Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus Marroquin.
In 1973, at just 23 years old, Jesus, moved to America from Mexico City, where he had worked for the best furniture upholsterers in the city. After a couple of years in the U.S., he started working with a well-known Highland Park upholstery company now known as RJones. Along with the owners, Jesus helped train & manage a staff of upholsterers to build the company’s furniture portfolio. In 1986, he parted ways with RJones and started his own business named Marroquin Custom Upholstery. After some time, he became the secret weapon of several well-known Dallas designers including Sherry Hayslip, Betty Lou Phillips, Emily Summers, Neal Stewart and David Salem, to name a few. High-end designers came to love Marroquin’s attention to detail, the luxurious sit and the ability to customize as much as their client desired without sacrificing quality. Over the next 20 years, he also manufactured the Cameron Collection soft upholstery furniture line, which flourished into over 20 showrooms nationwide. Around 2008, Marroquin and Cameron separated ways. Since then, Marroquin has returned to working direct to the trade as well as building new private furniture lines, such as Caperton Collection, 1818 by Sees Design and McLaughlin Collection. The Caperton Collection initiated through a partnership with Nancy Caperton and is now sold in 10 showrooms nationwide. Over the course of his career, Jesus has built custom furniture for some of the best designers in the United States. His designers’ clients include well-known celebrities, athletes, politicians and even high-end hotels. He also had the opportunity to build the furniture that was in the White House Oval Office during the George W. Bush presidency, as well as the Western White House private residence in Crawford, Texas. Currently, Marroquin Custom Upholstery has become a family affair with the addition of his grown children, Ivan, Adrian and Monica, working in areas of production, management & marketing. This new generation hopes to continue the legacy of great quality and craftsmanship that has been key to the Marroquin brand.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After parting ways with his previous employer, Jesus began his business out of the garage of his own home. He found clients the old fashioned way by knocking on doors and offering his services. He later had enough money & clientele to purchase a workroom off Lagoon Dr. After a few years, he had outgrown it and relocated to a larger workroom off Inwood Rd. He was manufacturing the private line for Cameron Collection during this time while still working for other designers directly. Demand was so high that he eventually had to relocate again to his current 55,000 SF workroom off Reading St. There he had enough space to grow the business even further. However, in 2008, he parted ways with Cameron and was also hit by the U.S. 2008 recession. It essentially felt like he had to start his business from scratch all over again. It has been a bumpy road but everything seems to be falling into place with the addition of new furniture lines and more direct clients.
Marroquin Custom Upholstery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Marroquin Custom Upholstery is known as one of the best upholstery companies in the country. Some have even called it the DeAngelis of the Southwest. The company is a well-known favorite of high-end designers because of their attention to detail, luxurious sit and ability to customize as much as their client desired without sacrificing quality. Clients trust Marroquin’s 40+ years’ experience and know that he will do everything to make sure the final product is up to the highest quality standards. Over the course of his career, Jesus has built custom furniture for some of the best designers in the United States. His designers’ clients include well-known celebrities, athletes, politicians, high-end hotels and has even furnished the White House Oval office!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
There have been several proud moments in our career. First of all, who would have thought an immigrant from Mexico could have had such a successful business working with such high-end clientele? Jesus is living the American dream in more ways than one. It is always a pleasure to know that our furniture is ending up in some of the wealthiest homes and hotels in the world. However, the proudest moment probably had to be when we made the furniture for the White House Oval Office during the George W. Bush presidency. Not only did we make the furniture, but we also received a personal invitation to that year’s Christmas Party in Washington D.C. and got to meet the President and First Lady. It was a surreal moment to meet them and also see our furniture personally in the actual Oval Office!
Contact Info:
- Address: Marroquin Custom Upholstery
4835 Reading St Dallas, TX 75247 - Website: www.marroquincustomuph.com
- Phone: 214.905.0461
- Email: jesus@marroquincustomuph.com
- Instagram: @marroquincustomuph
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