January 17th, 2010

January 17th, 2010

Brian's Blog has one real purpose:  To keep you up-to-date on the latest in framing design ideas and what we're doing here at Flax Art & Frame to improve our expertise and service.  While there is strong temptation to pontificate on current events, politics, religion and business in general, nobody really cares what I think about those things. It is not our intention to alienate our past, present and future clients. Rather, we would like to remind you why you came to us in the first place or why you should consider doing so if you have not done so already.

One thing we have found over the past several years, since our website was built, is that there are a lot of people out there across the country who would like to have a framing project undertaken by somebody who understands what they want. Unfortunately, the ability to communicate that is sometimes not there, or they just don't know how to start. I get inquiries from people out of town who have no intention of coming into my Chicago shop to have framing done or a canvas stretched. Yet, they reach out to ask me what they should do or what I recommend. Knowing this, I answer their inquiries anyway, hoping that even if we don't generate any business from it, perhaps we will build our brand in some small way. No inquiry is too dumb, no question to trivial. We answer them all.

VISITING A FRAME SHOP

One statistic that I have heard within the framing industry is that fewer than 10% of all households have ever visited a framing shop. I suppose this shouldn't be so shocking if you consider how many people have ordered a custom-upholstered couch relative to walking into Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Ethan Allen or some other national furniture chain and bought a couch, as is shown, on the sales floor (though I should note that many of these entities do offer a selection of fabrics, not just the one on the floor). 

This accounts for the sticker shock that afflicts many clients who frame for the first time and have no conception of what it takes to build something to order from scratch.  Interestingly enough, there are also a large number of people who had not framed before but, when told what the project would cost, will say, "Oh, that's not as bad as I thought it would be!" Clearly, they had a pre-conceived notion based upon somebody else's framing experience. What's a framer to do? 

This recession has been tough on our industry and record numbers of small frame shops have closed up over the past few years. Perhaps, these shops are the ones who limited themselves to just one way of framing, didn't charge enough for their work or who failed to listen carefully to their customers. I am sure the reasons are myriad, but I know that I learned a valuable lesson long ago from my late father, Alvin Flax, when I first came into his business at age 15. He said: "Your customers will tell you everything you need to know."

Designing a picture framing project is like solving a puzzle: All the pieces have to fit together in a harmonious and pleasing way. We enjoy a challenge, be it simple or complex. 

We are here to listen to you and to solve your framing puzzles.

SPEAKING OF PUZZLES

Speaking of puzzles, we got an inquiry the other day from a gentleman who had a large jigsaw puzzle (about 36 x 48) who was interested in framing it, but had no idea how to go about it. He wanted to know if we glue them down and how should he transport it to us. Here's what we told him:

(1) We have a 40 x 60, self-adhesive foam board product from Crescent Cardboard called Perfect Mount Foam Board that he can use to stick the puzzle down before bringing it in to us. 

(2) If he is not willing or able to use this product, then we recommend he use Sobo or Elmer's white glue to adhere the puzzle pieces to a piece of heavyweight mounting board available from your local art supplier.

(3) If he wants us to do it all, then he will need to transport the puzzle to us, probably in four,  18 x 24 sections sandwiched tightly between two sheets of stiff board and taped on the edges all around. The four "sandwiches" should be transported flat (horizontally) and not turned on edge. Putting a weight on the stack of sandwiches while being transported in the car would be a good idea as well.

(4) I did advise him that he would need to be present when we stick the four sections down so that we know in which  sequence they should be assembled. Since this requires a fair amount of shop time, we would charge for that service by the hour and add that expense to the total cost of the framing. 

You really cannot rely on the weight of the glass to keep the puzzle pieces together. They must be glued down to a board if they are to be framed. 

WEST COAST ART & FRAME SHOW

Fairly soon, I will head off to the West Coast Art & Frame show in Las Vegas. I go to this show every couple of years to learn about new framing tools, industry trends, picture framing mouldings and to network with my industry colleagues. This show really energizes me and helps to remind me of why I am a picture framer. It recharges my optimism batteries and helps me to do the same for my staff. 

When I return, I will recount some of the interesting things I saw at the show that I know would appeal to my framing clients. 

R.I.P VIVIAN KISTLER

We were deeply saddened to learn the Vivian Kistler, MCPF, GCF passed away recently. She was a very well-known educator and framer within our industry who taught framing techniques at every framing trade show you could imagine. She was a tireless traveler and very sage framer who unselfishly gave of herself to her industry for many years. Our shop manager took some classes of hers last January at the WCAF show in Vegas and came back all excited after listening to Vivian. She will be missed. A lot. 

CONTACT US

As always, if you have any questions about anything on our website, or would like to make a comment about anything appearing in this blog, simply go to the contact us form and email us. Thanks for visiting.