Graham & Sons was founded by Ron Graham in 1952, starting in a tin shed at the rear of a house on Hopper Street, Wellington. Ron grew the business and moved into bigger premises- the old brick stables, also behind the house. Eventually the business expanded into the front house, retaining the shed and stables for storage. Most of Ron’s family have worked for the business over the decades, with Ron retiring in 1983, and son Rick relocating the business to Martinborough in 1988.
As of 2021 Neal has taken over the running and ownership of G&S ,still operating from Martinborough, Wairarapa. Neal and his team of tradespeople and apprentices all bring their own individual strengths, and still maintain Ron’s ideals and the family feel .
Rick Graham
The youngest of four boys in the family, Rick had to wait until he was ten before he could start working for the upholstery business after school and in the holidays. Part time work continued through out college and varsity and in 1975 Rick joined Graham & Sons fulltime. while he has been trying to step back and enjoy retirement ,he still pops back to cover the odd weekend and to run the upholstery classes .
Rick brings 40+ years of experience to the business and is skilled in all aspects of upholstery both contemporary and traditional.
Neal Goodall
Neal joined Graham & Sons in 2002 and specialises in leather sewing. Many of the sofas we manufacture for Thonet & Co are in heavy leathers, with the entire arms, seat and back all sewn into one large cover to be slipped onto the frame. There are no second chances with leather, one mistake and that piece is ruined- and the leather on one settee can often be worth thousands. No pressure Neal!
Neal joined as a shareholder/director in 2009. and took over as sole owner in 2021.