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THE CUSTOM SHOP

Upholstering, Furniture Refinishing and Repair

About us

Over 40 years in business. Have been voted "Best of Boston" . Free pick up & delivery for fully upholstered furniture. One to Three week turn-a-round on most projects. All furniture is stripped to the frame and replaced with the highest quality fillers. We will never take a short-cut. Send a digital image of your project for a free estimate.

Business highlights

53 years of trusted experience

Services we offer

REUPHOLSTERING FOR HOME, COMMERCIAL REUPHOLSTERING, CUSTOM INDOOR CUSHIONS, CUSTOM MADE SLIPCOVERS, FURNITURE REPAIR & RESTORATION, CHAIR CANING, ORGANIC & GREEN RESTORATION.

Services we don't offer

Auto Reupholstery

Amenities

Free Estimates
Yes
Warranties
Yes


Accepted payment methods

Check
Discover
MasterCard

Reviews

4.912 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
92%
4
8%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%


Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
4.9
value
4.5
professionalism
4.6
responsiveness
4.8
punctuality
4.5
Showing 1-12 of 12 reviews

Francisca G.
03/2016
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: .
Rating CategoryRating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro

Amina D.
07/2015
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Slipcover for a large chair. Barry Shapiro and his fitter, also Barry, were extremely knowledgeable, honest and responsive. The work is still on-going but I am confident that the product will be excellent. I will update this when the slipcover is delivered.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$600

Lydia F.
04/2015
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
I contacted Barry about reupholstering an armchair for me. He just needed a photo to provide an estimate and was quick to respond. He said that the turnaround time would be 3-4 weeks. For $45 (included in the $700 total price), he had someone pick up and deliver the chair. The delivery person showed up on time, and the chair was returned on time after 3 weeks in brand new condition. I'm really impressed with the quality of his work and will definitely contact him again if I ever need to have something else reupholstered. I'll also note that I contacted several businesses about reupholstering my chair, and Barry's price was incredibly fair and included everything but the fabric.
Description of Work: I had a 1950s armchair reupholstered, including a new seat cushion.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$700

David D.
02/2015
4.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: I had bench cushions made for a window seat. Picked out fabric and gave some general specs on the foam, thickness, etc. The resulting cushion looks good. Order took about a month to complete and was done on time. The quality of workmanship seems pretty good. I expect the cushion will last a long time. | |The price seemed high, but I guess that is true of anything that is custom made these days - the price is high compared to comparable goods that roll out of overseas factories.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
2.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
3.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$800

Elizabeth L.
12/2014
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: The shop reupholstered an easy chair and ottoman. The work looks very professional and I am extremely pleased with the results.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$898

Malcolm G.
12/2014
5.0
furniture repair, upholstery
  + 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: I had an antique chair recovered and strengthened and 5 dining room chair seats recovered. The workmanship was great and was done sooner than I expected.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$700

Hilary B.
01/2014
5.0
furniture repair, upholstery
  + 0 more
The selection of fabrics and quality of workmanship was above reproach. The stool even came home with its legs polished. I can't get over how perfect it looks. I would be happy to trust them with any further business I had.
Description of Work: I thought my little footstool might be too small a reupholstering job for them, but apparently not!

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$200

Julia F.
05/2013
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
The upholsterer gave me a price over the phone, based on the published dimensions of the chair. It was a very good price. Then we made an appointment to have the chair picked up at my house. He arrived at exactly the appointed time. Then 3 weeks later, he called up to say the chair was finished, and we arranged a time for delivery. He showed up at exactly the appointed time with the beautifully upholstered chair. It is beautifully done with great attention to detail, pattern matching, and a bit of fabric left over, which he brought with him, as I had asked for.
Description of Work: I had a new chair that I bought, and some fabric that I bought, and The Custom Shop upholstered it

