Master Upholstery celebrates 50 years in business

Gerald Ambrosi, owner of Master Upholstery in Newton, has been in business for 50 years.

He does upholstery work only on specialty cars. “Cars that go to car shows, custom cars, antique cars, that kind of vehicle,” he said.

Ambrosi, who will turn 70 in May, still enjoys his work.

“When a customer or their wife walks in and says, ‘Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous,’ that’s what you’re working for,” he said.

He grew up in Denville, where the family lived above his father’s business, called Master Grinding. He is the oldest of five children.

His father was a locksmith and knife sharpener and did “lawn mower repair, chainsaws, all that sort of stuff,” he said.

“We all eventually went into small businesses except for my sister and she works at a school district.”

He started working on upholstery in 1972. “When I started in ’72, just doing upholstery, not my own business, my neighbor, my buddy Tommy, was doing the same thing, and we started working together, and we both wound up going into the upholstery field.”

He started Master Upholstery in July 1974 in Denville and moved to Newton two years later.

“In ’85, I bought the shop that I am in now with the house out front,” he said.

Awards at car shows

Ambrosi won many awards throughout his career. “We won the ISCA (International Show Car Association) Grand National Championship Show Car in 1977.”

Last August, he won “top of our class” at a car show in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Ambrosi does work less now than he used to. “I’m getting more mature. I’m getting older. It’s getting tougher to get in and out.”

In the past, he had employees; now he is on his own.

“I love what I do. It would be a real challenge if in the morning when you put your shoes on, you didn’t like what you did.

“You could come by here at two o’clock in the morning and the lights could be on because I was at home and something came into my mind and I wanted to fix it.”

Ambrosi said he is thankful for the support of his wife.

When he isn’t working, Ambrosi enjoys going to the gym. “I try getting there three times a week. I used to ski a lot. I haven’t been out in a while. I hope that happens again.”

He owns a Corvette, which he and his wife take on drives. “We get some nice drives with other friends that have special cars like that.”