Making furniture
The recession has cut Quatrine Custom Furniture’s sales volume about in half. “I believe we’ll make it,” owner Gina Quatrine says. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Quatrine craftsman Oscar Jimenez puts the cover and padding on a sofa. As with many other small businesses, the furniture maker has been squeezed by the credit crunch. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Quatrine plant manager Raul Jimenez walks the floor of the factory in Rancho Dominguez. Quatrine thrived on a vast network of credit arrangements, formal and informal, but the recession and bank credit crisis put an end to it. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Rene Cuevas sands one of the handmade tables. The mill that used to extend Quatrine $60,000 to $70,000 in credit has slashed its limit to $3,000. “That’s not even two bolts of fabric,” owner Gina Quatrine says. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Gina Quatrine describes her furniture factory as a “true old-fashioned European workshop.” Although the company is debt-free, “we can’t even get a $100,000 loan,” she says. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Old-fashioned tools and hard work make the difference at Quatrine Custom Furniture, which sells through six stores in California, Michigan, Illinois and Texas. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
