Our business is a real family affair…
The Beginnings of the family business
The Cooper family history in the upholstery business began before the war with Gerry Cooper starting as an apprentice with Mann Egerton, fitting and repairing all makes of car, from Austin to Rolls Royce. During the war he fitted canopies onto military vehicles.
Early Days
After the war he decided to specialise in domestic upholstery working from a small shop in St Georges Street, Norwich.
Anglian Furnishing
He started what became Anglian Furnishing in small wood yard off Aylsham Road in the early 1960s with just two members of staff.
The 1960s
As demand increased he decided to expand, initially in 1966 into premises at Woodside Road and then about six years later bigger premises at Diamond Road were taken.
The 1970s
His range of handmade, stitched and finished suites and sofas using traditional beechwood frames from Heacham in West Norfolk were sold around the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The 80s & 90s
Gerry started Norfolk Upholstery, specialising in traditional upholstery with his son Michael Cooper in 1974 from a small unit in Hevingham. It quickly became successful and only a year later moved to a new factory in Javelin Road on the Norwich Airport Industrial Estate.
At the height of demand for quality furniture Anglian Furnishing employed about fifty staff and made up to 350 suites a week until a disastrous fire put paid to the business.
Now
Norfolk Upholstery undergoes a significant transformation, rebranding itself as Cooper Brothers Upholstery. This strategic move is aimed at broadening the company’s work area and modernising its business approach. The rebranding reflects a renewed commitment to expanding its reach and adapting to the evolving market, ensuring that we remain a competitive and forward-thinking player in the industry.
