At Glaanas Upholstery, furniture isn't just practical, it's an art!
At 13, Garfield Strachan began learning the family trade of upholstery in Jamaica with his father Auclett.
The family is keeping up this art in Beaverlodge now, with Garfield heading up Glaanas Upholstery. He has brought his father's values of creativity and quality with him. "I push for quality more than quantity, and I also think that quality will determine the type of upholsterer one chooses to deal with," he said.
"The person who deals in quality will spend time to make sure the customer is satisfied."
The time and dedication is invested into each of his projects. Glaanas Upholstery offers affordable, custom upholstery and its wide range of services include furniture, car seats (including classic cars), vehicle interiors, boat coverings, quad seats, and the list goes on.
These products aren't just practical. "I believe upholstery is an art and not something you just do for profit," Garfield said. "When you place your entire being into it, it can really bring forth the clients' satisfaction in the finished product," Garfield said.
He dedicates time to work closely with each client to secure a clear understanding of their goals for a project, and then working to achieve those goals. It has put Glaanas in good standing with a solid base of customers, who appreciates its effort in customer service.
A hint of the artistic side of Garfield's dedication is found on our website www.glaanasupholstery.co. A Jellyfish swims in the background of the site, and Garfield explained the choice of the graphic was based on its connection with nature.
" I spend time to look at nature, and I reflect my work back to God, the creator because his work testifies of his love for us, it is his handiwork," he said.
" The grass is green, and the sky is blue, the sea is blue, everything has their part to make it come together to make it look beautiful and as you study nature your mind becomes stronger. "This inspires a variety in design and color in his work at the upholstery shop.
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Very much a family-owned enterprise, its name Glaanas stands for the family members behind the business. Everyone pitches in. While Garfield crafts the upholstery and furniture pieces, his wife and daughter Abigail provides office support. Garfield also noted that their Aunt Marta and Uncle Jeff, who invested in the business when it started.
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INTRODUCED to the upholstery trade as a young boy, Garfield said he wasn't initially too enthusiastic about a profession that chose him rather the other way around. He studied agriculture in school, but said: "it wasn't my cup of tea."
At 25, he began to become more passionate about upholstery, when his father recognized the young man's talent. " My father gave me the encouragement that the things that I did were outstanding," he said.
" He said, " I think you have a mind for this work, so you should concentrate on it."
Garfield eventually left Jamaica, arriving in Grande Prairie in 2013. He worked in the industry for three years, but he had limited opportunity to express his creativity. So he made use of the opportunity given to him to start his own business.
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He moved to Beaverlodge and opened Glaanas Upholstery in July 2016.
'One of my goals is to give the community of Beaverlodge and the surrounding communities the satisfaction they need to see in upholstery." he said.
Garfield believes it's important for small towns like Beaverlodge to have small and family-oriented businesses. "As a growing community, I believe Beaverlodge has a lot of potentials, and it's good to have families come together and do what they think they do best," he said.
"Beaverlodge is a family-oriented community, and I believe that for me, it has helped me to see my potential."
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In his endeavor for quality, Garfield looks for durability in structure and material, aesthetics and comfort. Hardwood is best for furniture structure, and will last for years, he said.
Car seats wear out over time, and in restoring classic cars, many of the original interiors will be unavailable, so Glaanas Upholstery can custom-make them, he said.
Furniture can also be customized with various seating heights, the width of backs or cushions, adjusted for the customer's height, for example.
Glaanas Upholstery is open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday and can be reached at 780-380-5526. Its is located at 316 2nd Ave. West in the Beaverlodge Industrial Park just off Highway 43. Watch for the signs.
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Article From -Town and County News, Serving the county of Grande Prairie, April 19, 2018.
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