Teaking customer interest

Alicia Robinson

“Back to basics” is how Bob Bonanno describes his Costa Mesa

furniture restoration company. As a former dot-commer, Bonanno has

used his skills to build something beyond a typical small business

start-up.

After realizing his online produce sales business wouldn’t be

profitable enough to satisfy investors, Bonanno closed it down and

searched for something small he could devote his energies to. Last

fall, after searching fruitlessly for someone to spruce up his own

teak furniture, he decided on teak furniture restoration.

“I feel like I’m one of the customers,” he said. “That’s one of

the reasons I got into this, because I felt like I knew what the

customer was looking for.”

He allied himself with a local furniture restorer to learn the

ropes and, in just six months, Bonanno has built up his business to

include corporate accounts with hotels and resorts with 4,000-piece

orders.

Bonanno has his hands full with sales now, but Eric Peterson,

operations manager for Teak Restoration, does a little of everything,

from picking up furniture, to restoring it, to delivering the

finished product. Peterson said the restoration process begins with

cleaning, then the piece of furniture is sanded and rinsed, then

several coats of a special sealant are applied.

At Teak Restoration, each employee works on one part of the job

and they use the same system every time to ensure the finished pieces

look good, Peterson said.

Teak is a very durable wood that lasts for years because of its

high oil content, he said. When it’s left outside, though, it grows

mold and goes from a light brown color to a dingy gray. But with a

good cleaning, employees were able to restore teak furniture that sat

untouched for 14 years, and they are now working on a set that is 30

years old.

Customers are usually surprised at how well the furniture cleans

up, Peterson said.

“That’s probably the funnest part of this entire business ...

delivering the furniture,” he said. “You take something that looks

like it’s ready to be thrown away and you bring it back and it looks

better than when they bought it.”

Bonanno said he expects to expand into more warehouse space and,

if business keeps booming, he may open offices in the Los Angeles and

San Diego areas.

Teak Restoration is at 2967 Randolph Ave., unit A, Costa Mesa.