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Visiting Frame Shops

Jim Miller MCPF GCF

Jim Miller MCPF GCF

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ARTFRAME, Inc.
John Ranes' diary about visiting frame shops along his vacation route brings up an interesting topic. Like John, I try to visit frame shops when I travel out of town and have a car and some spare time.

A few weeks ago Gail and I traveled to Sarasota, Florida for my nephew's wedding. We had about half a day to play between events, so on the spur of the moment we decided to visit a few of the local shops. The first one was closed for lunch. The second shop was out of business. Our third stop was at a one-man shop and he had a customer when we arrived, so we didn't stay. His business card describes him as "The World's Greatest Framer", so I probably would have enjoyed a conversation with him. The third was a one-woman shop. She wasn't busy at the time and we had a pleasant conversation, but she didn't invite us into the back room.

The fifth shop we visited was also a large and busy art supply store, which reminded us of Howard's in Hagerstown, MD. I bought a few pens and then we went downstairs to visit the framers. About five minutes after I rang the bell in the deserted design area, a woman came out and, noticing that we didn't have anything in hand to be framed, asked what we wanted. She was rather abrupt, obviously in a hurry, and not friendly at all, so we didn't stay long.

When we visited my brother's family in Murfreesboro, TN last year, we had a similar experiences. On both of these trips, and on most other visits to out-of-town framers in recent years, the framers seem to be stand-offish and wary, perhaps suspecting that we're there to sell something or ask for donations.

To my knowledge, none of the shops I've chanced to visit in the past couple of years were PPFA members, trade show attendees, or PFM readers. Having daily contact with framers who are industry-involved and friendly, most of the framers I visit seem to be uninformed, isolated, and out-of-touch.

I always welcome visiting framers into my shop, encourage conversation and provide a back-room tour, but not everyone does. If you visit out-of-town framers, what are your experiences? Do you welcome visitors into your shop?
 
You ( any yous) can come by my shop anytime ...not all at once it is small!

I pop in frame shops any time I see one and can.

A group of us popped in on in Lexington KY once and the person at the desk barely acknowledged us and our bet was she was playing solitaire on the computer.
 
I have frequently gotten the cold shoulder when dropping in on other frame shops. Perhaps I look like an industrial spy.

Any of you, however, is welcome in my shop.

Seriously, though, this really gives an insight into the difficulty of bringing all framers under our umbrella. There are going to be lots of folks who will avoid this at any cost....
 
Jim Miller said:
...most of the framers I visit seem to be uninformed, isolated, and out-of-touch.
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During the 28 years I was in business, many framers came and went from my area. Very few of them ever went to a trade show to attend workshops/classes. Most were out of date, out of touch and invented their own methods and only used the cheapest materials. There were a few exceptions.
When I had closed down and was trying to sell some of my preservation quality supplies, like Volara tape, mylar, metalised frame sealing tape, etc, some local framers had no idea what these products were! The one that did know, didn't seem to use them!

Jim Miller said:
I always welcome visiting framers into my shop, encourage conversation and provide a back-room tour, but not everyone does. If you visit out-of-town framers, what are your experiences? Do you welcome visitors into your shop?
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I always did welcome other framers and in most cases invited them into the back room to check things out. It was often a highlight of my day when another framer dropped in.

I think there is a direct relationship between uninformed/out of touch framers and the non-welcoming of other framers to their shops! I'm sure they think someone might learn some of their 'secrets'!
 
One reason a framer does not invite another framer to the backroom is, that they are embarrassed about the state of their workshop, outdated machinery and messiness.
Perhaps this framer thinks the visitors are going to make negative comments about their workshop.

In that case it is better to only visit framers, that are members of PPFA and that a few days before you contact them asking if it is all right to visit. This way the framer has time to clean up the backroom.
 
I always enjoy visiting other shops. One of the most memorable was when I visited a shop in 1989 in Ireland. It was in the back room of a book store. I talked to the framer for about 10 minutes and at the end he asked (in thick Irish brogue): "How do you know all these things?"

He didn't really know much about conservation framing and had a complete lack of understanding archival materials.

We don't too many visits from remote framers, which is surprising given we are in a tourist beach "town". We typically show them around.

Andrew
 
I used to always drop in to a shop or two when travelling, but I don't do it much anymore. I guess coming in empty handed is something of a give away and I never felt welcome. Sometimes the reception bordered on the hostile, particularly if I asked any questions. And I have spent as much as half an hour in a small shop with no one speaking to me, but someone watching with a wary eye from the back room.

