Photos: Chris Emeott
Since 1945, this local business has it covered.
Late last spring, Beth Hagberg looked at her great room in her Annandale lake home and decided her furniture needed an update. This was no small feat as she was looking at a couch, love sofa, two large chairs, two ottomans, bar stools and 10 dining chairs. “We had [some of] them reupholstered before, and they were just OK. This time, it’s perfect and looks like brand-new furniture,” Hagberg says. What was different this time around? Hagberg reached out to Julie and Tim Druk, the husband-and-wife team behind Druk Upholstery.
“I love bringing new life to old furniture,” Tim says. “A lot of the furniture we upholster are cherished pieces that hold important memories, so getting to see the look on our customers’ faces when they see the transformation is one of my favorite parts of the business.”
One cherished project included children’s rocking chairs, owned by a soon-to-be grandma who wanted it redone for three new grandchildren. “This old childhood chair set was complete with horsehair-covered chair seats from when she was a child,” Julie says. This family-owned business is blanketed with even more stories of reviving pieces of furniture filled with memories. “More often, it’s an attachment to the memories with the piece that bring people to us,” Julie says.
Druk Upholstery was founded in 1945 by Tim’s uncle, Mike Druk. When he was in high school, Tim started working at his uncle’s business in deliveries and eventually took over the business. Julie married into the business, and when the couple bought their first house in 1988, they moved the entire business to the western suburbs.
Druk Upholstery also takes on commercial projects, such as the booths at 6Smith.
As times have changed, so too have parts of Druk Upholstery. “We are small, with an old-school mentality and current designs,” Julie says. “We have found that everything takes a turn on what’s new and what’s coming, and we seem to be able to stay with the trends.”
What stands the test of time is furniture graced with good bones, and the Druk team is able to help customers reimagine those pieces. “If you have a good quality frame that has been around for a long time, those are the pieces we do,” Julie says. “Most people get the chairs from their grandma and can’t envision what to do with them. That’s how the process starts, and we work with the client throughout the process, including pick-up and delivery services. (For Hagberg, once all the fabric had been chosen for her project, it took a little over two weeks to get her great room put back together, looking renewed and ready to embrace more lake life living.)
As the reuse/repurpose movement takes on more momentum, Druk Upholstery has seen an increase in business. Julie readily admits that the uptick might also be due to the fact that upholstery is a dying art. “They used to teach upholstery at the colleges,” she says. “They don’t teach it anymore.” In fact, half the challenge of running a reupholstery business is finding qualified employees to do the work.
Regardless, the company has grown through the years, and the clients have stayed true. Sometimes, that loyalty is by way of repeat customers; other times, it arrives through a referral. Whatever project is on deck, Druk is committed to “bringing beautiful back.”
Project Punch List
Druk Upholstery doesn’t just work on vintage furniture; it works on other interesting projects, as well. “People have very unusual projects that I go, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard of that yet,’” Julie Druk says. As of late, there have been requests for golf simulator walls, which have become extremely popular. Other fun projects include artisan houses, sound walls and wall panels.
Additionally, Druk Upholstery does commercial work, including when the Mall of America opened, Druk worked on all of the upholstery in the food courts. More recently, it worked with the restaurant 6Smith in Wayzata.
Druk Upholstery
Wayzata–Lakes Area: 763.559.0074
Edina Area: 952.922.3113
Brainerd–Lakes Area: 218.763.3242
Facebook: Druk Upholstery
