From a young age, Jose Gomez always possessed an affinity for plants, animals, and art. The tropical forests and deep valleys of his hometown provided plenty of imagery and inspiration for the aesthetic and artistic value in much of his art. As a teenager, Gomez tried his hand at painting his surrounding environment. Jose was no stranger to hard work. He learned how to upholster from his father who shared with him everything he knew about the trade. By the age of 10, he was working alongside his father who Jose says, “was his greatest teacher”. Papa Gomez passed away, and young Jose began working in different shops around town. Along with doing upholstery work, Jose did what he could to help his grief-sicken family by selling fruit and working in bakeries. Little did he know that his future work in upholstery would gain him recognition as one of the best tradesmen in the world.

While upholstering in the colorful and bustling metropolis of southern Florida, he acquired an extensive client list that included some well-known personalities in the Latino community by the likes of Walter Mercado, Cecilia Boloco, and Julio Iglesias. Jose spent ten years in Miami before deciding to take a road trip to St. Louis to visit a friend. With hunger and curiosity of the world, he gladly accepted and found himself on a two-day road trip towards the city known as “The Gateway to the West”. Upon the drive to St. Louis, somewhere in Tennessee while lost in his thoughts, Jose recalls a life-defining moment; a conversation that he had with himself, in which he prayed to The Highest God and asked for a new beginning. The very next day after he arrived in St. Louis his car along with all of his belongings was stolen from him, thus his new start was granted. Though he admits he felt defeated and helpless at the time, as the days passed, he understood this to be a signal unto himself, a sort of omen that he was in the right place at the right time. Jose was filled with a type of ambition that allowed him to take advantage of a newfound opportunity to rebuild and reinvent himself in a new place. Very soon afterward in the subsequent months and years, the boy from a small village in Honduras found work in various small upholstery shops. All the while overcoming an invisible but very real language barrier and learning how to navigate a brand-new city and support himself. “It was difficult at first,” he recalls. “I did not speak a lot of English and I had to learn how to use public transportation. I taught myself how to ride the bus and train and I got lost quite a few times”.

He further refined his skills and absorbed everything he could about the trade like a sponge. And in 2001, Jose opened Gomez Upholstery LLC at the intersection of Chippewa and Watson.

Through his immovable dedication and effort, Jose has built a legacy of optimal customer service, fine craftsmanship and is well known for his high standard of quality and integrity. Gomez upholstery has the best work in the Midwest region, boasting customers from all over the country. He has mastered and conquered his craft with innumerable fabrics and skins such as sheepskin, calfskin, rich velvet, buffalo, and many other types of embroidered materials. In 2013, he expanded his artistic endeavors and opened a private gallery under the Art by Gomez entity. That same year he was featured in an article of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the prominent St. Louis Home Magazine. In 2016 he was contacted by the St. Louis Home Magazine for a second feature to which he agreed. He has numerous paintings on display in select spaces around the city. With a thriving business Jose has found peace and comfort in expressing himself through painting. His style is bold, colorful, and unique. You cannot deny the uncanniness of a Gomez painting as he is known for his use of deep blues, reds, and yellows. “I want to make people feel something when they see my art. I want to give people something that they will love. I want to bring some color and warmth to the world through my art. With so much trouble and pain in the world, I hope to provide some type of relief for people. I wish to share the beauty that I see in the world with others.” Art by Gomez has patrons and clients in and outside of the U.S. and is available to ship anywhere in the world.

Gomez Upholstery is a remarkable example that dreams are not impossible, and no obstacle is too big if you have the heart and vision to overcome it. Jose Gomez is a self-proclaimed canine lover. He especially loves Dalmatians as he has been the owner of 3 in his lifetime: Bruno, Polo, and Nicolas. Jose is passionate about helping and supporting stray dogs and rescued animals. He has worked with the local non-government organization called the PAWS Program (Pets Are Wonderful Support). Since 2018, he has participated in the program’s annual fundraiser called Art of PAWS. The program, sponsored by Purina and ran by the St. Louis Effort for AIDS, has a weeklong charity fundraiser event in the summer. They host auctions selling one-of-a-kind art pieces as well as sports memorabilia. Gomez has donated paintings for a charitable fundraiser. The St. Louis Effort for AIDS teams up with the PAWS Program to provide dogs as pets for those affected by the AIDS virus in the St. Louis area. Gomez also makes charitable donations to a small canine rescue and sanctuary in Caracas, Venezuela known as ‘El Hogar de Los Angeles” which translates to “The Angel House”. He has expressed his interest in helping organizations that do not receive funding or are not as well known and wishes to expand his philanthropic ventures and projects.