Furniture Restoration Shop Since 1915 in LIC: Amato

Few furniture restoration shops in New York can trace a straight line back more than a century, and the Thomas M. Amato Co. can. Thomas M. Amato, a cabinetmaker from a small town in Sicily who trained in Florence, opened a furniture repair shop in downtown Manhattan in 1915. His grandsons, brothers John and Peter Amato, now run the business from a 15,000-square-foot facility at 51-02 21st Street in Hunters Point, Long Island City, with the Manhattan skyline across the river. The homepage marks the milestone in plain numbers: 111 years of service.

The company's history page follows the shop as it outgrew one space after another. Thomas's four sons joined him and widened the work from cabinet repair into reupholstery, leather restoration, wood refinishing and reconditioning. Architects, designers, furniture dealers and property managers started sending pieces, and the family moved first to Washington Street in the Financial District, then to Greenwich Street in Tribeca, and finally across the East River to Queens. Some of the staff have been with the Amatos for thirty years or more, which shows in how consistent the finishing is.

John A. Amato is the company president. Peter J. Amato joined in 1985 after graduating from the University of Bridgeport School of Law, and the homepage quotes his blunt philosophy: if you don't spend the money to do it right the first time, will you have the money to do it over? He adds that the shop often corrects poor workmanship left behind by others.

The most useful thing to understand before calling Amato is the difference between its two wood services. On-site reconditioning happens at your home or office: the crew cleans the piece, fills worn areas and scratches, retouches color to match, applies new clear coats of lacquer, and hand-rubs the final finish to blend with what is already there. Desks, credenzas, tables and chairs can be brought back in a single visit without leaving the room.

In-shop refinishing is the full treatment. The piece travels to Long Island City, where it is stripped to bare wood, sanded, filled, stained to match the original color, sealed and topped with new clear coats of catalyzed lacquer. One client wrote to thank the team for explaining that reconditioning was an option and not assuming every job needed a full refinish, which can save a good deal when the existing finish is basically sound.

For antiques, Amato's craftsmen repair hand-carved details, restructure loose frames, recondition wood surfaces, polish metal ornamentation and restore the original finish without sacrificing its character. The antique restoration page singles out two specialties: inlaid designs and hand-tooled leather desktops. That leather skill connects to a smaller service the shop still lists by name, custom desk blotters, a nice detail for anyone with a partners desk or writing table.

Leather, fabric and vinyl get their own department. Certified leather technicians repair tears, scratches, burn marks, stains and fading, restore seams, replace parts and re-dye color, either on site or in the shop, and finish with a proprietary conditioner. One customer sent in two original 1960s Barcelona chairs that had belonged to her grandmother and praised how the leather and its original color came back without losing authenticity. Upholstered pieces are stripped to the frame and rebuilt from the inside out, and the wood on each piece is reconditioned once the new fabric or leather goes on.

A large share of Amato's work is commercial. The about page describes conference tables, office desks and chairs, lobby furniture and architectural woodwork restoration for companies that need to look sharp, and many of New York's leading corporations have been clients for decades. The company was accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2002. Homeowners get the same crews, and recent testimonials mention a sofa that looked amazing after a technician's house call and a customer from Rockaway Beach thrilled with how a table turned out.

The shop's commitment to finishes runs to the materials too. Its refinishers have spent decades testing natural polishes, waxes and lanolin-based products to find the ones that bring out the best surface on valuable furniture.

Amato does not publish walk-in hours, so contact the shop first. The contact form asks where the furniture is located and lets you attach photos, which is the quickest way to get a useful answer. Include the full piece, close-ups of the damage, and whether you want the patina kept or a fresh finish.

For a single chair or side table, the crew can tell you whether it is better handled in the shop or during an on-site visit. Larger jobs, such as a run of dining chairs or a lobby full of seating, are scheduled with pick-up from your building.

The workshop is about two minutes on foot from the Hunters Point Avenue station on the 7 line, and the 21st Street stop on the G is close by as well. A ten-minute walk west brings you to Gantry Plaza State Park, where restored railroad gantries frame one of the best views of Midtown, including the United Nations and the Empire State Building. The Pepsi-Cola sign, a city landmark, glows above the waterfront at night.

Closer to the shop, MoMA PS1 occupies a former public school on Jackson Avenue and is worth an hour for contemporary art. Vernon Boulevard, the neighborhood's main street, has a string of cafes, bakeries and restaurants for lunch before you head back into Manhattan.

Address: 51-02 21st Street, Long Island City, NY 11101, in Hunters Point. Email: pamato@amatofurniture.com and jamato@amatofurniture.com. Founded: 1915 by Thomas M. Amato; third generation, run by John and Peter Amato. Services: wood repair and refinishing, on-site reconditioning, antique restoration including inlay and tooled leather tops, fabric, leather and vinyl repair, custom reupholstery, disassembly and reassembly, architectural woodwork restoration, and desk blotters. Subway: Hunters Point Avenue (7) or 21st Street (G).