* RagStretcher * Upholstery 24/7

My Destiny

When I was about twelve years old, I saw an advertisement in Popular Science magazine. It offered a chance to learn upholstery and earn $10 an hour. I remember thinking, That’s what I want to do.

The problem was the cost — $5 a month for three years — far beyond what I could afford at the time.

Fast forward thirty-five years.

After a long career in upholstery, I bought a sewing machine and a small suitcase of tools at a sale in Florida. The suitcase sat unopened for two years. When I finally decided to see what was inside, I was stunned.

There it was — the very same upholstery course from that old magazine ad. All 127 lessons were inside, fully completed and graded by the instructors at the Modern Institute of Upholstery. It felt like the universe had quietly closed a circle that had been open my entire life.

I want to say thank you, and rest in peace, to Douglas Joaquin Low. He taught a young kid upholstery, and in many ways, he saved me.

I only completed the eighth grade before my parents left to become evangelists for four years. When we returned to Sacramento, I went back to Brother Stewart’s church in 1976. Brother Low attended there, and his daughter, Marjene, and I became friends.

He told me, “If you’re going to hang around here with my daughter, you’re going to have to pull some staples.”

That’s how it started.

Brother Low was a good man. He taught me the trade with patience, care, and integrity. He was also a Baptist minister, and every morning we listened to Charles Stanley and David Jeremiah on the radio while we worked.

I owe him more than just a skill. He gave me direction, discipline, and a foundation that shaped my life.

In 2006, I bought RagStretcher.com, a name that had long been my nickname among others in the upholstery world. In 2026, I will mark my 49th year in the trade. I’m officially retired now, but I still take on projects that keep my hands busy and my mind thinking.

Some call it coincidence.

I call it destiny.

Terry