Topics

Does anyone assess storage charges for furniture left at their shop when the customer is holding up the work process, or just not picking it up when finished? If so, how much?
Thanks,
Rich

I don't do much in the way of living room furniture, so I tend to cringe whenever I feel the need to take in a chair or sofa that needs to have the coil springs retied.
Every time I look at one of these, I say to myself "there has to be an easier way that will produce the same results". The main aspect of this operation that I can't understand is the attachment of the coils. I see that the bottoms are fastened to the bottom webbing by either Klinch-it fasteners or heavy thread. But the tops are held in place by an elaborate, time consuming web of tying twine. I wonder why so much time is invested in lacing tying twine in and around each spring, knotting where needed and tacking the ends to the frame when the bottoms are simply secured to the webbing? Is there a difference in the force exerted at the top as opposed to the bottom of the spring? Couldn't the tops be secured to a pre-made lattice of heavy fabric or webbing that would be then tacked to the frame? It seems to me (maybe I'm wrong) that the technique of hand tying dates back to a time when labor was much cheaper than today and the tradition has held due to status (Featuring eight-way hand tied springs!!) or maybe a blind adherance to "old world craftmanship", or maybe just a lack of any other way to do it.
Am I onto something, or just way off base?
Thanks,
Rich

Recently, our town office has gotten together with local businesses in my town to organize a business and professional organization to get the word out about what each of us does. Among other things, we will be participating in a local event called Heritage Days. This is an annual event that features old time tractors, farm demonstrations, games for kids, historical exhibits etc. We have been discussing activities that the local businesses could offer, maybe games for kids to promote awareness of our businesses. So, I'm trying to think of what my upholstery shop could do to participate. So far, foam dodgeball and a spring toss are about all I've come up with. Anyone have any creative ideas?
Thanks,
Rich

I just finished a book written on pricing methods. The book is "The Art of Pricing" by Rafi Mohammed. The author builds a strong case for a pricing method I've used for years, but goes much further by breaking it down into the many strategies he feels (and gives real-life examples for) will enable anyone in any business to reap more profits.
The basic theory is that every service or product should be priced to reflect what the customer's percived value of it is and that since different customers place different values on the same product, each should be paying according to how they value the product or service.
Has anyone read this book? If not, I would recommend it and would enjoy participating in a discussion on it. Maybe there are other books you've read on the subject, but I think value pricing could provide a new angle on the pricing game and prove helpful for anyone in the reupholstery business.
Thanks,
Rich