Arlington craftsman offers timely restorations for preservation of cherished family heirlooms

By M. L. Dehm

SCBJ Freelance Writer

There aren’t as many true craftsmen around nowadays as in years past. But there is one tucked away in a family-owned workshop in nearby Arlington.

Patrick Kennedy of Kennedy’s Refinishing is definitely a master at his craft, as many antique dealers will attest.

He can take a rickety 100-year-old cabinet that has been gathering dust in the family garage and restore it to its former glory.

An antique treadle sewing machine, falling apart and ready for the scrap heap, rises like a phoenix.

A cherished yet warped dining table is straightened, beautified and put back into use.

A modest collection of before and after photos on Kennedy’s Web site show just a few of the projects that he has undertaken for clients since setting up his business nearly 30 years ago.

His word-of-mouth reputation for excellence has kept him in business when so many others have gone under, he said.

Today, most of Kennedy’s business comes from private citizens looking to restore old heirlooms. But that’s not how it started out. He began, fresh from high school, refinishing pieces in his parents’ garage in Lynnwood. Later, he married and set up in his own workshop.

After showing his work to a Seattle importer, Kennedy began to get work out of the incoming shipping containers of European antiques.

“When they bring these containers over there is always damage of some sort. So he got to be really good at repairs,” said Kennedy’s wife, Kathleen.

Kennedy cut his teeth on restorations of fine European antiques. Snohomish antique dealers used his services to get top dollar for their finds. Soon he was getting requests from the general public as well.

What makes his business so unique is that he does the work by hand. There are no giant dip tanks to strip the furniture. Not only can the use of these tanks cause damage to the furniture, they’re not environmentally sound.

“I’m the only refinisher that I know of in all of Snohomish and King counties that was awarded EnviroStars for an environmentally clean operation,” Kennedy said. “I do it all by hand and it’s very slow but it’s better for the furniture.”

In addition to repairing the finish and restoring cracked or chipped veneers, Kennedy does rebuilding as well. He can replace missing wood, make a wobbly stool sturdy or even put a broken piece back together.

As shown in the before-and-after pictures on his Web site, some furniture has completely fallen apart by the time they come in. In most cases, owners have only held onto them because of sentimental value.

But Kennedy is able to rebuild them into something people are proud to have in their home. Sometimes the cost of repair is more than the value of the piece. But sometimes the repair can also increase the value of the furniture.

It reminds Kennedy of his pet peeve.

“You’ve probably heard how refinishers destroy the value of antiques? That drives me nuts,” Kennedy said. “Restoration is the key to saving. I get people in here all the time saying, ‘Should I throw it away, burn it or is there anything I can do with it?’”

He pointed out that no one would say you destroyed the value if you restored an old antique car that was found rusty and falling apart.

People misunderstand what they hear on the Antiques Roadshow, he said. There’s a big difference between restoring a damaged piece and changing the finish on a pristine antique. Repairing a damaged piece doesn’t devalue it.

“That’s another thing. An antique dealer wouldn’t pay me to devalue their pieces,” Kennedy added.

Although the economic downturn has slowed business somewhat, Kennedy is still feeding his family, which can be quite a task. There are 10 young Kennedys and many of them help with the business.

Some of the kids help their father in the workshop, others do deliveries, design and operate the Web site, create brochures and more.

Wife Kathleen runs the administrative side of the business, including answering the phone. Altogether, the Kennedy operation makes for a most efficient yet thoughtful and conscientious business model.

For more information and photos about Kennedy’s Refinishing, visit www.kennedysrefinishing.com.