Hartzell happy being ‘Busy as a Bea’

Business started with correspondence course in 1970

by R.L. Furse

The old adage, “Busy as a bee” should be adapted in Aurora to, “Busy as a Bea.” The proverb then would refer to Bea Hartzell of Hartzell Upholstery.

Bea has been busy upholstering over 2000 chairs, or couches, since 1970. And she has no intention of slowing down in her shop at 512 G St. in Aurora.

“I really like what I do. As long as I can do this and people continue to bring things to me, I’ll continue. I have no plans to retire. I like to keep busy,” she says.

“Busy Bea” has been going steady since taking a correspondence course while living in California.

“I originally took the course to learn how to upholster my own furniture. My husband saw an ad in the newspaper and even though I didn’t have a sewing background,  I enrolled. However, I ended up after completing the course not having enough time to do my own furniture because I was so busy,” she recalled.

In Aurora, Bea began her upholstery shop in her  home at 320 16th St.

Later she moved the business out of her home and to a building that once housed Harold Wanek’s Gunshop near the corner of 13th and N streets. In the late 1970’s the business moved to its present site on G Street.

Ironically, her son Phil, who specializes in custom upholstery for car interiors, as well as boats and airplanes, is now located where Bea originally started her business.

“When Phil got out of high school he worked with me for about a year. He then started his own business and ‘flew’ from there,” Bea said.

“He still calls Mom every now and then with a question,” she laughed and then added, “but I just returned from his place so he could fix my air stapling gun.”