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65 exotic now," Peter says, "but back then they were just another client — a nice client to have, of course." Work for the royal family ended in the 1970s, but the heavy bronze plaques designating Goodchild's royal appointments were handed down and now hang in the entry of Peter's Dallas Design District showroom. T he Goodchild family business celebrates its 111th anniversary this year and owes it origins to the horsehair mattress — once a staple of English households. Albert learned to expertly reweave mattresses for wealthy clients, and as business grew, Goodchild's expanded into other aspects related to the upkeep of a fine household: horsehair upholstery, draperies, carpet installation, upholstered wallcoverings, painting, cabinet making, and French polishing. The best tradesmen and seamstresses worked for Goodchild's, and many of the tools used by his top cabinetmaker, George Spicer, have been handed down. "I still use those tools in my workshop," says Peter, who was 15 when he became an apprentice cabinetmaker, learning to carve wood, build furniture, and restore antiques using centuries- old techniques. His father taught him the basics of upholstery and French polishing, a time-consuming wood-finishing technique that uses many thin coats of shellac, applied and burnished by hand. The business may have been anchored in England, but the lure of America drew Peter, then in his 20s, across the pond. "I just wanted to be in America in any shape or form," he says. After visiting a cousin in Dallas, he put down roots, taking odd jobs and woodworking gigs. In 1997, with his father nearing retirement back in England, Peter bought a large warehouse on Dragon Street and hung the family shingle. Peter's wife, Karen Goodchild, manages the business side of things, while he relies on help from two full-time craftsmen, including a French polisher who has worked for him for 25 years. The techniques and varnishes are the same ones used in England for more than 200 years, and the strict allegiance to the Antique horsehair chair under reconstruction. Tools of the trade: Brushes made in England from badger and squirrel bristles, along with natural varnishes Peter Goodchild old ways has built the business' sterling reputation in Dallas. "I never run into anyone who does what I do," says Peter, one of the few craftsmen in the country trained to work in the ancient ways. Most are on the East Coast, and it's a dying trade in England, too, where young people are no longer interested in years-long apprenticeships. Still, the need for such special- ized skills hasn't disappeared. Goodchild's clients include collectors who require antiques to be repaired to protect the value; insurance companies; interior designers and architects with custom requests; and the general public, with furniture or paneling that needs refinishing. "We can do small jobs like fix a wobbly chair — or build a whole room for you," he says. One of Peter's specialties is making English 18th- and 19th-century wood-paneled rooms in mahogany, walnut, oak, and reclaimed pine. "I use authentic finishes so it doesn't look and feel new," he says. Goodchild's has worked on important historic buildings around town, including the 1936 Dorothy Draper-designed penthouse at the Stoneleigh Hotel, which was redone in 2009. He restored and remade furniture at the