[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

I was sewing an upholstery job the other day that was bulky and cumbersome when all of the sudden my machine stopped sewing correctly. I know for some of you more experienced upholsterers that would not be a big deal but for me it caused a great deal of concern. Since I bought this machine 5-6 years ago it had sewn perfectly. Then I remembered a similar experience I had with another Dr. Vinyl….

Jason Cole, Dr. Vinyl of Lexington, KY, was doing his first Steak N Shake booth upholstery job and I offered to come up and give him a hand. Jason had his own sewing machine and material and all I had to bring to the party was what little experience and/or knowledge I had. So we cut the patterns out and started sewing the welt cord and ends on when I noticed that there was something wrong with how Jason’s machine was sewing. The seams were loose and loopy on the back side of the stich work. I had never seen this before, but I was fairly confident that it involved the tension on either the thread from the bobbin or the spool or both. I had no experience adjusting the tension on either one and told Jason I was not comfortable experimenting on his machine. I thought I would surely mess it up further. So I headed home. It wasn’t very long before Jason called me to let me know he had adjusted the tension and now the machine was sewing fine. I was amazed! How did this novice upholsterer accomplish this? So I just had to ask “How did you do that?” His reply still amazes me today. He said “I knew that machine was already not working right and I would have to take it in to get it fixed. So, I thought if I messed it up any further then I could still take it to the repair shop.” I was amazed at his insight. It was just like we were taught in Interior Training. The piece is already broken you can at least try to repair it and you might just surprise yourself with what you are able to accomplish. I thought I was going to teach him something about upholstery and he ended up teaching me.

So getting back to my story…I was sewing an upholstery job the other day that was bulky and cumbersome when all of the sudden my machine stopped sewing correctly. It felt like I was reading Brail on the top of the stitch and it was all loose and loopy on the bottom…my mind flashed back to that time I was helping Jason. I immediately knew it was a tension issue. I guess the bulky work must have hit one of the tensioners and knocked it out of what I like to call the “Lifetime Setting Position”. Now knowing what is wrong and knowing how to fix it are two very different things. I had never touched the tension on my machine…ever. I didn’t know whether the top or bottom needed to be tightened or loosened or by how much. Then I remembered that I had sent Jason a picture of my machine that showed the settings of both the tensioners. I immediately scrolled through my phone and there it was…an exact picture of the “Lifetime Setting Position”. I turned the knobs to match the picture and the machine started sewing like a champ. I was again amazed how trying to help someone else out had actually benefited me in my upholstery work more than anyone else.

Morale of the Story: Helping another Dr. Vinyl out is a great thing to do…You may just find out the one you are helping the most is You!

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

I just had to share another story of Dr. Vinyls working together.

I recently had several challenges on some upholstery work at gyms I had been working on. Some of the pieces to be recovered were cylindrical, tapered, had zippers, and had drawstrings. In my years of restaurant experience I have never had to do any of these things to any piece of upholstery I have ever recovered. The only zipper work I ever did was in Upholstery Training years ago. I immediately knew that these pieces were going to be the most challenging for me. So I, appropriately, left them for last. When you leave things for last on a job, you do get to think about them more and look at them more closely than you do the rest of the work.

After I looked at and thought about them long enough I decided that it would be best for me to call some other Dr. Vinyls who had already been working on them! My first call was to Dustin Williamson who works in the Charlotte, NC area. He was very patient and informative about these cylindrical pieces. He even admitted that they did have their challenges. That made me feel a lot better. Dustin not only shared his insights into how to make the covers but how to make them more simply. He was absolutely correct. Dustin, as well as other Dr. Vinyl Upholsterers, has an innate ability to think outside the box when it comes to upholstery. I do not possess this ability. What I mean is when I see a piece of upholstery my mind does not immediately go to a creative place that tells me that there is another way, an easier way, to assemble this cover. My mind tells me to build it, sew it, and assemble it the same way I see in front of me. Luckily for me, I have the ability to phone a friend when I get in unfamiliar waters. Dustin’s help was crucial to the completion of this job. However, that is NOT the end of the story.

While Dustin’s help over the phone was very informative, I think he sensed that it might not be enough for me. He very graciously took time out of his busy schedule to make me patterns for covers that he had had success installing on the same equipment I was going to have to work on. He boxed them up and shipped them to me asap. I was very relieved to see how someone else had actually constructed them. The covers were actually fairly simple to make if you could just get around all the tapers, zippers, and drawstings not to mention the cylindrical nature of the piece. However, that is NOT the end of the story.