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$600

John S.
03/2013
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
Barry understood exactly what we wanted and needed. Guided our selection of fabrics and style without pressing us on a decision or price. The final selection of fabric and construction was better than anything we would have thought of on our own. The job included very detailed instructions that were followed exactly. The workmanship is of the highest quality, and therefore the price was entirely reasonable; a real value. A customer can have faith in partnering with the Custom Shop on a re-upholstery job. In fact, the Custom Shop has such a broad and deep selection of fabrics and materials, that it is prudent to take advice from the staff in order to narrow choices.
Description of Work: Custom Shop created new cushions for a family heirloom/antique maple wood chair, designed and crafted in Vermont at a firm no longer in business. The original cushions were long lost and provided no example of what the chair needed.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$400

ALEXANDRA V.
01/2012
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
Overall, we are delighted with the job. We'd thought it was going to be extra-complicated, as these particular chairs are full or curved seams and odd shapes-- they are definitely not your standard recliner or couch. Nevertheless, they came out looking just beautiful. Reupholstering made the chairs comfortable again, not to mention replacing the worn and dingy fabric on them, while avoiding throwing out the bulk of the chair, which was still working perfectly. It was a lot of money, but on the other hand was still cheaper than buying new chairs, and of course I have no doubt that it involved a lot of labor. They picked up and returned the chairs from our home for no additional cost, and (at our request) they provided us with the fabric leftovers so that we could make one or two matching throw pillows later if we wanted. As part of the process, we had been allowed take several books of fabric swatches home to see how different options looked under our home's actual lighting, and that was great. The main fly in the ointment was customer service in the shop itself: several folks there were more than slightly brusque, which made me wonder how much they really wanted our business. However, they had come highly recommended, so we stuck with it and overall are very pleased with the results.
Description of Work: Re-upholstered two zero-gravity recliners, including replacement of seat padding.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,000

Linda D.
11/2011
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
I was impressed overall by the quality of work. I had six dining room chair seats reupholstered with material I provided. They had cording around the edge- I dropped it off around 4 pm on Friday and less than 24 hours later, they were done. I would have liked the cost to be a bit lower, but this would not stop me from recommending their services highly for sheer professionalism and I think they are probably within a typical rate. If you need something reupholstered- it is worth the trip to Watertown. These guys know what they are doing!
Description of Work: Six dining room chair seats were reupholstered with cording around bottom edge. No replacement of padding needed

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$390

Jonathan S.
01/2009
5.0
upholstery
  + -1 more
The workmanship is beautiful. I have a striped fabric and the stripes were lined up very evenly. The seats were squishy, so I brought them back. The owner determined that they were filled with low density foam instead of high density foam. He redid all the chairs without further questions, or added cost. Even though high density foam should have been used in the first place, I still give them an 'A' because the workmanship is so good and the turn around time was as promised.
Description of Work: Re-upholstered 6 dining room chair seats, including new webbing and stuffing (foam wrapped in batting). I supplied my own fabric. I delivered and picked up the seats.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$450

    Contact information

    86 COOLIDGE AVE, Watertown, MA 02472

    www.re-upholster.com

    Service hours

    Monday:
    9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
    Tuesday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Thursday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Friday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Saturday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Licensing

    Insured
    State Contractor License Requirements

    All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.

    *Contact business to see additional licenses.


    Service Categories

    Upholstering,
    Furniture Refinishing and Repair

    FAQ

    THE CUSTOM SHOP is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.

    Monday: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM

    Tuesday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Wednesday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Thursday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Friday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Saturday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    THE CUSTOM SHOP accepts the following forms of payment: Check,Discover,MasterCard
    Yes, THE CUSTOM SHOP offers free project estimates.
    No, THE CUSTOM SHOP does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
    No, THE CUSTOM SHOP does not offer a senior discount.
    No, THE CUSTOM SHOP does not offer emergency services.
    Yes, THE CUSTOM SHOP offers warranties.
    THE CUSTOM SHOP offers the following services: REUPHOLSTERING FOR HOME, COMMERCIAL REUPHOLSTERING, CUSTOM INDOOR CUSHIONS, CUSTOM MADE SLIPCOVERS, FURNITURE REPAIR & RESTORATION, CHAIR CANING, ORGANIC & GREEN RESTORATION.
    Auto Reupholstery

    Contact information

    86 COOLIDGE AVE, Watertown, MA 02472

    www.re-upholster.com

    Service hours

    Monday:
    9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
    Tuesday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Thursday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Friday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
    Saturday:
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM