traders. With sole traders not being listed on Companies House, it is likely that there could be even more.
Often, the people running these businesses were once a part of the big manufacturing names, moving on to forge their own path starting companies of their own. With a wide range of skills, they offer everything including recovers and traditional, and are specialists in bespoke. Their work is not just isolated to the local area either, often with customers all over the country.
An example of this is the established Mark Christian Upholstery, who works closely with interior designers (including some big names that can’t be mentioned!) creating bespoke high-end upholstery. Owner Mark Slack, who has over 30 years’ experience, has work in many London properties, and has even provided furniture internationally for projects in New York.
Another local maker, Ryan Caesar, is building a brand, Forest & Fell. Ryan creates Harris Tweed furnishings including footstools and luxury dog beds, and his work has featured in country living magazines such as Country and Town House, and he is continuing to grow as the business approaches its 10th birthday.
There are new businesses entering the Long Eaton upholstery scene too. Halcyon Furniture, owned and run by Joseph Bryan, has just moved into a larger workshop to be ready for growth. Joseph says: “I love the variety in being able to take on any challenge I’m offered – from new indie restaurants to traditionally upholstered recovers. Small upholstery businesses never know what job they will get through the door next – they must be versatile and skilled in all areas.”
Connection and opportunity
Despite their success stories, these micro-businesses can be overlooked by the wider industry and can also be disconnected from fellow local business owners.
This is a challenge for Gina Thomson, chair of The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Midlands Region, whose mission is to connect people in the industry, from the grassroots level up.
“My goal is to get everyone in the industry to speak to each other! There is a real strength in numbers, and bringing the furniture community back together in Long Eaton can help to stop the erosion of skills in the area,” says Gina. “This would also create better awareness of support that is available in the industry – such as the charity work done by The Furniture Makers’ Company.”
It’s not just the work of the Furniture Makers that these businesses are missing out on – wider industry involvement through organisations such as the British Furniture Association (BFA), who offer services and advice in areas such as legislation updates, could help the running of a small business.
Wider industry involvement would be beneficial for suppliers and industry in return, who have untapped prospects in the shape of these overlooked micro-businesses. Events such as BFA’s Furniture Component Expo could quite easily have brought additional business from sole traders – but they probably didn’t know the event existed!
There’s no easy solution due to the polarising sizes of furniture manufacturers, but for Long Eaton there is certainly scope to create a powerhouse of micro-businesses.
Gina adds: “If the small businesses in Long Eaton could show their volumes collectively, the area could have some real buying power!”
Upholstery materials supplier Peter Cook International has a Long Eaton branch, and knows firsthand the buying power of these small businesses, validating not only their existence but also their importance.
“These small upholsterers are integral to our business – and they are integral to the upholstery industry as a whole due to the bespoke nature that the one-man-band can offer,” says branch manager Roy Bostock.
Director Carl Pickup adds: “In Long Eaton, small upholstery businesses play a steady and important role in maintaining the area’s long-established reputation for high-end domestic upholstery. Though smaller, they contribute to our business consistently through regular demand for materials, tools and services.
“In addition, small upholsterers contribute to the continuity of skills within the trade, supporting the retention of practical expertise that underpins the reputation of the Long Eaton upholstery sector.”
Heritage and future-proofing
For Long Eaton itself, its upholstery heritage is set to feature in the refurbishment of Long Eaton high street, with new benches planned to be in the shape of sofas as a nod to the importance of upholstery in the town.
The refurbishment comes in line with the objectives of the newly launched Long Eaton Business Partnership, a working group to help regenerate the high street and support the growth of all businesses within Long Eaton.
Micro-upholstery businesses are very much a feature of this. Paul Goodman, co-chair of the Long Eaton Business Partnership, says: “Long Eaton’s small upholstery businesses are not a footnote to this town’s manufacturing story, they are central to it. They sustain skilled employment, preserve a genuinely world-class craft tradition, and represent exactly the kind of place-based economic resilience that serious industrial strategy must support.”
Commenting on how the group’s work will support upholstery businesses in Long Eaton of all sizes, he adds: “As we work to position Long Eaton’s furniture cluster within the national conversation, it is the breadth and vitality of the whole sector, not just the headline names, that makes the case.
“Their growth is evidence that British furniture manufacturing has a future worth investing in, and the Long Eaton Business Partnership is committed to making sure every business in this cluster gets the visibility and opportunity it deserves.”
By collectively championing all upholstery businesses in Long Eaton, no matter what size, it will strengthen Long Eaton’s place on the furniture map and allow growth for the town and the businesses in it – including the small but mighty!
Samarah lives in Long Eaton and is an advocate for furniture making in her roles with WEBS Training and The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Midlands Region committee. Read more about Long Eaton's furniture industry in our annual supplement.
