Nate Kamp of Fat City Upholstery (Metamora, IL)
What does being an upholsterer mean to you?
There are so many facets of upholstery that go unnoticed. To me being an upholsterer means being a jack of all trades. Not only cutting and sewing, but foam work, wood working, welding, artistic design, engineering… the list goes on. I’ve always been impressed with the shops, big or small, who can pull all of these aspects together and deliver amazing finished products.
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How did you get started in upholstery?
Honestly, upholstery found me. I’ve been into cars for as long as I can remember but mainly focused on chassis and driveline… no bodywork, and never really spent much time on the interior. Over the years, I kind of became “that guy” when someone needed advice, or a recommendation for a body shop, that sort of thing, and all of a sudden everyone was asking about upholstery. After having quite a few people tell me that none of the shops in the area wanted to do custom work, I decided to give it a shot. I had a machine, a basic understanding, and YouTube, so I just started doing it, and found out that I really liked it!
What types of upholstery do you do?
I mainly do custom and classic automotive work. I occasionally have a motorcycle seat, or will install a premade kit, but the majority of my work is custom.
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How long have you been upholstering?
I’ve been doing upholstery as a hobby for about 8 years, and in March 2025 stepped away from a 22 year career in engineering to pursue this full time.
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What is your biggest consumer demand?
The largest portion of my work is full build automotive interiors. Mainly cars and trucks from the 30's up to the 80's.
What is your favorite upholstery project you've done?
One of the first interiors I did was a 1951 Chevy crew cab. That truck really started my appreciation for upholstery and I went on to win some pretty big awards from places like Orange Beach Invasion, World of Wheels, and I’m sure many others, and included several best interior awards.
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What is the strangest item you've found in a restoration?
The majority of work I get comes to me with no interior, so besides the occasional mouse carcass or loose change, I don’t get too many treasures.
Have you noticed any up & coming trends?
From a customer perspective, the use of vintage or retro style body cloth as inserts in seats and door panels is one I see continuing. Several of the high end interiors I’ve seen recently are done with cloth inserts. Albright’s Supply has several retro style fabrics, but I’m surprised that more isn’t available in the industry.
From a shop perspective, the use of technology to scan, model, and create parts is constantly improving, and I plan to utilize my years of engineering to incorporate the technology into my custom work.
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What changes would benefit the upholstery industry?
At this point I’m not sure I’d make any changes. Upholstery was a secret and guarded trade for decades, but I can’t say enough good things about how I’ve been welcomed into the community, and how I get to spend the day creating art from rolls and sheets of raw material.
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Have you ever been featured on television, online, or in another Publication?
The 1951 Chevy and COE hauler I upholstered have been featured in several magazines and online. Also, my 1931 Ford has been in magazines and online, but it doesn’t have an interior besides an old 1965 Mustang seat and a red metallic steering wheel.
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Do you have a shop animal?
Yes - Hank, a Golden Retriever
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Some answers have been edited for clarity.
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