Julian Marc Upholstery & Drapery

After living in my space In Evanston for about two years, I decided it was high time to finish up some projects I’ve left undone.
1. Tufting a DIY headboard we built with plywood, foam, and covered with microfiber.
2. Adding drapery panels to the front wall of windows (I went with a white silk flocked with black velvet damask, grommet style).
3. Sadly restuff the 2 year old couch from Crate and Barrel that became very frumpy very quickly.
After getting two quotes that were out of my planned budget for the sofa cushions, I found Julian Marc on Unilocal and seeing that they were close by, I decided to give them a call and I am so glad I did (in spite of the negative reviews).
On the first call, I spoke to Dale and he was a delight. I told him the story and I had a reasonable quote within a few hours. Throughout the process, I continued to communicate with Dale via email and always got very prompt and polite responses — which makes it really hard to believe some of these negative reviews.
Then, Julian came by to take a look at everything and took the drapery fabric. He was so nice and very professional, an absolute pleasure to work with. Both he and Dale were so considerate when scheduling the couch and headboard so as to not leave me without them on a weekend. And when they delivered, not only did they do a great job but they went above and beyond with the headboard by adding an additional bracket that they thought we needed, fixed the corners, and did a gorgeous job on the tufting. The couch cushions were exactly how we wanted them — comfortable yet firm so we don’t sink in and have to almost crawl out. And the drapes are stunning now that they are up; I’ve already gotten compliments and they’ve only been up two days.
All in all, everything was done on time and as scheduled, the work is beautiful, and everyone is really friendly. I will definitely not wait two years when I come up with my next project now that I know I can rely on JM and crew. :)

Just to let everyone else know, I also was sent a defamation of character letter, in January I think, and a threatening email where they attempted to blackmail the business if we didn’t remove the post. Also, that follow-​up story is completely fabricated and never happened in any way shape or form. While i do not work at the place of business referenced anymore, there is no way we would freak out and sabatoge another local business. I debated if I wanted to share this or not because I don’t want to inflame any situation but since others came forward, I figured I would too. Just be mindful people.

As a result of this review, Julian Marc sent me a certified letter threatening a lawsuit claiming «defamation of character». I see that they did this to others as well. Luckily, my cousin is a lawyer and when I presented her with the issue she literally laughed out loud. Once again, their work is good, but they seem to be really unpleasant people. One would think that, after reading several negative reviews about the same issues over and over, a business owner might look at the recurring complaints and take some responsibility to change the practices and behaviors rather than threaten consumers with lawsuits. But… it takes all kinds.

So, I had this lamp table of my Great Grandmothers for 20 years… Dale from Julian Marc attended a soirée at my apartment and notice the piece and recommended I bring it in. I was nervous as I have never had any refurbishing done– this being a family piece and in very rough condition, I decided to go for it… and I am glad I did! It looks like new with the exact stain that it was before the water and sun damage. I am so excited to have it home and will be taking photos of the final outcome.
Now, for all those complaining about the amount of time it takes… do you REALLY want someone to rush, especially when it is a treasured piece? My patience paid off BIG TIME ! Thanks again Julian Marc, Dale, and crew !!!

As my boyfriend and I were searching for upholstery businesses I came across Julian Marc. We corresponded several times via email and we also stopped in to their shop to look at their fabric selection. Fabrics were higher priced than other places I had looked. They suggested we go across the street and would possibly find a fabric there.
After several back and forth emails, I got a surprise email saying they were passing on our business and to perhaps know what I really want to do upfront. I’m not sure how I can do that w/​out asking questions and getting price quotes from them though beforehand. I have never heard of a company turning down business.
After our experience we wrote a review on Unilocal.In response Julian Marc emailed me and threatened suing me for defamation! Again this is odd since they have several negative reviews on Unilocal,ours not being the worst!
Bottom line-​Having been new at this upholstery process and possibly spending a lot of money, I had questions. I would not suggest you go to this place if you’re new. My sofa is now at a wonderful business that doesn’t mind new customers that have questions.

I had the worst worst experience with Julian Marc that I’ve ever had with a business. I had read the reviews, and was prepared for them to take longer than expected, but not for the nightmare they put me through. The reviewers generally went on to say they were pleased with the work, which for me was the main goal. Julian had come over for an estimate of a bench I wanted upholstered, and said it would be a «fun» project, and that I would be pleased with the results. He proposed to do a mock-​up with cheap fabric for an extra $ 50.00 that I could approve before using the leather hide, and I agreed. After putting me off a few times, and a month after they picked up the piece of furniture, they told me the mock-​up was ready. When arrived at their shop, I found the mock up was only half complete, and in a nervous and weaselish manner, Julian had to verbally explain how the unfinished part of the mock-​up would be done. He seemed to know what he was doing, and was confident it would look good, so I gave him the OK to proceed. I would periodically call to check on the progress, and was given excuses. According to them, it took a month for the leather house to send color samples, and three weeks to send the hide after I picked a color. I was subsequently told by another upholsterer that it never takes nearly that long. This was likely a stalling tactic. By the time they finally told me the hide had arrived, they had had my furniture for three months. Julian then told me the job would be complete «in a week and a half» five times over the next two months, one of those times telling me the job was 50% complete. By then I had lined up another upholsterer, but before telling him that, I asked to see the 50% he said he had completed. Faced with being caught in his lie, he then said he couldn’t do the job at all. I asked him why, and he said, very matter-​of-​fact, after months of confidently telling me otherwise, that it was «beyond my skill set». At no time did he ever show any concern or apologize. I was treated with condescension, indifference, and disregard. They had my piece of furniture for five months without doing anything more than half a mock-​up. He hadn’t even unwrapped the hide that was shipped to him. If I hadn’t kept calling, I honestly don’t think they ever would have called me or returned my bench on their own. He then said he would refund my $ 150.00 deposit and drive my «park bench», as he snottily referred to it, to the other upholsterer. He did drive it there, but my deposit refund never arrived. After a week, I called and was told by Dale that it would mail that day. Two weeks later, after still no refund, I went to their shop and asked them to put the refund on my credit card. They couldn’t figure out how to do this on their computer, so they wrote me a check which, unbelievably, cleared the bank. I’m only giving one star because it’s not possible to give zero stars.

