The Voorheesville Upholsterers
Our Story
Michael and Adrianne Sirois opened Capital Upholstery in 1986 with a sewing machine, a few fabric books, and a dream of creating quality custom upholstery and offering great customer service to the people of this area. Our logo still reads ‘A customer service business.’ Our original vision still drives our business and our decisions today.
At first, we lived with a one-step commute to work each day from our little apartment in the back behind the shop! We did everything ourselves and it was just the two of us! We showed fabrics together, we ran the office, ordered and checked in fabrics and supplies, we stripped the furniture, did all the cutting and sewing, did our own pickup and delivery! Over the years we have gathered a wonderful crew of workers who share our vision and bring their various expertise to our business. We raised up our business and our reputation over the next 30 years by providing consistently superior workmanship and excellent customer service.
We appreciate our many customers who have entrusted to us the privilege of assisting you to create and enhance your most valuable and personal spaces. It is an honor and a pleasure to be invited into your home to help you fashion a perfect place where you feel most at home! It is no exaggeration to say that we have left our imprint in thousands of your homes around the Capital District and beyond, and for that we are most thankful!
We are also grateful for professionals who helped us get our strong start! Guess it wasn’t really just the two of us! A few of the many people who helped us get our start ‘back in the day’:
- Bob Sr. at Furniture Repair Service in Delmar (Still going strong run by his son Bob)
- Betsy- a fabulous interior designer in Delmar (introducing him as ‘My Michael’!)
- Carl – Owner of Linens by Gail in Delmar (now a sub shop!)
- Eileen – Owner Village Furniture in Delmar (now a bookstore!)
Come to think of it, our strongest and longest customer base has been in Delmar! We have been around so long that we have repeat customers and their same furniture 3 times around as they have re-re-redecorated over the years. Along the way, many others from all over the Capital District have been wonderful colleagues, supported and strengthened us, and brought lots of work our way. We are so indebted!
As our business grew it seemed the next logical thing was to offer custom fabric window treatment. So, in 1988 we attended the Window Treatment Expo in Toronto Canada, began taking classes and offering custom fabric window treatments and specialty items, in addition to custom upholstery. It’s been fun to choose quilt patterns, put on dust skirts, and add that table cover for the best of luxurious finishing touches! Unfortunately we are no longer offering custom window treatment.
In 1993 Adrianne hired Diane Wozniak, a lifelong Voorheesville resident, artist and decorator and put her in the design seat of our business. Diane came on board as our upholstery and window treatment consultant and Adrianne went home to raise our 3 children. We moved our growing family into a house. For 21 years, Diane took excellent care of our customers! Diane is an amazing decorator and was the face of our business for many years- and what a beautiful demeanor! Our customers loved her! When Diane retired in 2015, she surely left some big shoes to fill!
Adrianne returned in time to get back up to speed in the design world! She recently attended the International Window Treatment Expos in Charlotte North Carolina in 2017 and in Tampa FL in 2018, earning her WFCP Design Specialist Certification. We are no longer able to offer custom window treatment.
Besides Michael and Adrianne, Capital Upholstery employs 6-8 others, another upholsterer, a seamstress, a couple of great guys on the truck, and some high school and college students. Adrianne is in the Showroom working with customers to discover just the right touches for your furnishings. Michael enjoys upholstering and managing a wonderful crew in the shop, and our guys on the truck, who are awesome.
October 2019 we relocated a few miles away just up the hill to 3252 New Scotland Road Building #4, still in Voorheesville (in the Huck Spaulding Complex). We doubled our workspace, there’s plenty of parking and a beautiful Showroom offering free in- Showroom consultation with hours by appointment. We are no longer offering in-home consultation because fabric selection is so much more effective in our showroom! If you’ve ever been in our old shop/office, you know how crowded we have been! It’s exciting to continue to encounter new opportunities, to grow and nurture plans for the future.
To be honest, way back then at the beginning, we faced some real challenges. There were even a few jobs that Michael was not skilled enough to do yet. Mike would occasionally have to take a piece to a respected older upholsterer for advice and instruction, and to learn from him. Today, Michael is the old-timer in the art of reupholstery! It takes a lifetime to develop expertise in this craft. Michael has become the master-craftsman that he so admired in his younger years.
Michael and Adrianne both love what we do, we thoroughly enjoy our customers and we love your furniture and value the privilege of enabling you to create a home space to love for years to come! We are so glad to help you make your own home the best place on earth for you!