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About Us
Toupal’s Upholstery has been serving the greater Bay Area continuously since 1921, when the Toupal brothers — Louie and Frank — opened their doors in downtown San Jose. (Upper right)
Back then the business was known as “Toupal’s Top Shop” and was renowned for its custom-built convertible tops. During the 1940s, some customers would drive all the way from Los Angeles — in the days before freeways — to have Toupal’s work on their convertible tops.
(We still make those, by the way.)
In 1934, Louie and Frank bought some property on Alum Rock Avenue, approximately at the point where Highway 680 now crosses Alum Rock. The company prospered there into the early 1960s, when A. J. Siemens purchased it from Louie.
An upholsterer himself, A. J. had been getting material from Toupal’s. They developed a close relationship. One day Louie proposed that A.J. take over the business. They sealed the deal, and Louie stayed on to ensure a smooth transition. (Lower right. From left: A.J.’s early partner Danny O’Neill, Magdalene “Toot” Toupal, Louie Toupal, and A.J. Siemens.)
A.J. maintained the respected “Toupal’s” name and the old-school standards of quality and workmanship. Those have never faltered. A. J.’s son Wade Siemens (left) started helping in the shop at the age of 14 and succeeded A.J. as owner in 1986. Wade’s son Billy and his grandson Craig have also followed him into the trade.
A few longtime loyal customers still remember our Alum Rock shop, and a later location (after the Highway 680 overpass was built) at Alum Rock and Jackson. Today Toupal’s is housed in a building that is historic in its own right: a converted dairy barn off Piercy Road, originally built in 1908.
We are proud of our heritage, our deep roots in San Jose, and our reputation for excellence. That pride is evident in every job we do.