New upholstery business in Albion has been busy reviving furniture, old seats

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jon Rissinger and his wife Galina are shown inside Sew-It-Seams Upholstery, which they opened in October at 28 East Bank St.

ALBION – When Jon Rissinger was a kid growing up in Wyoming County, his parents were 4-H leaders. His mother taught him to sew as a kid as part of being in 4-H.

Rissinger, now 66, has turned that hobby into a busy new business in Albion. He opened Sew-It-Seams Upholstery on Oct. 1 at 28 East Bank St.

He works with leather, vinyl, cloth, cutting the materials to size and then sewing them together. Some of the projects have 40 different pieces to sew.

Rissinger likes to work with his customers to give new life to old furniture, and seats for cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. He also does hemming and zipper replacement.

“What intrigued me most about sewing is you can make whatever you want,” he said. “You connect two pieces together and you got a new product.”

Jon Rissinger creates a pattern for a new cover on a snowmobile seat. He makes new fabric for furniture, car seats, motorcycle seats, boat seat and snowmobiles. He also is skilled a chair caning.

Rissinger has previously worked as a hoof trimmer for the dairy industry for 15 years and he owned a computer repair shop in Castile. He moved to Albion 3 ½ years ago, drawn by a good deal on his house.

He has been doing upholstery projects the past decade and wanted more room for the business. The spot in downtown Albion has been a good fit.

“I’ve been self-employed for 30 years,” he said. “You get to meet a lot of people.”

Rissinger has four sewing machines, a serger, fabric cutter and other  equipment. He is considering offer classes this winter for people who want to learn the sewing craft, upholstering and chair caning.

The business is open from noon to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday. For more information call (585) 867-1536 or check the business’s Facebook page.

Jon Rissinger opened his business, Sew-It-Seams Upholstery, in Albion on Oct. 1 and he said he has been busy.