About a week later, I received a call from another Dr. Vinyl, Nelson Helms, working on the SAME cylindrical gym pieces. He was wondering if I had any luck with them and if I could share any insight into their mysteries. I told him about Dustin’s work and everything else I could think of to add to the conversation. After that I knew I could do more for my comrade in arms. So I sent him the patterns Dustin had sent me and some of the original covers that came off the recovered gym pieces so he could better envision the work he would have to do. He said he was working with another Dr. Vinyl, Jason McCurdy, and he would be sure to share with him what I had passed on. Now the funny thing is that Nelson and Jason work in the Charlotte, NC area just like Dustin does. So the patterns that Dustin sent from Charlotte to me in Tennessee were soon sent back to Charlotte to be used again by others. I guess you could say the help sent from North Carolina completed the circle.

Please call on your fellow Dr. Vinyls when you have a problem, upholstery or otherwise. We want to help others because we have been helped by so many others.

Now for the “Rest of the Story”

I am so grateful for Dustin’s help. It was just a few years ago at a Convention in Kansas City that Dustin and I got to know each other. He asked me about upholstery and if it was very difficult. I spent just 5 or 10 minutes with him and showed him what I knew and how easy it was. He has been helping and teaching me ever since.
I think that 5-10 minutes was some of the most beneficial time… I know it was for me. It has been paying me dividends for years.

Morale of the Story:
It is great when we in the Dr. Vinyl world can work together…and can share what we know so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.

Mitch Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

[mitchellreid]

Brannon,

You are getting good advice from Teresa. She is top shelf when it comes to repairs. She has led me in the right direction for years. Hope all goes well with your repair.

Mitch Reid
Dr. Vinyl Associate in Cookeville, TN

[mitchellreid]

Techs and Owners,

I am not sure if anyone in the field is monitoring these forums, but just in case there is someone doing so, I would like to encourage you to attend this years convention and fill out the 2020 Convention Response Form listed on the Dr. Vinyl Website. If you are as inept as I am in the technology field and have a hard time with this I am sure that a call to the Corporate office at 1-800-531-6600 will suffice in alerting Headquarters that you are indeed coming to the Convention on March 5-7, 2020. I really hope to see you there. Dr.Vinyl Corporate is trying to provide those of us in the field with this opportunity to help and benefit each other.

I personally would like to share what I have learned in the Upholstery world and would like to learn, in turn, from you as well. There is a wealth of knowledge that we have at our fingertips. That knowledge is stored in the hundreds of hours of experience that we have all spent in the field honing our craft. We merely need to allow each other to access that vast knowledge. I assure you we will all benefit. The perfect access point for this is at the conventions each year. Please consider coming to share what you and others have experienced in the last 12 months.

If the knowledge is not enough, there is always the opportunity to be encouraged by your peers. This is often overlooked at conventions but is so effective in motivating us for the upcoming months. I remember sitting at a table at a convention with a Father and Son run Franchise. They were a little down about what more could be done to grow their rural area. I took it upon myself to tell them about how our Franchise was also very rural and how we had gone about growing it. They were surprised to here that when our Franchise Owner originally inquired about purchasing our area Corporate was very concerned about him not being able to make a living in this rural setting. I let them know that we never gave up and tried our best to grow our Franchise every year, even if it was just a little bit of growth. I wanted so badly to encourage the Father and Son team and I did my best to tell them everything I could to help them. Lo and behold, the next year they came back to convention with a very different perspective and attitude. At first, I just thought they were happy to see me, as we had become fast friends and had spoken on the phone a few times over the last year. However, I was very surprised at how their demeanor had so drastically changed. When we sat down at a table again, just like we had done at the previous convention, they were very excited to introduce me to their two new techs that had come on board with them in the last 12 months! They had been motivated and encouraged enough by the last convention to strike out in their area, beat the bushes, and grow their business. At that convention they definitely encouraged me. To this day I remember them whenever I am feeling down or question what more I can do to grow our business.

Very much hope to see any and all of you within the sound of this forum at the 2020 Convention.

Mitchell Reid
The Wandering Upholsterer

[mitchellreid]

Mike,

I am glad to see someone else is monitoring the forums. I thought it was just me and Buster. Thanks for the interest in the online warehouse. I hope we will see some action soon.

Thanks,

Mitchell Reid

[mitchellreid]

Buster,

No need to apologize for the length. The length is what contains all the information that gets us where we need to be.

Thank you for the clear explanations and the willingness to help our Franchise make some changes on the website that will identify what trades we perform and what areas we service. As always, your assistance is a great benefit to us and all Dr. Vinyls.

