Romeo’s Upholstery: Giving new life to old furnishings

Thinking of tossing out the beat-up piece of furniture that no longer does anything for your room? You should reconsider, as there is an available ‘suitor’ willing to give your unwanted furnishings some much-needed love.

Notwithstanding its proximity to the Kingstown Cemetery, this business couldn’t be further removed from the dealings of death. In fact, the undertaking of Romeo’s Upholstery is giving new life to old furnishings, a job they have done so well that the public selected them as Best Upholsterer in the Best of SVG 2017 awards.

Owned by Vincent and Avery Romeo, Romeo’s Upholstery has been in its current location at Cemetery Hill since 1987, but started operations before that, thanks to Vincent’s interest in furniture and a chance meeting with a friend.

“I always liked home furnishing, like when you see it in books, magazines and so on. Then I ran into a friend of mine who was actually doing it and I said wow, I didn’t know such things were happening here. So, there is where I actually started.”

Romeo’s was initially involved in furniture construction, with some success. “In the early 70s they used to have an agricultural exhibition up at Grammar School grounds and we entered several competitions and came out first in our field,” Vincent recalls. They later decided to focus on the reconditioning of home furnishings, then expanded into doing other types, such as office and vehicles, even yachts and planes.

For the casual observer, it is not a pretty business. The workshop at Romeo’s is crammed with an assortment of battered furniture that seem more suited for a trash heap. However, this impression is easily changed with a close look at the reconditioned pieces. “I think one of the mottos I’ve developed a long time now is the work must be finished. When you send out something, people musn’t call back saying why this stitch is so or why these stripes are not in line and this sort of thing. The work must be finished,” Vincent emphasized.

The reconditioning journey starts with an assessment of the pieces, for which the company provides pick-up and delivery. Customers can choose their upholstery material from retailers in Kingstown, or Romeo’s can assist them in ordering from Trinidad. Once the assessment is complete and the fabric selected, the crew at Romeo’s use their passion and expertise to bring the client’s vision to life.

In addition to the owners, Romeo’s has four other employees. Vincent manages the production of the coverings, including cutting and stitching, while his wife Avery describes herself as the overseer of the business, but is involved in the production of soft furnishings as well. She credits the company’s success to positive feedback from clients, since they do not do much advertising.

“The business spread by word of mouth. Our clientele is vast. I think everybody knows Romeo’s upholstery in St Vincent and the Grenadines and for this we want to give God thanks, because he give us that know-how to get by,” she said. The Romeos also expressed gratitude to those who voted and to Searchlight for initiating the awards.

Romeo’s Upholstery is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be contacted at telephone number 457-9526.