Kates & Company (A Division Of The Foam & FabricShoppe)

Sheldon Kates was only 10 years old when he and his friend Floyd dreamed of one day owning a store. Years later, working as a biologist in the early seventies, he decided the time had come and together, the old friends opened a foam and fabric shop on Queen Street West. That small store was the precursor to Kates & Company, the 12,000 square foot custom couch and sleeper store Sheldon has owned for more than 40 years.

“At first, making couches was just a hobby,” recalls Sheldon. “A woman asked us to design a bean bag she saw in the newspaper and so we did.” Then, after Floyd left the business, Sheldon visited Europe and discovered a new concept in home furnishing: convertible sleepers. “The European sleepers were totally different. The mechanism created a far better quality product,” he says.