MADISON — Since opening in 2009, The Slipcover Lady has been a staple hole-in-the-wall upholstery shop in New Providence serving people from Union County, Essex County, Morris County, Somerset County, and beyond.
The successful family-run shop is proud to announce the grand opening of its second location at 13 Park Avenue in Madison on Monday, November 2.
The shop is run by the mother-daughter team of Lucia Flores and Kimberly Aravena, who co-own the shops together and have had a passion for upholstery nearly their entire lives.
“My mother put herself through business school as a seamstress,” Aravena said. “I was always with her. I grew up sitting next to my mom on a sewing machine. I observed everything at her workshops from the fabrics to the upholsters to the seamstresses to the clients. I grew up around furniture and on top of that, it’s great to work with somebody that you love.”
Like many small businesses, The Slipcover Lady did face some challenges – most recently from the coronavirus pandemic. After being forced to temporarily close its doors in March due to mandatory COVID-19 restrictions, Flores and Aravena felt very uneasy, but once the business was allowed to resume, the unwavering support from The Slipcover Lady’s loyal clients and the local community allowed the storefront to flourish despite this being an unprecedented time.
“When the pandemic first started and we were forced to shut our doors, we were terrified. We didn’t know if our business was going to be able to get through this,” Aravena said. “Fortunately, just the opposite happened. This area is really special because our clients find out about us by either word of mouth or just driving by our shop. About 80-percent of our business comes from repeat clients or ones that were recommended to work with us.”
The Slipcover Lady offers a wide array of services including slipcovers, reupholstery, all types of cushions, and window treatments (draperies and roman shades).
“We’ll go to your home to create a custom template for you for whatever type of furniture you own,” Aravena said. “Everything we do is personalized for each specific client and each specific home.”
Although Madison is just a short ride from their New Providence shop, Aravena and Flores are excited to expand their business in an area that they love servicing.
“From the very beginning, everybody received us with a lot of love,” Aravena said. “That made us never want to leave this area.”
Appointments can be made for the Madison or New Providence offices (29 Passaic Street, New Providence) by calling (908) 425-3017 or by emailing theslipcoverlady@gmail.com. For more information about The Slipcover Lady click here.
