I have had quite a few people contact me and let me know they were "putting projects on hold for now" due to budget constraints. Some jobs were just a simple seat recover, and a few were larger custom jobs. This is in the south east Louisiana area.

i'm in cleveland ohio area and retail has definitly slowed down.i don't get involved in project jobs but the shops that do are still booked close to a year out from my customer feedback.used car dealers are getting hammered lately so their work is down.

I am in Boston and we mostly do repairs. I have noticed work picking up due to people willing to spend some money on the car there keeping.

A year ago we purchased a 15,000 sq ft building and I was somewhat apprehensive about the move. Had four guys then and wondered how I would keep the shop full. Since then, I’ve hired 3 and the lace stays full. A job leaves and two try to come in. Predominantly because we have gotten into everything from work on our Mall, to hospitals, to furniture. 50% is probably Marine that nobody wants to do. God has been really good to us. We are able to do in house embroidery now as well. And have a goal of getting hydro dipping and Cerakoteing going by the end of year. In this Economy you HAVE to diversify, at least that is how I see it, if you really want to grow. Some shops are content with two employees and 5-7 projects a year. Good luck with growing and expanding on that mentality. I’m not content with just maintaining…

where are you located? I do mostly repair work, some boats and a few pieces of furniture and restaurant booths. I’m busy enough with used cars dealerships, and some retail.

Located in the heart of Kansas. Flatland state…. Do probably 65% of marine work in Midwest…. They come from Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mo. have had mastercraft forums in other states refer locals to us. It’s amazing word of mouth business and how it grows exponentially with the more work you do…. I have to hold back when advertising firms call trying to make a sell, they just don’t get it…. All my advertising is free and I just can’t keep up.

I think the answer to this problem is diversification, we are slow with dealer leather installs, do the restraints of new car inventories, however both boats and motorhome upholstery work has more than made up for the new car dealer issue.

Yes sir, I found that this is why I love marine work. Most boat owners have businesses or are major movers and shakers in other businesses and corporations. So when you work on their toys that they have disposable cash for, there are any number of other industries that these folks work in and are in need of specialized fabrication. I’m not knocking the restoration shops, some have the ability to retain high quality skilled labor, for others it’s rare and difficult to maintain. So we have several employees all at different skill levels and as a result have positioned ourselves to meet the needs of an array of needed service. I know for some it does not stimulate the creative side of this craft, but GOOD money can be made in repairs. Most can be done with left over materials from other projects and the skill level is not that high, in fact it becomes a great way for others to hone their skills. These are just some of my ramblings…. Take it for what it’s worth. We need to be making money for what we do. Still striving and learning along the way.

I have enough work for the next year and I am still getting calls for work. I am one of those shops that only specializes in 82-02 Camaro interiors, so not sure if that has something to do with it or not, but I am very thankful that I am extremely busy and it is all I can do to keep up with the work I have.