Make something to be proud of!
AFURNITURE maker who launched a range of upholstery workshops during the pandemic has added a host of new courses to her schedule.
Emma Semper-hopkins gave up working 12hour days as a senior commercial manager in December 2018 to go fulltime with her side hustle
– a furniture design and custom upholstery business.
Working alongside her father Ian Semper, Emma – who operates out of a former Methodist Chapel next door to her Scholar Green Home – says she had found her true calling when she launched Semper Hopkins Upholstery and Interior, then lockdown hit.
After seeing more and more people turn to crafting during the pandemic, Emma launched her first upholstery workshops last September, which quickly sold out.
Now the 39-year old has added a host of new one and twoday workshops to her schedule for November and December after recognising that demand is ‘greater than ever.’
Emma said: “The pandemic has been challenging for us all, but one thing that I have taken out of it is I have loved the slower life and being in our own bubble.
“Lockdown gave me more time with my family and time for myself as a creator. I have also been able to open up our workshop, to share my passion for upholstery, and to allow others to enjoy the self-reward of making something with their hands and being proud of it.”
Emma says people travel in from Staffordshire, Cheshire, Manchester and the Peak District for her workshops – which include storage crate, stool, deep buttoned footstool and bench upholstery workshops.
Customers can bring their own fabric or select from a range of suppliers stocked by Semper Hopkins Upholstery and Interiors.
Emma added: “Dad and I have designed each piece of furniture, and now I am teaching people how to make them with an ever-expanding range of techniques.
“Our customers range in age from mid-thirties through to people in their sixties. We also have mums and daughters or groups of friends looking for an alternative to a spa day.
“Some are hobbyists wanting to master a new skill and others become hooked and come back to take on another challenge.
“The one thing everyone has in common is that they enjoy the instant satisfaction of turning materials into a piece of furniture which they can take home at the end of the day.”
For more information about the workshops – or to book a slot – visit www.shupholstery.co.uk/events