By Debbie Adams
Some say upholstery is a dying art in a throw-away world. That’s not true for Citizen’s
Upholstery in Vinton where business is booming. Owners Cliff and Jennifer Chumley have
recently remodeled and modernized their facility at 125 East Lee Avenue in downtown Vinton to
keep up with customer demand.
Citizen’s Upholstery was founded by Cliff’s parents, Ralph and Mary, back in 1965, in a two-
room upstairs space on Lee. The business expanded from a husband/wife operation in the early
years to a company with several full-time employees and several trucks serving the Roanoke
Valley and beyond. Cliff grew up in the business and learned the upholstery trade from his dad.
When his father passed away in 2023, the business became his and Jennifer’s. Cliff says he
basically grew up in the building on Lee Avenue from the time he was 8 years old. He worked in
the afternoons after school when he was a student at William Byrd (Class of 1982) and then the
business became his life’s work.
In addition to Cliff, there are now two full-time employees. Jessy Gira has mastered all aspects
of the upholstery trade but works mainly in cutting and sewing the fabric and consults with
customers on design, helping them choose fabrics and colors.
Joseph “Ben” West works full-time as the upholsterer. Once the fabric is cut, sewn, and the cushions are made, then the project is turned over to Ben for the upholstering. He has 25 years of experience in the trade.
The Chumleys say they are blessed to have such a good team who “are such assets to the
business.”
Jennifer works part-time at Citizen’s Upholstery, although she has her own business— AJAG
Real Estate in Roanoke. She is the bookkeeper for the upholstery business, and its decorator.
Part-time employee Jim Bowers helps with pick-up and delivery, as well as tearing down the
furniture.
When they took over the business, Cliff and Jennifer wanted to stay in their Vinton location, but
make the transition to a more modern space and to incorporate more up-to-date business
practices. Ralph Chumley was old-school and reluctant to computerize operations. They were
eager to make the changes.
in Vinton (photo by Debbie Adams)
Jennifer wanted to turn what was once a fairly dark and cluttered interior into a showroom, and
that’s exactly what she has done. The shop and workrooms are bright with fresh new paint, new art on the walls (and in some places new walls), LED lighting, new flooring, and new fabric sample displays. They have updated the restroom with modern fixtures and furniture. There is a new “wrapped” van.
at Citizen’s Upholstery (photo courtesy of Jennifer Chumley)
One long-time customer who had not been in the store for a while was amazed by the
transformation and asked, “What have you done?”
They have developed a stellar reputation in the upholstery business, mainly spread by word of
mouth (the best marketing tool, they say) and online. Cliff says they are the first name that pops
up when someone Googles “upholstery businesses”; their reviews are consistently topnotch; and
he makes every effort to be a man of his word as far as quality and timeliness.
Cliff says their business extends in a radius of 75-100 miles from Blacksburg and Christiansburg
to New Castle, Martinsville, Lynchburg, Forest, and Smith Mountain Lake.
The majority of their business is residential, but they also do commercial work for restaurants,
churches, and offices (like Mellow Mushroom, Frank’s Pizza, Crunch Fitness, the Lancerlot,
Shaker’s, the Brambleton Deli, and 100 chairs for P1 Technologies). They are the “preferred
upholstery company” for Moore and Giles Leather Company in Forest who produce home shows
nationally.
The shop gets lots of walk-in work, new customers referred by past customers, and many
“faithful returning customers.” Some even remember Cliff from his childhood with his father in
the business.
As for why there are still customers who might prefer re-upholstering furniture to purchasing
new, Cliff says that it’s the wood the furniture is made from that’s the determining factor. Older
furniture tends to be of higher-quality wood, while much of what is manufactured nowadays is
built using pressed board. Also, many customers revere family heirlooms and want to preserve
them.
Customers are invited to come in and talk about their upholstery project or discuss it on the
phone. The walls are lined with fabric books (with indoor and outdoor fabrics) to choose from;
they are invited to take swatches home to compare. They can drop off their furniture, or more
likely, have it picked up by the store. Once at Citizen’s Upholstery, the old upholstery is torn
down; the new is cut and sewn; new cushions are made; new stuffing is added if needed and then
the project is turned over to Ben to assemble/recover the job. It takes a team to produce the final
piece but it is completed with excellence. Cliff says the turn-around is generally three to four
weeks.
The Chumleys recall some difficult times in recent years with Ralph, Mary, and brother Clint all
experiencing critical health issues in 2017. Cliff was doing his best to keep the business going
until he became seriously ill himself, which resulted in the store closing for three months. He
says the majority of their customers stood by them during those challenging days and weeks.
Then came COVID. Jennifer says the pandemic actually didn’t hurt their business as might have
been expected; in fact, it grew during that time and continues to thrive today. “The Lord blessed
us beyond measure. We totally give the honor to God for our success.”
Cliff and Jennifer have been married for 41 years. They have a daughter and son-in-law and
three grandchildren who live in York County.
To show their appreciation to their customers and to celebrate their renovations, Citizen’s
Upholstery will be hosting their first Customer Appreciation Open Houses on Friday, Oct. 24,
from 3 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m. There will be food and drawings for
discounts on fabric, labor, and pick-up and delivery services. All are welcome.
The business is located at 125 E. Lee Avenue in downtown Vinton. Parking is available behind
the building and in the Vinton Baptist Church parking lot.
