Miriam Schwartz
Francine Schwartz
Textile – In Style at Grundy!
by Cate Murway
Schwartz Slipcover Workshop has relocated its factory and headquarters office into the spectacular customized professional and industrial Grundy Commons Complex with the panoramic views. What better place to incorporate themselves into the fabric of Bristol Borough than in the Grundy mill? The William Hulme Grundy & Company was considered to have been one of the leading textile producers for many decades.
The buildings date from the key periods of industrial and population growth, reflecting Bristol’s role as a premier industrial center of Bucks County.
The utilitarian and efficient Grundy Commons Complex revealing fascinating layers of history and culture with both pedestrian and visitor appeal, warmly welcomes the Schwartz Slipcover Workshop to historic Bristol on the Delaware!
Slipcovers have been around for quite some time, documented from the 17th century. Originally, they were simply inexpensive plain fabric thrown over furniture, used to protect costly upholstery textiles such as silk damask and velvet. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, furniture was scarce and was moved about from room to room, so fabric cushions eased the hardness of wooden stools and chairs and also introduced color to a nearly empty interior. In wealthy English households in the 18th century, simple tailored slipcovers were used to protect chair seats that were covered in rare and costly silk brocades. In the 19th century, slipcovers of brightly printed cottons were very popular in Europe and America and became a stylish decoration as well as a shield against dirt and sunlight. Gradually slipcovers have become more sophisticated.
Don't throw away your favorite comfortable, but tattered, old arm chair. Reupholster it!
Furniture is a tricky thing. It can fade into the background, create an exciting focal point, absolutely ruin an otherwise acceptable layout or you can update your space with furniture, turning fabric into fashion, making a piece of furniture a unique addition!
Slipcovers are to furniture what clothing is to the body. They camouflage, dress up or down, give character, and convey a style. Come visit the Schwartz Slipcover Workshop where a lifetime of experience and the quality and expertise of their trade is poured into their venture. They offer the most comprehensive collection of fabrics and knowledgeable customer service that permits their interpersonal skills to shine.
Samples of the extensive line of gorgeous fabrics, including vintage reproduction and retro themed fabrics are neatly draped and displayed at eye level under excellent lighting, reflecting the most current colors and trends in interior design. The Schwartz family leaves no stone unturned and they sure do manage to impress in meeting the diverse needs of their customers.
High quality designs and exquisite fabrics combined with modern colors can turn slipcovers into the perfect choice to re-décor. Nothing transforms a room faster than upholstered furniture. It sets the tone with color, the feel of the fabric and the shape of the frame. Colors, patterns and prints on fabrics are often the starting point of a perfect room. Slipcovers are a great choice for transforming the look and ambiance of your home.
Football athlete Milton and his wife, Miriam Schwartz, a Gratz grad originally from the Strawberry Mansion area, started the upholstering business 52 years ago in their home. Milton’s dad was an expert upholsterer and he learned the craft from him and then he was trained in the custom slipcover trade. They have been one of the premier producers of custom-made slipcovers and coordinating accessories and they bring with themselves a history of providing value-added decorating solutions in a broad range of styles and colors to meet the needs of every purchaser.
Their son Bensalem Senior Legion baseball coach Geoffrey, Neshaminy H.S./ Fairleigh Dickinson and his wife, Francine [Aron], Wildwood H.S./Harcum College continue the honored family tradition, working with designers, decorators and retail customers. Geoff and Francine have three sons, 19-year–old twins Daniel, Bensalem H.S. ‘08/Temple U. and Joshua, Bensalem H.S. ‘08/F.I.T and 14-year-old Zachary, Bensalem H.S. ’13.
Their extensive product line includes slipcovers for sofas, loveseats, chairs, oversized chairs, wing chairs, dining room chairs, recliners, ottomans as well as coordinating decorative pillows. Their custom hand crafted window treatments can match a color scheme or add interest to any room.
Your furniture is stripped down to the frame. You basically get a new piece back, guaranteed to be constructed to the highest of standards.
Their upholstery work is outstanding and they even build custom furniture, assembled by the finest craftsman joinery techniques including English dovetail and glued miter joints.
The time-honored construction method of the 8-way hand-tied spring is a mark of quality, the Cadillac of upholstery and a byword in industry parlance. But as the consumer, that can be somewhat mystifying, so, "It sounds good but what does it mean?" It means you'll never be sorry. This spring coil is the strongest, most resilient, flexible and longest lasting. Downsizing? Furniture can be made to actually fit your room!
Schwartz Slipcover Workshop occupies a sizable portion of one of the Grundy Commons massive floors where you can get an eye-filling view of their work in various stages of reupholstering; stripped-down frames, fillings, cushions and check out their fabrics galore! Bring some samples of what you already have- paint colors of walls, carpets and artwork and Francine can assist you with your custom choices.
“I don’t wake up in your house- you do!”
Francine commented, “Some people just don’t know what slipcovers are, they think it’s a sloppy looking thing you just throw over”.
An easy way to change your environment is by changing the colors in the major elements around you and a slipcover offers you the option to make a major change in the ambience of your home, for a minimal amount of cost and effort.
Mixing a solid sofa slipcover with an armchair print slipcover can add a designer's look to any room in no time.
The Schwartz team will cut and pin your chosen fabric in your home and then conveniently schedule another appointment to return to fit your finished product.
You can take this opportunity to add a skirt, or change the edge detail of the seat and alter back cushions to exude a new style and elegance, while making a dramatic fashion statement. Custom made slipcovers offer an affordable quick and stylish furnishing solution.
With an increasing number of families owning vacation homes, slipcovers offer the option of shopping consignment stores, flea markets and yard sales with the assurance that it is possible to slipcover second hand furnishings and coordinate with existing décor. A rainbow of today's most preferred colors makes seasonal decorating throughout your home a snap with slipcovers!
Search no longer. The best is here in the Borough!
Schwartz Slipcover Workshop was part of the project team recognized for their excellent quality workmanship in the 17th annual NJ historic rehabilitation award for the Woodrow Wilson house that Woodrow Wilson had built in 1896 during his tenure with Princeton University. Their outstanding contribution was judged to have demonstrated exceptional merit in the field of historic preservation and innovative design. Their expert creations also grace the luxury Mercer Hotel in the fashionable Soho neighborhood of NYC.
Schwartz Slipcover Workshop is the workroom! Deal direct and save!
Come in to choose from their large selection of FREE fabric for labor done in their workroom. Special order fabrics are discounted!
The Schwartz Slipcover Workshop team makes it look like “sew” much fun!
They’ve got you covered!
Schwartz Slipcover Workshop
925 Canal Street
Bldg 1 2nd Floor Suite 2
Bristol, PA 19007
215.781.2004
Fax 215.781.2209
Recommend a “Spotlight”: e-mail vjmrun@yahoo.com
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HAROLD ARON
ARON, HAROLD - of Downingtown, PA, Husband of the late Phyllis (nee Feinstein) Aron. Father of Francine (Geoffrey) Schwartz, Dr. Barry (Mary) Aron and Lisa Aron-Powell, also survived by seven grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to Graveside Services, Tuesday 12 Noon, King David Memorial Park (Sec. I), 3594 Bristol Rd., Bensalem, PA. The family will be returning to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Schwartz. Contributions in his memory may be made to either Neighborhood Hospice, 400 E. Marshall St., West Chester, PA 19380 or the American Cancer Society . (www.levinefuneral.com)
Published in The Press of Atlantic City on January 12, 2010
