Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsee Karnes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chelsee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

My name is Chelsee, but my entire life my mom has called me “Doug”. When she’s mad or angry with me she calls me “Douglas”. She calls my twin sister “Toby” and her actual name is Chassiti.

I went with Doug because it’s a cute nickname from my mom, but unfortunately, I believe men, and even other women, would prefer to hire a man. Especially any industry or craft that involves tools.
It’s like we’ve been told and indoctrinated throughout our entire lives that if you have a problem- call a man to fix it. I’ve sent countless emails back and forth amongst clients, and some are truly shocked when they see me, a female, show up to fix their couch or whatever.

I’ve had many people ask me if “Doug” is my husband and if I do all the sewing while this made-up man does the heavy lifting! hahaha! Nope, it’s just me, Doug/Chels

Chelsee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into Upholstery because it seemed like a natural progression from other forms of art I had done in the past. I already knew how to sew, and I went to the Art Academy University in San Francisco for sculpting. It really is a true representation of the two. I’ve always loved kinetic and interactive art as well. Furniture is just sculptures you get to sit on in theory.

I love going threw the problem solving process with clients. Some clients come to me with their piece already ready to give up. They say,” Is this even worth saving?” and I respond with a “Hell ya!”. Appart from my commission work that clients come to me with I try and seek out the most tragic looking pieces. I’m talking no interor work, missing a leg, needs a sanding and full body work type of jobs. I love a transformation. Call it vanity, but the idea I took trash and made it not only good but better than it was before is truly the same feeling I got from drugs and alcohol. Three years sober now and I feel lucky to be alive and doing that I was meant to do in my life.

Most of my life I lived blindly ignorant to the amount of trash I made as an individual. I saw a video of a lady who tried to fit an entire months worth of trash into a 32oz mason jar. And she did it! I was so impressed. I tried to do somthing similar and found it is so much more difficult to not create trash. I feel responsble to see the correct disposal of products or ideally a repurpose for them. Hense the upholstery obssession. In my household we currently compost, recycle, repurpose and Ecobrick. I beg people to not throw away their old furniture, but lets reuse it instead.

I completley understand that upholstery can be costly for the customer and is absolutly a luxury item. I try to work with individuals who have a project in mind threw barter at times and everyone tends to win. I know my efforts alone witll not defeat capitalism and healthy earth positive habbits, but maybe others will see the art I make out of their “trash” and be inspired to also reuse.

The most proud thing I can say is that through upholstery I have been able to align my life exactly how I dreamt it would be. I have an amazing little toddler dude and my own business. I no longer get the anxiety and fret over attending a job I hate every Monday morning, crying by Wednesday, and cherishing Friday. Now everyday feels like Friday!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I will be the first to admit with only a slight bit of shame, but man, TikTok has 100% helped manage, support, and problem-solve my business. I have “met” some amazing upholsterers and just makers in general off that silly app.

Not too long ago, I was presented with a sewing problem I could not figure out. I was about the lose my mind. I got on Tik Tok and reached out to one of the most affluent upholstery Tiktokers (Lulco) and she freakin called me! I was so shocked. We face timed for about an hour and she sure enough helped me solve my sewing problem. We text and call each other frequently now. She lives outside of Detroit and I would have never met or even known her without Tik Tok.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I like to check in with my clients threw texting. I’ll see a fabric that makes me think of a certain client and I will send them a screenshot right then. I worked as a waitress/bartender for many years, and I hate when a waiter would use “waiter voice”. If you have ever worked in the service industry you know exactly what I am talking about. Yes, it gets the job done and is necessary for some circumstances, but boy is it phony. I like to maintain a very honest and open dialect with my customers.

I am a cusser, always have been, always will be. Some find it off-putting and unprofessional, but if I curse in front of you just know I respect you. For some reason, I feel like the customer-upholsterer relationship relaxes when we all treat each other like people.

Contact Info:

• Website: dougsupholsteryatx.com
• Instagram: @dougsupholstery

Image Credits
Stephanie Honey took these photos