This has not been the case when visiting PPFA member shops & I think there must be a connection. I wouldn't mind doing the kind of busman's holiday that John is doing. And I would welcome any framer who asked into my backroom on even my worst day. I figure we all have some less-than-perfect backrooms sometimes. And it's what goes out the front door that really counts.

And just maybe I might hear an idea of how to improve things back there!:smile-new:
 
Hard to imagine framers treating each other that way. I hope they're proud of their behavior. Maybe the PPFA should ask why this type of behavior is so prevalent, and if it encourages such boorishness. I've always encouraged framers to cooperate with one another and to help each other.
 
Paul Cascio said:
Hard to imagine framers treating each other that way. I hope they're proud of their behavior. Maybe the PPFA should ask why this type of behavior is so prevalent, and if it encourages such boorishness. I've always encouraged framers to cooperate with one another and to help each other.
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Honestly Paul,

I think that bad behavior is rare. Over the years, I've had few framers that have not greeted me with open arms during a visit. Typically hosts will ask more questions to the visitor than the guest will... People want to know alternative ways to handle their similar problems and challenges.

We have been invited to see the back room of every framer during our 2014 Road Trip in the shops where we visited. It can happen that someone might be hesitant, but I think that this might occur when the visiting framer is located physically too close and draws some common clientele, or as Kai suggested, they have been caught off guard and the shop isn't clean enough for visitors. :D

Cheers,

John
 
Many just do not know about PPFA, or the online framing community. I found both completely accidentally. And the fella who taught me to frame, had been to one trade show when years ago they were in Orlando. PPFA was a good old fashioned flier, in the mail. And the Grumble was a Google search for equipment adjustments. Both, big time "Rabbet Holes" (Rabbet Holes! SNORT! :laughing:) for me. Also, some of the Framers I chat with in Florida do know the extent of the online camaraderie, or additional help, or the amount of work one can take on as a volunteer. :shame:

Small business has made survivors out of us, and often we don't know there are others, too busy learning to build that metaphorical fire.

As to road-trips, and visits. All for 'em. And I think I would not have been so open, or wary had they happened prior to my connectivity. For real.

AND if anyone should like to stop at Chickie's shop, coffees always at hand, I'll give ya the 35 cent tour, order a pizza and put ya to work.

Jim, I can not believe ANYONE could be so impolite to that charm of yours.

John, I hope you don't take samples apart at every frame shop you visit. It could be off-putting. :smug:
 
My doors are always open, I love to have someone else's opinion and chat about framing and retail. I am always curious to see what other framers are using, vendors, wall and window displays. I was even thinking of having a chapter meeting during the largest art fair in the country is going on on our town in July, it would give a good chance for framers to walk around and check out what artist are framing, where they do their framing ect...
 
I always enjoy visiting other shops if possible when we are in other towns. Most of the time folks have been friendly, or at least not wary or hostile.
We always drop in on Randy when we go to Ann Arbor. And when we go to Chicago we always visit Jay Goltz's suburban store because it is next to a favorite deli. We've also been to Jay's main shop on Clybourne several times. Once I got to chat with Jay for a while, and another time his manager gave us a full tour of the facility, which was great.

My shop visit experiences have been mostly positive (or at least "neutral"), and the shops I've seen range from the impressive, to "I don't see how they can be in business like this in this day and age".

While I don't understand the hesitation among some framers to to welcome visits from other local framers, I guess it doesn't really surprise me either. But if you tell someone upfront that you are a framer from another city (so there is no perceived "industrial espionage" motive), how hard would it be to just be nice and open with a visitor? Running one's own business can be lonely enough in many ways, so why isolate yourself even further by not going to trade shows, reading PFM, or participating on forums? And why not welcome the chance to converse with someone who has common interests? I don't get it.

:noidea: Rick
 
I certainly would welcome anyone, but I would like a phone call first! The reason is I work by appointment, and I may be taking someone to a doctor's appointment, and not be in. Janet might be there, but she does not do any framing, or talk to customers about framing. And she doesn't want anyone in, unless I am there too.

Janet mentioned that someone came by a few days ago and asked for someone (not me), then asked if they knew someone else (not me or any name I was familiar with), and then said they were looking for someone gray. He was not invited in, but if per chance he was another framer, I would certainly liked to have talked to him.
 
I am always open to visitors local or from a distance. Only when I am working on a dead line will cut anyone short. When I travel If I see a shop I will stop if I have time. In the past if they are not PPFA members I would recommend they join.
Most are friendly and few very stand offish.
 
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