Art of upholstery: Celebrating local craftsman for 57 years of work

B.O.S.S. Retirement Solutions is proud to sponsor the Treasure Valley Silver Awards

By: Idahonews.com

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — 

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Upholstery isn’t a glamorous job, but it’s something that’s kept local artist Garry Field busy for more than half a century.

“I started here when I was 22 years old in 1967 and now I’m 79,” said Field.

CBS2’s Sophia Doumani presents upholsterer Garry Field with the B.O.S.S. Retirement Solutions Silver Award

Field has worked at Ennis Fine Furniture for 57 years and has nothing but great things to say about the place he’s dedicated so much of his life to.

“This is a great company to be at,” said Field. “They’ve been very nice to me all these years, treat me like gold.”

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Examples of work by Garry Field, upholsterer for more than 57 years

Upholstery is a trade that’s becoming more rare as large scale manufacturing continues to grow. Field specializes in classic pieces of furniture that are getting harder to come by with each passing day.

“I’m probably one of the only upholsterers that knows how to tie strings with a double tie. Everybody uses single tie, I use a double tie,” said Field. “If it’s not a hand tied spring you’re losing a lot of the bounce and you lose a lot of character, it’s really high end.”

Examples of work by Garry Field, upholsterer for more than 57 years

Field not only reupholsters various types of furniture, he also carves wood and builds pieces from scratch.

“You have to have patience and you have to have skill,” said Field. “My favorite part is making people happy.”

Examples of work by Garry Field, upholsterer for more than 57 years

Every employee CBS2 spoke with at Ennis Fine Furniture spoke very highly of Field and his work.

“A lot of people just don’t want to put in the effort to make it look like he does, he’s not replaceable,” said Lucy Artis, decorator at Ennis. “He is the go-to guy for anything about fabric. He knows everything, he’s just invaluable. He’s absolutely the best at everything he does. Everyone loves him.”

Examples of work by Garry Field, upholsterer for more than 57 years

While Field says retirement is on the horizon for him, that doesn’t mean he intends to slow down.

“He’s so darn busy as a person, his exercise routine would kill most 20-year-olds,” said Artis. “He exercises every morning. He gets up at 4 am and swims laps, I mean, there’s nothing that he’s not interested in. There’s no rest for that guy.”

Examples of work by Garry Field, upholsterer for more than 57 years

Field says upholstery is one of many things he enjoys.

“I’m an artist. I watercolor. I paint. I carve wood. I do our cars. I made three hundred cuckoo clocks. I’ve done sculpturing with rock and soap stone, I collect cars and I mine for gold,” said Field.

Field posing with a piece of his car collection

Making sure you have hobbies that you love is something Field says is very important.

“Well, you’ve got to do something with your life,” said Field. “There’s an old saying that upholsterers never die, they just keep on recovering!”

Field enjoying life outside of work

Whenever Field does decide to retire, one thing is for certain, he will be deeply missed. We thank Field for all he has done with his craft and wish him the best!

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