People who love cars know there’s nothing like the look and feel of new upholstery.

Wayne Watanabe and three generations of his family have been providing island residents with that pleasurable "old-is-new-again" experience at Varsity Top Shop for at least 63 years.

The family-owned custom vehicle upholstery business has been a fixture on Kalakaua Avenue since car salesman Lippy Espinda — known for his "shaka" TV commercials — had his lot next to what is now Century Center, and when Aloha Motors was where the Hawai’i Convention Center now stands.

"Every job here is a custom job because we have to make each seat cover fit that particular seat," explained Watanabe, 62, who learned the craft from his grandfather and uncle. "I have to use a variety of sewing techniques, from sewing bimini tops or wraparounds (windshields) for boats, to repairing fish bags for fishermen, to creating new seat covers for cars or motorcycles."

He says he has to know how to work around the "quirks" of each material when it’s cut or sewn. For instance, canvas pulls in a certain direction when stitched. Vinyl, according to Watanabe, is the easiest to work with by far because it doesn’t require any finishing of raw edges.

"A lot of the tricks of the trade aren’t taught in schools; you just have to learn them hands-on, like sewing from the center out so your seams will be uniform, or how to position your pieces of material properly so they’ll end up straight," he said.

While he continues to use most of his grandfather’s original equipment, Watanabe says he learns new techniques every day, only instead of learning them from his grandfather or his uncle, it’s from YouTube videos.

The business was started by Watanabe’s grandfather, Tadashi Watanabe, after apprenticing at his stepfather’s vehicle upholstery shop — Shirai Auto Top Shop — on Alapai Street in the 1920s.

Tadashi Watanabe went on to open his own place, Varsity Top Shop, on Coolidge Street in 1950. (The business was named after the nearby Varsity Theater.) After a few moves to South King Street and then Liona Street, the business settled into its Kalakaua Avenue location in 1957. The building retains its original sheet metal roofing.

Watanabe’s father, Edwin Watanabe, 87, helps keep the books and at one time repaired radios. His uncle, Henry Watanabe, 80, now retired, learned the upholstery trade from Tadashi. Wayne was always underfoot around the shop since he was 7, and along the way he picked up all the knowledge he could from his grandfather and uncle.

"He does better work than I used to do," Henry Watanabe said proudly of his nephew.

Watanabe’s mother, Amy, 87, agrees. "Wayne is very thorough in his work, he does a good job and he’s very generous to customers and to anyone who needs help. From the next-door car wash who needs water, to a bicyclist who has a flat tire — Wayne will help anybody," she said.

Some tips for keeping your upholstery in good shape are to minimize sunlight exposure as much as possible (put a towel over the area if necessary), use upholstery conditioners and keep the surface clean.

Sadly, even though "sustainability" is a buzzword nowadays, "repair" is not. As the economy tightens, customers are putting less priority on cosmetic fixes such as updating seat covers, so the Watanabes are finding it challenging to stay in business after all these years.

Although Wayne Watanabe has no plans to retire soon, he’s well aware the landmark shop may end with his generation. His sons Mark, 27, a student at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, and Lane, 33, who works in a health insurance claims department, have shown no interest in taking over the business.

In the meantime, Watanabe is focusing on providing the best customer service possible at a fair and honest price.

Although Varsity Top Shop specializes in vehicle upholstery, Watanabe recalls a particularly unusual order.

"Once someone brought in a fabric seat from home in the shape of a big shoe for us to reupholster. It even had a high heel!"

Varsity Top Shop, 1701 Kalakaua Ave., 949-7670