Family owned business thrives despite economy and setbacks

Owner of local upholstery business plans to expand and make custom furniture

SMITHVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – It is just before noon and Gary Dabbs is hard at work, stitching a new cover for an old chair.

Dabbs began working for local furniture plants in 1980, eventually opening his own upholstery business.

“Cars, boats, furniture, you name it,” Dabbs said.

Dabbs is a one man show at his business, which has been booming since he moved into this building on Smithville Road.

Several years ago, Dabbs was headquartered in Amory, but the tornado in March of 2023 leveled the business.

“After that, I kind of semiretired, wanted to take a break,  after a year got to realizing I missed it, it is what I did, all my life and I’m back at it,” he said.

And he has plans to expand. Dabbs wants to take what he has learned over a lifetime of working in furniture plants and make his own line of custom furniture.

In the meantime, Dabbs will continue his custom work,  one project at a time.

“It is a dying art, is what it is and I am blessed that I have the ability to do something like this,   it is really a master craft,  I get up every morning, and can’t wait to get out here and do what I do,” Dabbs said.