Their sofa, your shop.
Coverage for customers' furniture in your shop, fabric and foam stock, pickup and delivery vans, liability and workers' comp for upholsterers and furniture repair shops.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed October 2026 · How this page is researched
Foam, fabric and heirlooms
Most of what sits in an upholstery shop belongs to customers: a grandmother's chair, a restaurant's booths, a boat's cushions. Foam and fabric burn quickly, so one fire can mean paying for furniture that was never yours.
I add bailee coverage for customers' pieces, property for your machines and fabric, auto for pickup vans and liability for work in clients' homes and businesses.
- Customers' goodsFurniture left for repair.
- PropertyFabric, foam and machines.
- Commercial autoPickup and delivery vans.
- Workers' compStaple guns, knives and lifting.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Shop: address and square footage.
- Customer goods: highest value on hand at once.
- Work: home, commercial, marine or auto.
- Vans: pickup and delivery vehicles.
- Revenue and payroll: annual figures.
- History: current policies and claims.
Upholstery shop insurance, answered
Are customers' sofas covered in a fire?
Only if your policy includes customers' goods. I add bailee coverage sized to what you hold.
Do upholsterers need a state license?
California's Bureau of Household Goods and Services licenses custom upholsterers. Check with the Bureau for your shop.
What if a fabric choice goes wrong?
Redoing your own work is usually not covered. Liability is for damage and injury to others.
Is furniture in my van covered?
Goods in transit need inland marine coverage. Auto covers the van, not the load.
Do you offer upholstery shop insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in 48 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. In Florida and Washington, where Sam's licenses are still being issued, a partner agency in your state helps in the meantime. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Cover the pieces in your care
Tell me what you work on and what you hold for customers. I'll find coverage built for upholstery.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
Tell me how to reach you. I’ll take it from there.
Takes about 30 seconds. Your application link comes by email right away, and you get an update at every step until your quotes are ready.
(877) 711-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
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Tell me when your policy renews and I’ll email you about six weeks before, when it’s worth comparing. One email, no calls.