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Don’t Give Up On First Time Customers

I made sort of a Rookie mistake recently when an Upholstery Quote did not turn into a Bon Fide Job. I wrote the customer off, initially, and was kind of put off when he called again asking for 4 more quotes. There were several months between the initial and the latter quotes so I gave it one more try before I thought I would write this customer off for good. The total quote for the 4 stores was around $9,300. I had very little hope that this quote would amount to anything in the form of work. However, I still sent the quote to the customer. To my surprise it was approved very quickly! You never know when that extra effort is going to pay off. This is what Bill Hubbard preaches about in what I fondly call his “Red Shirt Chronicles”. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and haven’t seen it live, I am sure that Buster can direct you to the recorded version.
To beat all and since I felt like I could do no wrong I went ahead and asked about what happened to the first quote. I wanted to know if I had made some kind of error or if he had chosen someone else to do that work. To my surprise he had completely forgotten that job and is going back to check on it’s current status to see if he can get that added to the 4 store installation trip!

LESSON TO BE LEARNED: DON’T GIVE UP!

[mitchellreid]

Since the November buyout of Logan’s Restaurants I have had several stores get complete resets. That is to say that have had modifications to their building, signage, floorplan, new upholstery, new equipment, etc. Please be aware that staying in close contact with the store’s GM is going to be beneficial to you. Knowing when and if a reset is scheduled for any of the locations you are working on will keep you from costly mistakes. Not to scare anyone but to drive this point home, in the past I have actually shown up to locations with booth covers in hand only to find that the store had been permanently closed. So be aware of the plans for your restaurants, Logans and otherwise.

On a side note, after resets occur do not see this as a dead account. This is now a brand new location that already knows you and the service you provide. I would suggest going by soon after the renovations to take measurements, make patterns, and get color samples for future work on the new upholstery. I have actually had experience with new products that have been recovered with very cheap vinyl and need to be recovered soon after they have been purchased and installed. New work is everywhere even at old locations with brand new upholstery!

Best of Luck,
Mitchell Reid

[mitchellreid]

Todd,

Remember you don’t have to do every job that comes your way. Sometimes the best answer is “no”. Don’t be afraid to turn down a job you know is going to be a disaster. Tammy’s solution of replacing it with vinyl sounds like a much more productive path. Best of luck in the future.

Mitch Reid

[mitchellreid]

Teresa,

The entire crew from our franchise in Tennessee had a great time and learned a lot, as well, at this year’s convention. We were spread out over the entire gamete of trades. We had people learning about interior tips and tricks, upholstery how to classes, as well as exterior paint and wheel refinishing. It was very helpful and informative to all our techs that attended. We were especially appreciative to all the one on one discussions that we had with fellow owners and techs about their experiences in the field. The vendor room provided a great source of supplies for all our needs. We were especially happy to see more options in the paint and vinyl departments. Speedokote is great to work with, we know firsthand. We look forward to working with some of our own like Steve Biggerstaff and Jason McCurdy when dealing with our future Upholstery Vinyl needs. It was an all around great experience.

The 2 highlights of the convention for me was the group discussions led by Mr. Osterly from Michigan and Bill Hubbard’s “Red Shirt Chronicles”. I think we should make both of these regular events at all future conventions. They were both highly motivating experiences.

Thanks for all the hard work from the entire corporate staff that made the convention possible. Special thanks to Buster, Teresa, Vicki, Tony, Darrell, Steve, and Richard for making our group of Country Boys feel at home in the Big City. We greatly appreciate all of your outstanding efforts.

We are eagerly awaiting Convention 2020!

Sincerely,

Mitchell Reid
Associate in Cookeville, TN

[mitchellreid]

Teresa,

Thanks for the heads up on some of the new products by Viper and others. I will let the others in our Franchise now that they will have to check them out. See you soon.

Thanks,

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Teresa,

I noticed that you started this subject about 10 months ago just after the last convention discussing the fact that FX-8 was being replaced by FX-9. Since this year’s convention is almost upon us, what sort of new vinyl/leather repair products should we being looking for from Viper or others in the vendor room this March? I am sorry to ask, but the suspense is killing me.

Thanks,

Mitchell Reid

[mitchellreid]

Thanks Buster,

I appreciate your input. I meant to say that the different brands (i.e. Glass Magician Resin, Liquid Resin, etc.) of resins are all about the same. Also, the respective viscosity categories of thin, medium, and thick across the same brands are most likely very comparable to each other. However, you are correct that the different viscosity resins are definitely for different types of repair needs.

Look forward to seeing all of you as well as the vendors, like Delta at the Convention.

Thanks,

Mitch

[mitchellreid]

Jack,

I have been told that the techs here in Tennessee that install airbags after they have deployed in a vehicle have to be certified. This reason for this is the fuel that is used to deploy that airbags I believe is similar to rocket fuel and basically what you are reinstalling into the vehicle is a very small, directional explosive. I think I know just enough to be dangerous on this subject and also enough to avoid it. Be careful.

Thanks,

Mitchell Reid

[mitchellreid]

Tony,

Just checking on this subject that we talked about last March at the convention. Have we made any headway on the online warehouse?

Thanks,

Mitchell Reid

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