Lisa Davis has been in the upholstery business for 10 years. She considers herself an artist by nature, and got her start when she decided she wanted to make her own furniture and took a class to learn the basics. According to Davis, one thing led to another and she created a business out of her art.

“We make pieces of art,” Davis said. “Upholstery is a hand crafted art in itself, and I have to train all of the production assistants that come into my shop. They learn the trade as I have learned it: To look at each piece of furniture as a work of art, and lay the fabric out accordingly to enhance the uniqueness of each piece. Upholstery, to me, is functional sculpture.”

Born in Kentucky and raised in Iowa, Davis started working at an early age (13) and earned a bachelors degree of fine arts from Cal State University Long Beach. She hopes to one day have her own line of custom furniture that she can offer to the public.

“I love being part of the gay community,” Davis said. “I like the openness of the alternative lifestyle and being able to define social standards in our own unique way… Now that society is beginning to open its eyes and look at us with no objective, we have the opportunity to show them a world of people with integrity, evenhandedness and a passion to enjoy what life offers whether it’s lemons or lemonade!”