Great work these guys do! From excellent customer service to knowledgeable these guys will take good care of you

After a failed attempt at having our leather couch cushions re-​upholstered with a different company, I contacted Julian Marc. The gentleman I spoke with during my initial phone call couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful. About a week later, I dropped off the cushions at their showroom and they got to work searching for matching material options. I was contacted within the week and was invited to stop by and choose from the different options. Once selected, the job took about three weeks (these were large cushions from a leather sectional sofa). Time wasn’t necessarily a concern for me. More importantly, I wanted the work done well and the quality to be excellent. It’s been a few weeks since the work was completed and I couldn’t be more pleased. The stitching seems sturdy and shows no signs of coming apart. The price was reasonable and the service professional and friendly. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Julian Marc to others.

All I wanted was my sofa reupholstered, who needs the drama?
If you have zero time restraints, a piece of furniture that you don’t need for a while… go for it. Otherwise, avoid the frustration and other unpleasantness and check out someone else.
I suspect one or more of the glowing reports may not be credible.

Absolutely fantastic! They repaired two of my dining room chairs whose arms had detached and also repaired a wooden chair that my dog had chewed up badly. I cannot even tell now where the damage was. Their rates are very reasonable and service is wonderful. I plan on having two chairs reupholstered with them soon.

I’ve never had anything reupholstered before, so I was a bit apprehensive about beginning my search. I had a beautiful wingback chair from the 1960s that belonged to my grandmother and, unfortunately, was covered in hideous orange flowers. So I did a lot of homework, and Julian Marc looked like the place to go.
I was VERY pleased with the quality of the work. Based on quality alone, I would have definitely given Julian 5 stars. The chair looks and feels brand new. In addition to updating the fabric, he also added new cushioning, refinished the wooden legs of the chair, removed some dated buttons and made a new throw pillow.
My only complaint was that the job took nearly twice as long as he initially said it would. We had our first consultation on Oct. 27. He originally told me that he would have the chair back to us before Thanksgiving. He picked up the chair on Nov. 4 and said it would take three weeks. I emailed him on Nov. 19 just to see how things were going and to get an estimated delivery date. I didn’t hear back, so I emailed him again on Nov. 23. He finally emailed me back on Friday, Nov. 27, to tell me that the deconstruction was taking longer than he had anticipated because of an excessive amount of staples used in a previous reupholster, and that he would need an additional 7 – 10 days. I was not in a hurry, so this was not a huge deal, but I would have appreciated a little more communication up front. I finally got the chair on Tuesday, Dec. 15. So the total time was just about 6 weeks.
Overall, I was very, very pleased and I would not hesitate to recommend Julian to anyone. I would also definitely use his services again. I would just make sure I was not on a super tight deadline.

I had a great experience working with Julian Marc Furniture. I got an initial quote when i walked in to inquire about having an antique sofa reupholstered and refurbished. They picked it up and did a fantastic job within the price initially quoted, and they even did some additional touch-​ups that really made it look sensational.
Delivery time was longer than initially quoted. Had I been relying on that deadline, it may have been an issue. I was not in a big hurry, so it was a non-​issue. My experience was the complete opposite of the 7÷7÷09 posting.
I highly recommend.

Adequate workmanship aside, I have never dealt with anyone as unprofessional as the owner of this business, Martin.
After an agreeable in-​home assessment for the re-​upholstery and sprucing up of two chairs, the follow-​up was poor. Delivery, promised in three weeks, took nearly six. When I asked about this I received an unbelievably nasty e-​mail response in which he indicated that I was stingy and impatient. When I called him to discuss the e-​mail, he told me he, «knew my type,» called me «whiney,» and «not to lose any sleep» over the way he was responding to me. I was shocked. I did not complain for fear of delaying — or worse — the return of my chairs. But now I am pleased to go on record about this condescending and hostile behavior.

currently we are in the planning stages of what to do with a mid century designer chair i have acquired. i am so excited to be working with jm. he has shown many examples of his work and is very pleasant to talk to. next week we will be going over fabric samples he has chosen for me. i will update everyone after finishing the chair.
UPDATE: the chair came out great. Julian was very nice to send me updates and pics when i asked. he was a bit off on his time frame, it took 4 wks instead of 2. i would love to show you guys his work, how do i post pictures of the chair on here?