About DICK&Raquel
Dick’s Upholstery has had its own history since 1972 - where it all started with Dick Belanger. After a very successful career as an upholsterer in the entire Detroit area for nearly 4 decades Dick found himself taking on this trade solely as a hobby working sparingly on projects out of his sunroom. Not knowing that the same seed that was instilled in him decades earlier would grow into this yearning woman that needed the same rescue. Raquel (aka Rocky) came along and reached out to one of Dick’s NextDoor posts wanting to get a beautiful sofa reupholstered in hopes to be able to flip it and make some cash. When Dick mentioned he’d love to but didn’t have the manpower to take on a big sofa like that, I quickly responded and asked if he’d be willing to teach me & I’d give him a hand when needed. Dick semi-reluctantly took the leap in hopes of being able to pass down this 600 year old trade. I say reluctantly because there have been many who have come by Dick’s shops and as quickly as they come they also quickly go. As you can imagine, upholstering is not for the faint of heart. You see, when I came to Dick with the desire to learn. It was during a very difficult time. That same seed and that same passion that was instilled by Dick from learning and being a part of the Maestros, the true craftsmen and craftsmanship of furniture that was not only made to look gorgeous but was built to last generations and most importantly be most comfortable for the human body. This was naturally instilled in me. We went from taking on a few projects in his sunroom to now having our custom upholstery shop which in the past two years has saved around 200 pieces from our landfills. Dick, now, at the pinnacle of his career, where many at his age are slowing down, has started to sow that seed within me to continue my path in the upholstery trade, where I now come into my 3rd year with a fire and desire to continue to grow this custom upholstery shop of ours.