IT STARTED
WITH A SOFA.
From an Italian immigrant building sofa frames in 1920s New York to four generations of family craftsmanship and ingenuity.
Z BROTHERS · EST. 1969
Antonio “Tony” Zeolla — first-generation furniture craftsman.
THE 1920s · FIRST GENERATION
From Italy to New York
In the 1920s, a young man named Antonio “Tony” Zeolla boarded a ship in Naples, Italy bound for America. He arrived at Ellis Island unable to speak English, but eager to work and build a life in his new country.
Tony found work in a factory manufacturing frames for high-end sofas. There, he learned furniture construction from the inside out.
After years of perfecting his craft, Tony took a leap of faith and opened his own furniture business in New York City. He designed, built and upholstered custom sofas that were sold through his own store.
He couldn't have known it then, but the skills he learned building those sofas would become the foundation of a family business that would continue for generations.
Anthony Zeolla’s Roman Art Furniture Frame Corp. business card.
A custom sofa handcrafted by Antonio Zeolla.
“He learned furniture from the inside out.”
SECOND GENERATION · 1969
Vintage family photograph of Antonio “Tony” Zeolla with his sons and relatives at a backyard gathering.
From Furniture Making to Furniture Moving
Tony’s three sons—Joseph, John and Anthony Zeolla—grew up around their father’s furniture business. As boys, they spent time in the store, absorbing their father’s craftsmanship, work ethic and determination.
Joe eventually took those lessons in a new direction. Living in the Bronx, he started A-Z Trucking, delivering furniture throughout New York and building relationships with leading furniture retailers.
Then, in 1969, Z Brothers was born.
Joe joined forces with his brothers, and each brought a different skill to the growing family business.
A FAMILY BUSINESS FROM THE START
When the Job Had to Get Done
Like many family businesses, Z Brothers was built through moments that required everyone to step in.
Early in Joe’s trucking career, his business partner unexpectedly walked away—leaving Joe with a fully loaded truck of furniture and a day of deliveries that still had to be completed.
His wife, Diane, heard what happened. With an infant and a two-year-old at home, she arranged for the children to be watched, climbed into the truck and helped Joe complete the deliveries.
There was furniture on the truck. Customers were waiting. The job had been promised, and the job was going to get done.
“The job had been promised. The job was going to get done.”
Joseph and Diane Zeolla on their wedding day.
THE Z BROTHERS
Three Brothers. Three Strengths.
When Joe brought his brothers into the business, each contributed a different skill. Together, those skills helped transform a family trucking operation into a growing furniture service company.
Joe, John and Anthony Zeolla in the early years of the family business.
JOSEPH “JOE” ZEOLLA
The Entrepreneur
Joe turned the family’s furniture knowledge into a business of his own, delivering furniture throughout New York and building relationships with leading retailers. In 1969, he founded Z Brothers with his brothers, combining furniture expertise, transportation and a drive to build something of their own.
JOHN “JOHNNY” ZEOLLA
The Mechanic
A skilled mechanic, John kept Z Brothers’ growing fleet of trucks and vans on the road. He later became Foreman Mechanic for NYPD Highway Patrol Unit 1 in the Bronx, while continuing to lend his mechanical expertise to the family business.
ANTHONY “TONY” ZEOLLA
The Engineer
An engineer who later became Project Manager at Kraft Foods/Maxwell House, Anthony brought technology into the family business. In 1992, he developed an internal computer scheduling system that improved routing and helped Z Brothers expand efficiently.
The Z Brothers, together again decades later — Joe, John and Anthony Zeolla.
THE 1970s · A NEW SPECIALTY
The Service That Changed Everything
In the 1970s, Z Brothers added KD—“knock-down”—services, developing a specialized solution for furniture that simply couldn't fit into its destination.
Drawing on generations of furniture construction knowledge, the team learned to carefully disassemble pieces, move them through difficult doorways, stairways and tight spaces, and professionally reassemble them inside.
Z Brothers began working with decorators, interior designers and furniture retailers, providing a highly specialized service that quickly became an important part of the business.
The demand grew. At its height, Z Brothers operated with eight teams of technicians, four trucks, four vans, a warehouse and a repair shop.
A Z Brothers technician performing a KD (knock-down), the specialized service that became a cornerstone of the family business.
“We knew how furniture was built. So we knew how to take it apart—and put it back together.”
THIRD GENERATION · TODAY
Meet Joseph “Joey” Zeolla
Third-Generation Furniture Specialist
Joey with his father, Joe Zeolla, who introduced him to the family business from an early age.
Joey's education in the family business started long before he was old enough to drive one of its trucks. As a young boy, he would go to work with his father, Joe, starting with the simplest job he could handle: carrying the cushions.
As he grew older, so did his responsibilities. He learned the business firsthand from his father and eventually earned a truck of his own. Part of his responsibility became training new technicians, while his work focused primarily on the specialized KD—or knock-down—services that had become a cornerstone of Z Brothers.
For most of his career, Joey was in the field traveling from job to job throughout New York and personally handeling the difficult furniture problems Z Brothers had become known for.
5 A.M. TO 10 P.M. For decades, that was simply a days work.
That lifetime of hands-on experience is now just as valuable on the other end of the phone.
Today, Joey oversees much of the scheduling and speaks directly with customers about their furniture and the challenges they're facing. He explains how the process works, determines what a job may require, and reassures customers who are understandably nervous about having a valuable piece of furniture taken apart.
When Joey tells a customer that a piece can be safely disassembled and rebuilt, he's not reading from a service manual.
Joey with his grandfather Antonio “Tony” Zeolla — the first and third generations of the family’s furniture tradition.
“He's speaking from a lifetime. of doing it himself.”
FOURTH GENERATION · THE STORY CONTINUES
Keeping It in the Family
Today, the fourth generation has begun finding its place in Z Brothers.
Heather Zeolla, Joey's daughter, works behind the scenes managing customer relations and office operations. From answering inquiries and coordinating customers to helping modernize how the company communicates and presents itself, her role brings a new set of skills to a business that has always evolved with each generation.
She may not be the one taking the furniture apart, but she's continuing a family tradition that began more than a century ago: each generation finding its own way to help move Z Brothers forward.
MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF Z BROTHERS
The Furniture Has Changed. The Knowledge Hasn't.
The Furniture Has Changed. The Knowledge Hasn't.
More than a century after Antonio Zeolla first learned to build sofa frames, that understanding of how furniture is constructed still influences the way Z Brothers approaches every job.
The pieces have changed. The buildings have changed. The tools have changed. But the problem-solving has been passed from one generation to the next.
Today, Z Brothers works with homeowners, interior designers, furniture retailers and moving professionals throughout New York City and the tri-state area—solving the same basic problem the family has built its reputation around:
When the furniture doesn't fit, we find a way.
GENERATIONS OF EXPERIENCE. ONE DIFFICULT PIECE AT A TIME.
Have Furniture That Won’t Fit?
Send us a photo of your furniture and the problem area. We’ll take a look and let you know how Z Brothers can help.