Meet Ted and John Lewis of Lewis Interiors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ted and John Lewis.

Ted and John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We grew up surrounded by authentic mid-century modern design and style. We enjoyed time at our grandparents’ houses, which were filled with the best-of-the-best in mid-century modern furniture, art, and design. Our summers spent in Palm Springs were filled with playing on the very furniture that would become our passion later in life. Our Grandfather Lewis owned Lewis Interiors, a high-design furniture store in Pontiac, Michigan (which was previously Lewis Furniture, owned by his father). He specialized in bringing modern furniture to businesses in Michigan (mostly automobile and law offices).

At that time, Lewis Interiors was a Herman Miller, Knoll, and Artifort dealer. The inspiration we gathered from growing up in this environment revealed itself as we began designing sculptural artwork and furniture while taking classes. As classically trained welders and upholsterers, we took many courses and earned certifications in both specialties. These skills would pave the way for our mid-century modern furniture line.

For many years, we both worked as Carmen on the railroad together in Phoenix, repairing and testing train cars. On our off time, we began creating sculptural artwork and furniture using recycled parts from our scrap yard. This started the flame that would eventually become our first Lewis Interiors retail location. Over the past 15 years, we have evolved – However, we have always stayed true to our roots. Our handcrafted furniture line, Lewis Interiors: The Classic Collection pays homage to the Scandinavian style furniture we grew up around and is so familiar to us.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As many know, owning your own business is never an easy road. There are many challenges and successes along the way. Growth is key, and Lewis Interiors has definitely grown over the years!

Finding the right business model for today’s ever-changing world was one of our biggest obstacles. While we have occupied several “brick-and-mortar” retail locations (that included full-service upholstery and restoration services) throughout the Metropolitan Phoenix area, our current business model places emphasis on expanding our online presence and internet e-commerce sales. This allows us to keep costs down for our loyal customers while being able to reach more clients around the world we would otherwise be unable to assist.

Transitioning from a service-based upholstery shop with an amazing mid-century modern showroom to full-blown furniture designers and builders has been a welcomed shift for us. However, it was difficult to say goodbye to our retail location. We still have loyal clients that contact us all the time to try to get us to restore or reupholster mid-century modern pieces. But unfortunately, we can no longer offer these services. We have to put all of our efforts into our current model and mission.

These days we are focused on building our own brand and products. Lewis Interiors is a work in progress. We take pride in everything we do and strive to be the best in the business.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Lewis Interiors is proud to be family owned and operated a business. We specialize in designing and building custom mid-century modern inspired furniture. We have many years of experience running a full-service upholstery and refurbishing shop.

This experience helped us evolve and build our skills, as we began to find ourselves in a niche working mainly on mid-century modern furniture. It taught us what to do, AND what not to do. People would be floored to know what lies underneath much of the mass-produced furniture being sold on the market today. Lewis Interiors is committed to building high-quality furniture that features classic designs and timeless style. You’d be hard-pressed to find quality like ours anywhere!

Lewis Interiors is also known as a large online presence for vintage and retro collectibles. To add to the hustle and bustle around here, we got into the hobby of buying and selling vintage goods about 10 years ago, which has turned into quite the business itself! Our online categories include vinyl records, cassette tapes, vintage audio and electronic equipment, MCM furniture, vintage home goods, retro artwork, and much more! eBay is by far our most popular online storefront platform for these items. We have thousands of items listed and add new items daily!

What were you like growing up?
Ted: Swimming and water polo were my main interests growing up. I was very competitive and had a pretty large fear of failure. I joined the Air Force right out of high school. My 10 years in the service helped me gain confidence. It also taught me self-discipline and how to stay calm under pressure.

John: Growing up, I was a free spirit creative type. A true music lover that was into all sorts of things, many considered me a trend-setter. I spent many years as a local hip-hop artist in Phoenix and still enjoy making music.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lewisinteriors.com
• Phone: 623-806-6672
• Email: info@lewisinteriors.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewisinteriors/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lewisinteriorsmodernfurniture/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LewisInteriors1
• Other: https://www.ebay.com/str/lewisinteriors

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