Mar-Ke Mohair
Location not stated
A one-person home workshop in the US, run by Martha, that repairs and restores stuffed toys and nothing else, with a focus on collectible and antique mohair bears and animals. She works by post on a booked schedule, requires cleaning as part of the job, will not do partial repairs, and has a long published list of things she will not take on.
Getting hold of them
Email is the way in. They do not take cold calls.
If it gets lost
Not stated
This is a blank on their page, not an answer from them. We have never asked anybody in this trade the question. Of the 185 businesses we have read, 4 have written anything down about losing an item: 2 say it is insured, 2 say the risk is yours. The other 181 are silent, and silence is not a policy either way.
If you would rather not have to phrase it
“Before I send it, can I ask what happens if it gets lost or damaged while it’s with you? I’m not trying to catch you out, it just can’t be replaced. Whatever the answer is, could you put it in an email so I’ve got it in writing?”
“No, we don’t cover it” is a fine answer to get. It tells you to insure the mail yourself for the full amount, both ways.
They return it by Priority Mail, or Registered mail, or UPS. Naming a tracked service is not the same as accepting liability for it.
Getting it there is on you, and the cover above may not start until it arrives. Send it tracked and insured, whatever it costs.
If it is lost or damaged
Their website does not say what happens if your item is lost or damaged while they have it. Return postage is paid by you.
Ask before you post anything you could not replace. Only four of the businesses we hold publish an answer to this.
What they take on
- Full restoration and rebuilds
- Mending and seams
- Restuffing
- Cleaning on its own
- Eyes and noses
- Joints
Works in mohair, modern synthetic plush, wool felt, wood wool.
What they won’t do
The part every other directory leaves out. None of this is a criticism. It is how you avoid three wasted weeks.
- Fur restoration, de-matting and pile lifting
- Valuations
- Won't do part of a job. It's the whole thing or nothing
- Replaces the old stuffing. Whether they will make an exception is not stated, so ask
- Cleans everything as part of a repair, whether you asked or not
- Restores to as-new unless you say otherwise
- Quotes from photos, then revises it once it arrives
- Minimum charge of $100 whatever the job
- Won't value or appraise anything
- No rush jobs, ever
- Won't work on real fur, leather, velvet, smooth clothing fabrics, knitted items, crocheted items
- Nothing with a mechanism inside: no growlers, squeakers, music boxes or batteries
- No loveys, meaning toys made of blanket material with only the head stuffed
- No pyjama cases
- Plush only. They don't work on dolls
- Will repair the original clothes but won't remake them
- No reweaving, so bald patches stay bald
- Won't recover a bear in new fabric, however far gone it is
- Won't accept anything by mail until they give you a date to send it
Their exact words on what they refuse
Quoted from their own pages, unedited, because a paraphrase of a refusal is the kind of thing you find out was wrong three weeks in.
- “Though we focus on these collectible brands, we work on most types of plush toys (however, I do not work on dolls).”
- “No; this process is called reweaving, and we do not provide this service.”
- “No, I do not remake or recover toys, due to the time it takes to make a pattern, do a mock up and make corrections.”
- “No, the process for working on leather and fur is very different from working on toys made of fabric.”
- “However, I do not work on pull-string mechanisms or parts that depend on a battery to function.”
- “I can clean and repair original clothes, but I do not remake the clothes.”
- “In order to maintain my credibility, I cannot perform partial repairs.”
- “Old soft stuffing retains dust mites and dead skin cells, so I dispose of the old stuffing and use new hypo allergenic fiber as a replacement. For sanitary reasons, I cannot make an exception to this.”
- “No, I do not work on these toys.”
- “I also do not work on “loveys”, which are toys made of blanket material and only the head and sometimes arms are stuffed.”
- “I typically do not work on toys that are not typically considered “plush”.”
- “Smooth fabrics that are typically used for clothing (velvet is one of these) does not clean or repair well.”
- “I also cannot repair toys that are knitted or crocheted.”
- “Unfortunately, I used to offer this service but can no longer accept “rush jobs”.”
- “Since my specialty is repair and restoration, I have chose to focus on those areas and do not do evaluations of toys for the purpose of determining their origin or value.”
- “Steiff ear buttons, and tags, are trademarks of that company. They do not sell them, or provide any means to replace them.”
- “My business is set up as a “service” business. Therefore, I incorporate the cost of supplies into my repair charges, and cannot sell items.”
- “My home-based business is not set up to have customers come to my home, so shipping is the best way to get your toy to me.”
- “Some repairs that I do NOT do: Reweaving of fur (fur replacement into bare areas)”
- “Recreating your toy (or a large percentage of your toy) from new fabric, this includes recovering large bald areas”
- “Re-coloring or dying of large areas of fabric of a toy that cannot be unstuffed”
- “Replacement of work on damaged or missing clothing or accessories”
- “Work on toys that are not predominantly fur (This includes blanket toys, pajama toys that are made of clothing fabric, knitted or crocheted toys, and toys made of velour.)”
- “Repairing felt ears and hands with excess damage”
- “Repairs to mechanical or electronic toys”
- “Work on dolls (there are others that specialize in that area)”
- “Work on real fur or leather toys (should be handled by a taxidermist)”
Getting it there
- Takes work by mail
- Nowhere to bring it. Everything comes by mail
- Comes back standard
- Takes work from overseas
Money
- Minimum charge $100
- Quotes from photographs for a fee, then revises on arrival
Anything else they say
- There is a minimum charge of $100 for any toy worked on.
- We require a 50% deposit before starting the repairs.
- If special materials have to be ordered, repairs can take 4 weeks or more.
- Larger, more complex repairs, involving opening a toy to repair or replace a squeaker, or major reconstructive repairs (i.e. a dog chewed toy), can take much longer.
- If you are local (within 30 miles), I will try to work something out with you.
- We do not have the space to store toys we are not actively working on, so we must follow these guidelines.
- When shipping your toys, use whatever carrier you prefer, but I highly recommend insurance regardless of your choice.
- It is a requirement that you include in the box a card with your name, address, email, phone number. This is for insurance purposes, and should be included in the box, not sent via email.
- The cost of shipping your toy to and from my workshop is your responsibility.
- All shipping costs, including any insurance costs, are the responsibility of the customer. Even if you choose to send me stamps or pre-paid postage, there is still a small handling fee.
- If no payment arrangements have been made, and I have to store your toy for more than 2 weeks time, I will need to charge a storage fee.
- Canadian and foreign shipments must incur a surcharge of $15 for additional forms and packaging.
- I accept Cashier’s (bank) checks, Zelle (a secure bank-to-bank transfer), Money Orders, and even personal checks can be used. I no longer accept any form of payment that charges me fees.
- When the work is completed, we will send you digital images of the toy in its finished state, and a copy of your invoice, showing the balance due, including return shipping.
- In most cases I require that a toy be cleaned as part of the restoration work. If cost is a concern, I am very willing to work with you.
- We use only the finest materials, and will go to great lengths to match colors. Our main focus is restoration; we feel that maintaining originality is critical to the value of any toy. However, it is not always possible to restore a face identical to when it was new, but I will do my best.
- Mar-Ke Mohair is a home based business, and even though we check our email every day, I normally answer emails Monday through Friday, 9am-6pm.