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LOCAL NEWS - THE LINDSAY POST FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18 2011
Author: Lisa Dever, Bobcaygeon, Ontario
"FURNITURE CRAFTSMAN RESTORED GOULD PIANO"
Mark Wilson's hands don't look exceedingly extraordinary. They are strong, with long, artistic fingers, often tinged with stain but at first glance there's nothing of note.
Far more noticeable than his hands is his face; it looks like Paul McCartney's. In fact, his wife, Lynn says that at the grocery store, people often do a double take and stare for a few seconds.
Wilson has many gifts; he's droll, friendly and humble. He's got the gift of the gab and always has an interesting or funny comment to add to any conversation. Although he is likely to make a joke if it were pointed out to him, he's also a romantic. When asked recently how he met his wife, he responded with the location, date and time. To the minute.
Born in Toronto, the middle child of a three boy family, Wilson had an early interest in agriculture. He worked summers as a farm hand. When it was time to go to college, he chose agriculture as his major. Not long into his studies though, he discovered that farming or agri-business might not be for him after all.
At the time, he was living in an apartment above a small furniture refinishing business in Kemptville. During his teen years, he and a buddy used to strip furniture and resell it. It wasn't long before he was working for the store owner. Wilson learned how to expertly restore and repair wooden furniture. He had a knack for it and enjoyed the sense of accomplishment he felt with finishing each piece.
Close to 30 years later, Wilson is considered a master. He repairs and restores furniture for some of the most influential people and well known businesses in Canada. While still in training, he was called to 24 Sussex Drive to work on a Brazilian rosewood sofa belonging to Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau was sleeping, having been up all night pondering his future in Canadian politics. Then there was the Glen Gould piano. It had ring marks from Gould's coffee cups and Wilson was the man called upon to restore the piano to perfection.
Mark and Lynn Wilson met while working at a commercial furniture installation company in Toronto. Lynn was in charge of 16 male workers; Mark was one of them. Mark took about a year to sweep Lynn off her feet. They have been together ever since.
Not just husband and wife, the Wilson's work together too. With 20 years experience in the commercial furniture business, Lynn handles the administration and scheduling and Mark handles all the restoration and repairs for their business "Touch Ups Plus". They provide services to some of Canada's biggest corporations; CIBC, BMO, IBM, Ellis Don, Town of Pickering and the Canadian Safety Association.
They also provide residential services. Before Christmas last year, Mark repaired a dining room table for Bobcaygeon resident Audrey Holden. "It's beautiful" says Holden.
She was so impressed with the workmanship that she recommended Wilson to several of her friends.
Wilson is training an apprentice. Once, when the two arrived at a customer's office, they were asked to cut a hole in the conference table to allow for the installation of some new electronic equipment. The table was worth thousands of dollars. Wilson pulled out a saw and began hacking away. His apprentice, mouth agape, asked if maybe he shouldn't measure or draw lines. "What for?" asked Wilson, confident that no matter what happened, he would fix it and the end result would be spectacular.
Another customer had a $170,000 table that had to be sent to Wilson's workshop for repair. Massive and weighing a ton, it wouldn't fit on the elevator, so Wilson pulled out a saw and cut it in half. Both pieces were taken to his shop. He made the repairs, and put the table back together again, losing less than an inch of table length. the customer sent movers to pick up the table and transport it to their new office location. No one would ever be able to tell the table had been repaired, let alone split down the middle and put back together.
Mark and Lynn Wilson moved to Bobcaygeon in 2008. Not quite ready to retire, Mark commutes to client offices across the GTA. He handles warranty work for some of North America's largest furniture manufacturers and furniture designers.
As part of their "moving towards retirement" plan, the Wilsons have opened their doors to local residential and corporate customers.
Visit www.touchupsplus.ca or call 705-738-2766 for more information.
TOUCH UPS PLUS, serving Toronto and GTA, provides both on-site and off-site (in shop) wood restoration services, including:
. touch ups
. wood repairs
. cut worksurfaces and re-edge
. cut grommets in:
boardroom tables for Audio/Video
worksurfaces
back panels for power access
. refurbishing and restoration
. refinishing (hand stripping)
. kitchens - touch ups and full colour changes (see photos)
. antique restoration including French polishing
Telephone 705-738-2766 .....Fax 705-731-0026
Email: touchupsplus@i-zoom.net
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