Is it just me or...

[cajunpedaler]

When I watch TV or a movie, I find myself looking at the furniture in the set.  I sometimes miss the storyline, because I'm analyzing whether stripes match, etc or if a particular piece is really of the period depicted in the movie..

I do it with automobiles in movies and TV also, not so much with boats..

Am I the only one?  (I doubt it)

Perry

[sofadoc]

When I see Ben Cartwright sitting in a Victorian chair that has double cording, I always wonder exactly when did double cording originate?

And you can always catch a glimpse of Lucy and Ricky on their sofa that is sitting on concrete blocks. Furniture from that era was often too low for camera angles.

It isn't just furniture faux pas that I look for. The grass on Bewitched was always green, even at Christmas time.

And of course, The Eiffel Tower is clearly visible from EVERY window in Paris. 

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I haven't done that so much with TV but, every restaurant I go into, I find myself examining their chairs/booths and generally leave a business card with the manager.

We were out walking one morning and a guy was pulling an absolutely gorgeous motorcycle out of his garage.  Bob went up to him and started plugging me to reupholster his bike and gave the guy one of my business cards (Bob carries 4 or 5 in his billfold).  The guy called a few weeks later and I've got him scheduled for January. ; )

Virginia

[SteveA]

Play it again Sam !  refinish the piano it's black and white - needs color

I'm also just wanting to recover Archie's Chair and blame Meathead !
SA

[kodydog]

This award winning movie is funny, over dramatic, and has a really bad ending

The Puffy Chair.

But it features a 5 min part about an upholsterer who almost gets his a$$ kicked for not having the chair ready. Funny thing is they decide to sit and wait while the guy upholsterers a recliner. A few hours later their back on the road.

Here's the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85cmTNBH42k

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Play it again Sam !  refinish the piano it's black and white - needs color

I'm also just wanting to recover Archie's Chair and blame Meathead !
SA

Naw, even better would be to recover Frasier's dad's recliner and blame it on Frasier.  ; )

[Darren Henry]

I'm not too bad with furniture (yet) , but I was terrible while I was doing shoe repair. Too used to up selling I guess. Worst one was when one of the Mister minit shop managers from Winnipeg , our senior stand chief and the area ops. manager came out to my shop in Brandon. Work shop on new products,up selling, marketing etc... in my shop for 11 hours then we went for a beer at the local strip club before supper. The lady was doing her floor show (remember--- no g strings up here)and pointed a foot at either side of our table. we all commented that she needs protection soles,lifts, and some stain remover on her shoes.


The absolute worst though is when Hollywood breaks out the guns. Westerns, war movies etc...Winnie just keeps turning the TV up so she can't hear me rant. Eight consecutive 300yd plus kills without reloading a six shooter while on the dead gallop kinda thing.

[MinUph]

I'm not too bad with furniture (yet) , but I was terrible while I was doing shoe repair. Too used to up selling I guess. Worst one was when one of the Mister minit shop managers from Winnipeg , our senior stand chief and the area ops. manager came out to my shop in Brandon. Work shop on new products,up selling, marketing etc... in my shop for 11 hours then we went for a beer at the local strip club before supper. The lady was doing her floor show (remember--- no g strings up here)and pointed a foot at either side of our table. we all commented that she needs protection soles,lifts, and some stain remover on her shoes.

Pretty sad Darren. LOL

[cajunpedaler]

My husband is a gun aficionado and notices all the irregularities in weapons in movies and shows..

Virginia, I also critique restaurant furniture and will leave cards too.  Oh, but restaurant furniture can be NASTY...

Perry

[kodydog]

Cajan and Verginia, have you ever received a job from this method. I also have left cards at various restaurants with no results. I often wondered if they took it as an insult or embarrassment.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Cajan and Verginia, have you ever received a job from this method. I also have left cards at various restaurants with no results. I often wondered if they took it as an insult or embarrassment.

Not from leaving cards.  I did send out a letter of inquiry.  Followed up with a visit to introduce myself.  Lady I talked to said they had just reupholstered.  About 3 months later at like 9 PM, the owner rang our door bell.  Bob talked to her as I was in a nightgown by that time of the evening.  I called her the next day and resent my letter as they could not find it.  To date, I have done 18 bench seats, 5 counter stools, 4 dining room chairs (for her residence) and am just finishing up 44 chairs for the restaurant.  We will probably start redoing the remaining bench seats as they have worn so thin you can see the wires on the first set that were reupholstered (before my time).

Don't know if anything would have come of it if I had just left my card.  I keep meaning to find another restaurant to send a letter to but I've had enough other jobs hit my way that I am already booked through Feb so I've not been worrying about keeping busy.

Virginia

[sofadoc]

Cajan and Verginia, have you ever received a job from this method. I also have left cards at various restaurants with no results. I often wondered if they took it as an insult or embarrassment.

My experience has been:

If they aren't ready to recover.........they AREN'T ready! No business card is going to persuade them.

When they ARE ready........they'll start calling around trying to find a shop to recover them. But the business card you left them has been tossed long ago.

I do work for a local restaurant. The manager tells me that upholsterers are always giving him their card, and quoting prices much lower than mine.

But this approach always strikes him as "desperate". He is leery of them.

[kodydog]

I've had enough other jobs hit my way that I am already booked through Feb so I've not been worrying about keeping busy.
Virginia

That's great Virginia. Its good to be busy.

But this approach always strikes him as "desperate". He is leery of them.

That explains a lot.

[Mojo]

Dennis: You rang a memory bell with me on the cement blocks. When I first got married ( to my ex ) we were so poor we couldn't afford furniture so family donated stuff to us. My Godfather gave us a couch. The legs were missing in the back so we had a paint can on one corner and two bricks on the other. It wasn't perfectly level but dang close.

We needed an entertainment / bookshelf shelf so I made one out of cement blocks ( which I painted ) and 12 " wide wooden boards that I stained. I wouldn't want to go back to those days for nothing. 18 years old and not a pot to wee in or a window to throw it out of.
Our cupboard was filled with Pasta and our fridge empty that first year till I started working 3 jobs at once to try and get ahead.

Darren: Every year I put together a Bah Humbug party around Xmas time at a local strip joint for the guys in the office. It was always a hush-hush event as the company we all worked for was large with over 750 employees. The strip joint was actually a high end place for business men. Our Human resources manager came to me and said " Chris, I would like to attend this year. " After the shock wore off I said " not a problem ". So I picked him up, drove him there and took him back home afterwards. He had a blast and we all pitched in money for a girl to take him upstairs for a private lap dance.

So why did I drive Steve ? Because he was blind.........lol......:) It was quite a thing to see a guy being escorted off with his white cane in his hand and heading to a private room for a lap dance in a strip club. he later was asking us " so how did she look " in which we all claimed she was drop dead gorgeous. Actually, she was very pretty. :)

Chris

[cajunpedaler]

My technique if I want to solicit work from a restaurant is to mention that I do upholstery.  Then it's up to them to ask for a card.  If they don't ask, I don't press the issue.  I have gotten work that way. 
I think everything has to do with presentation..if you seem desperate, that's what they pick up on.  I like to project confidence.

Perry