Prison upholstery shop offers design on a dime

The best-kept decorating secret in town is tucked behind barbed wire at the state prison in Florence, Ariz.

For hire: inmates who can reupholster and refinish your furniture — welting, tufting, pleating, skirting and all.

They do recliners, loveseats, ottomans. They speak Queen Anne and Architectural Digest fluently -- there are a few copies lying around the prison that they study, scoping for trends.

Their work is cheap. They never take shortcuts, because they've got oodles of time. And — the men say — they upholster with love.

Here's how it all goes down: Make an appointment to bring your furniture to the Arizona Correctional Industries office in a west Phoenix business park. (Note: not a prison, but the receptionist wears an orange jumpsuit with her smile.)

Next, a customer-service agent (not wearing orange) will whisk you to her cubicle to discuss the project at hand: Pillow-back or camelback? Walnut stain or pine?

Fabric is sold on-site (lots of Southwestern prints), but the ACI folks will tell you it's cheaper to bring your own, and even where to get it.

The sofa goes to prison, you go home, and you'll get a phone call with a quote: say $200 for a wingback armchair, plus $29 to refinish the legs. A sofa is between $400 and $700.

If you agree, the inmates get to work. They are paid between 45 and 80 cents per hour. You are charged for labor and materials, plus a markup that covers overhead, transportation costs and the salaries of the ACI staff. If the price is too high (and it rarely is), they'll send the piece back and you can come pick it up.

Lastly, all the convicts in the upholstery class and work program are sex offenders.

Artists, tradesmen

Their workroom is behind a long string of gates in the prison's South Unit. Inside, orange-clad men huddle around sewing machines, loveseats and practice quilts. They're here for 7 1/2 hours each day, talking about what's for lunch and what's on the radio and whether they like the fabric their customer picked. (Usually: no.)

Sometimes, "we keep track of guys (upholstering) on the outside," says professor and instructor Dave Lucas. "A couple have been making a go of it, taking it to heart.

"Maybe," he says, "they won't come back."