Upholstery: A Timeless Craft with Mr. Griffin

Host Ayané Watson introduces a new James Inc podcast series offering young parents inside looks at different careers, spotlighting upholstery with Tulsa Tech professor Mr. Griffin. Griffin shares his upbringing in Okmulgee, vocational training in high school, military service in Vietnam where he served in combat and received a Purple Heart, and how discipline from the military shaped his life. After working 10.5 years at Shell Oil, he pursued upholstery to gain stability and independence, earning training in home furnishings, automotive interiors, marine, and aircraft upholstery, starting his own business, and later teaching for decades at Oklahoma State Tech and then Tulsa Tech. He explains upholstery as a “dying art,” the value of hands-on instruction beyond YouTube, key skills like measurement, dexterity, and visualization, the importance of customization and quality, and how upholstery supports recycling and can provide a good living.