Batavia upholstery shop honors beloved owner’s legacy by ‘moving forward’

Although Batavia upholsterer Jesse Lee Pitts enjoyed every project that came through the Valley Upholstery shop, he had a particular love for working with so-called “ugly” furniture.

“People would bring in their furniture and they would be like, ‘Oh, we found this in our parents’ garage’ or something they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s so ugly.’ But we saw the potential,” Pitts’ daughter Jesseca Watson said. “People like eclectic things. People like stuff that has a history and has a story.”

Born in 1949 in Shelby, Mississippi, Pitts originally trained as a mechanic, but took up upholstery in his early 20s. In 1975, he relocated to Illinois, where he eventually would befriend Valley Upholstery’s original owner.

“It has a long history in our community,” Watson said. “My dad is not the original owner, but one of his dear friends was. He started the shop and my dad started working with him in the early ’90s. When the original owner was ready to retire, my dad purchased the building from him and has been running it ever since.”

By the time he purchased Valley Upholstery in 2011, Pitts already had been working in upholstery for more than 45 years. He enjoyed working closely with his clients and was an active member of the Batavia business community, serving on the board of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

“He raised four children on it,” Watson said. “He took a lot of pride in his work. He was a great craftsman and just an awesome people person.”

When the pandemic began, Pitts was building furniture for local restaurants.

“They had him doing the insides of their [restaurants]. He was doing booths and helped them with remodels,” Watson said.

Pitts passed away in September after complications from COVID-19. He was 72, but as Watson described, a “young, vibrant 72.”

Pitts’ passion for what he did sustained, even as his health declined.

“The last conversation I had over the phone with him, he managed to say shop, customer and asked me to take care of them,” Watson said. “At that time, I wasn’t thinking about the shop, I was thinking about him recovering.

“But I promised him, of course, I would take care of the customers,” she said.

After her father passed, Watson began the process of making sure his last outstanding projects were completed. Her father had gotten sick in August, so some of the projects had been on a backlog since July.

“I had to make the phone calls. I had to go into the shop and take inventory of what was what,” Watson said. “[I was] pulling invoices and calling to see if they had projects that he was working on and checked voicemails and connected with his customers and told them what was going on. I did tell them though that one of the things I promised to do was to make sure that their projects were completed.”

Watson was aided by her family, but also other upholsterers from throughout the Fox Valley, who helped to finish the outstanding projects.

“The craftsmen and women that do it currently the way that my dad did, there’s not a lot of them,” Watson said. “But the ones that are in this area, they’re like family. There’s no competition. There’s enough work to go around. They came behind me, my husband and my mom and said whatever you need, you let us know.”

Among them was St. Charles upholsterer Ruth Scott, a friend of Pitts’ who had worked with him before on projects.

“They asked me to help, and I do what I can to help,” Scott said. “I’ve never been in a position like this before. I just feel compelled to be there for them.”

“She set up shop in my dad’s shop in Batavia and she worked our projects in through hers,” Watson said. “We would go in on the evening and on weekends and take the furniture apart and she’d be there putting stuff back together.”

“I just really miss Jesse, and I’m glad the family and I have remained connected,” Scott said. “I can’t tell you how important that is for me.”

As they worked through the remaining projects, new and longtime customers would visit the shop to share stories of working with Pitts.

“Even the first-time people would come in and [say] ‘I met your dad one time and I was just so drawn to him,’ ” Watson said. “They were so patient. They would call to check on me and not their projects, you know, like, ‘How are you doing?’ Not even talking about their projects. He was such a loving person, and I think his craft was an expression of his love.”

Although Watson and her husband initially planned to close Valley Upholstery once her father’s last projects were completed, the past few months of working in the shop have made her reconsider.

“I’ve decided to keep the shop open and run it,” Watson said. “Prior to the new year, I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep it and run it because I never thought that I would have to run it apart from him.”

The shop always had been a family operation. Watson had worked in the shop for four years with her father.

“He always wanted it to be passed down and kept in the family,” Watson said. “He never saw it not being a part of the community.”

Along with taking on new projects, Watson plans to host upholstery classes for those interested in trying out the trade.

“There are people out there who would love to learn. Maybe not do it for a business, but as a hobby,” Watson said. “It’s such a great skill because you can take something so old and you can’t see the value in it, [but] when you fix the frame and re-pad it and make it comfortable again and you pick a great fabric, you have a piece that’s been brought back to life.”

Watson hopes Valley Upholstery will continue to be an active part of Batavia.

“The best way to honor his legacy is by moving forward,” Watson said.