Origins
We are Upholstery on Broadway
Kevin Kennedy has been in the custom upholstery business for more than 40+ years. He began his career at Ruby’s in Waltham where he was tutored by European Masters. Kevin picked up extremely fast and in a few years he was considered a professional himself. His first store was Kennedy’s Upholstery in Wellesley. But it wasn’t until he opened up Upholstery On Broadway in Arlington in 2010 and expanded his brand onto youtube that people started picking up on how talented he had become. Upholstery on Broadway has now been open since 2009 and our Youtube channel has over 24K subscribers.
The School
It all started with a shaky iPhone video. Inspired by our success at our storefront location, we decided it was time to share out knowledge with a wider audience.
Thats when we started our now very successful youtube channel Broadway Upholstery School. From there we opened up our online store offering supplies, online classes and custom cushions. That site, Broadway Upholstery Supply & School operated with the sole purpose of taking all the upholstery information out there and condensing it into one location based on Kevin’s expertise and success. We ran this new venture for a few years until finally merging it with Upholstery on Broadway Inc. in 2021.
Whether you’re a beginner building up your fundamentals, amateurs looking to make this their profession, or professionals already in the industry, this is the online hub for those of you who want to take their upholstery career to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring my own fabric?
Some Upholstery Shops charge a ‘cutting fee’ for C.O.M.’s or Customer’s Own Material. Thus far we have not done this, however we strongly encourage our customers to consider the fabric they are choosing as they are making an investment in reupholstering and therefore the fabric should be the right one for the job.
Why not bargain fabrics?
In today’s fabric manufacturing it is often difficult to know what you are buying, especially with ‘bargain’ fabrics. We source our fabrics from reputable companies (Kravet, Lee Jofa, and Folia/Ralph Lauren) because we feel confident that these companies provide information about abrasion rating and stain resistance and that if we have any problem with their fabrics they will work to resolve it. In some cases fabrics are manufactured using the same pattern numbers but not the same ingredients. They may be manufactured overseas with different regulations than in the USA. It is often hard to know. Also, unbeknownst to many, fabrics have a shelf life. They lose freshness, can become wrinkled or creased or tear more easily when they are old. They can also fade in color.
How can I support local business in Arlington?
We encourage people to buy fabric from us because we want them to support small business, our business. We are alive and well in Arlington because we have a couple of income streams. One of them is selling fabric. We are always happy to advise and educate our customers about abrasion rating, railroading of fabric, which fabrics are appropriate for a given job, color, UV resistance, etc. Mikayla, a graduate of Mass Art has a very good design and color sense, and can guide you troughout the process. You can borrow sample books though we ask that you return them in a timely fashion. Please remember that the time we spend consulting with you, is time that we are not charging you for. We appreciate your business.
What makes Upholstery on Broadway different?
We pride ourselves on personal interaction with our customers and hope that you will leave feeling satisfied and ready to recommend our business.
Store Hours
Tuesday-Friday: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Visit us
205 A Broadway
Arlington, MA
