The Wachsmuth Couch

When Tucker and Carol asked us a while back about having a couch reupholstered, we enthusiastically said, “Carl Mead in Astoria.  But,” we said, “hurry up.  The last time we saw him, he wasn’t doing very well.”

As it turned out, they did hurry and, although they met Carl, it was a younger man who actually did the work.   Nevertheless, when the couch came to Oysterville and we went to see it, we felt we were paying homage to Carl.  That might have been partly due to the fact that the couch is very much like one of ours, also reupholstered at Mead‘s.

Our ‘Almost Twin’ Couch

Actually, I don’t think that there is a single piece of upholstered furniture in this house that wasn’t done by Carl and many pieces, more than once.  When my folks ‘redid’ the house in 1972, they not only upgraded foundations, electricity and plumbing, but they also re-papered and re-painted the interior, installed wall-to-wall carpeting and took all the furniture over to Carl.

Our turn came thirty years later when we moved in.  By then, the carpet was threadbare in places but when we tried to replace it exactly, the color was no longer available.  The domino effect took over: a change in carpet color meant a change in most of the upholstery fabrics, too.  We spent a lot of time at Mead’s, choosing fabrics and, when we were lucky, visiting with Carl.

Upholstered Rockers

He was one of the last “old school” upholstery experts.  He was born in Michigan in 1931 which, at that time, was still the capital of the furniture industry in the United States.  Carl told us about his years as an upholsterer’s apprentice, of the sewing contests he entered and won year after year, and he lamented that “the trade” as he knew it no longer existed.

A few years ago, we went over to Mead’s to talk to Carl about a new couch for our library.  We couldn’t find exactly the one we needed – not with the dimensions that would fit our space – and Carl said, “I’ll make it for you.”  And he did!

Hand-Built by Mr. Mead

The last job he ever did for us was to re-cover that very couch after one too many Friday Night disasters had irrevocably stained the original fabric.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Not only do we much prefer its current look, it is one of the last jobs by Mr. Mead, himself.  Although the work is up to his usual standard, his memory was beginning to give him trouble by then.  He asked to be reminded who we were and then said, “Oh, I’ve done a lot of work for people in Oysterville!”  We assured him that his Oysterville reputation was exactly why we were there.

It was while Tucker and Carol’s couch was at his shop on Marine Drive that Carl died.  We feel so fortunate to have known him and to be surrounded by his work.  How satisfying it must have been for him to know that he left his mark all over the Northwest.  And probably beyond.