Artists Frame Service

Opening in movie theaters next Friday, scenes for “Public Enemies”  were filmed in Chicago last summer.  We are proud to have framed most of the things hanging on the walls in the movie.

We have been asked stranger framing questions over the years, but the set decorators for the production needed to know how our frames stood up to gunfire.  We worked with them to choose frames of the right period but also of the right type of wood to allow for a lot of dramatic splintering when shot with a bullet. Did you know that a hard wood frame, like a solid maple or walnut will stop a bullet dead in it’s tracks? Did you know that movies use their own special effects type of glass that shatters just so?

While you are watching the film, be sure to notice all the nice Remington style framed prints and all the logistical maps and charts in the FBI offices. We framed one print four seperate times so they could get multiple takes of the room during a gunfight.

It will make us wince to see our hard work being  blown into a million pieces by Public Enemy Number One.  However, as our credo states ”We don’t want our customers satisfied – We want them thrilled!” And if that includes bullet holes, then so be it.

Extra Extra! Second City Entrepreneur Makes Front Page of New York Times Website!

We didn’t think too much about it at first when Jay started making frequent trips to New York City. He has a son in film school at NYU and it’s nice for fathers and sons to spend time together. But it turns out he has been working on a special project and today his secret ulterior motive is revealed. Jay is now blogging about the triumphs, trials and tribulations of small business for the New York Times!

Read all about it here: http://tinyurl.com/mjxmpz

We carry this super unique line of frames from a small company in Idaho. (Yes, that’s right. Idaho.) Just pick the size, shape, color and pattern and they whip up a custom frame out of a solid sheet of acrylic to compliment the artwork.  We have found occasion to use these frames not only for fun vivid art, but serious things too, like magazine articles and even an Andy Warhol print. I don’t think we’ve ever sold the same combination twice. It’s a thrill to have a true one-of-a-kind artisan made frame hanging on your wall!

A customer’s map of Beijing with all the highlights circled. This frame is crazy, but perfect for the art!  

Jay Goltz on the cover of Inc. Magazine! Only the best for our fearless leader.

This baby shower invitation and polka dot frame are like two peas in a pod!

The outside edges of this frame are curved in like the dog’s curvy ears. He’s no square.

Come in and design one for your very own! (Your own private Idaho.) It’s Plastic Fantastic!

…of course of course…unless it’s badly framed. It’s yard sale season! You may find a treasure like this horse print while combing through your neighbors’ trash. This handsome fellow was put out to pasture but there’s life in him yet.

I’m sure this frame fantasy in teal, gold and cherry wood matched somebody’s couch at some point but it desperately needs a modern makeover.

With a new mat and a frame from our value section, we didn’t spend a lot on the art or the frame and now we have a chic new piece for our equestrian collection.  Transform trashy treasures into proven winners with a new frame job!

It’s been over 100 days since the last Obama-centric post. Being the enterprising entreprenuer that he is, Jay is spread a little thin these days. In addition to running his businesses and his full schedule of speeches to business groups, he is now writing articles for Fortune Small Business which are featured at www.CNNMoney.com . Not updating a blog very often can lead to a low approval rating which is why the Artists Frame Service sales staff is taking over the blog. We have lots to say about framing, design and art. We are insightful and entertaining. We like what we do and we want to share it with you. Stay tuned!

What our customers bring in to have framed is a reflection of trends in art and also important events in their lives that are deemed worth preserving. We get an extra boom of business whenever there is something of note that affects Chicago as a whole. Here is a long time, Artists Frame Service manager’s take on the Obama election memorabilia framing craze.

When I first started working at AFS it was the Bulls “3-Peat” that had people framing. I framed countless dream team jerseys, signed basketballs, tickets, posters and front-page headlines. And then the “repeat three-peat” brought a second round. Then we had a parade of Sosa signed bats and balls and photographs of Sammy landing on home plate while waving his love to the stands – a grand slam for Chicago framers.

This past summer we were hopeful that either the Cubs or the Sox would deliver us a pennant. I don’t know if it was the ghost of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow or the alleged goat curse but neither team was able to make it to the finish line. Wait till next year.

There is one big 2008 event that our customers are choosing to commemorate this year, the election of our 44th president. People are bringing us their items from the campaign for framing to preserve a part of history for themselves, their friends and families.

I am impressed by the volume and range of Obama images being collected. Along with the front-page newspapers and campaign paraphernalia, we are also framing Obama-inspired fine art prints and posters. The art community is inspired to spread Obama’s messages of hope and change in creative ways. Some pieces are individual expressions and others were sold en masse with profits going to the campaign.

For more info on Obama inspired art visit:
The Obama Art Report
Artists For Obama
The Art of Obama

Wow! There’s been a lot of change – that’s been a big theme lately.

Clybourn used to be an abandoned factory district and a drag race mecca on weekends. Picture frame materials have become more sophisticated, and conservation has become far more understood and popular. More significantly the customers have changed. I can remember being in a business group 25 years ago and many people had a hard time understanding what I did for a living – frame pictures. The world has become more home-furnishing oriented and custom picture framing has taken on a more important role. Many people now recognize that as they move to a new house or change furnishings, a well framed picture can follow you from house to house and room to room.

Here’s my thought of the day: it’s a great idea to write a message on the back of the framing. Write the date. Maybe the occasion. Or a message. A framed picture that your kid made in 6th grade or a photograph at a baseball game will have special meaning in 30 years. Framed items frequently become heirlooms.

My informal study has shown that there are three things that everybody in America wonders about. One is the never ending question of who killed Kennedy. Was it the mafia? The CIA? Cuba? The more recent question is why are gas prices so high? Is it a conspiracy? Price manipulation? Greedy oil companies? And lastly the big thing that everyone is pondering is why is picture framing so expensive? Ouch! I’m not at liberty to give you the answers to the first two questions, but I can answer the last one (does that surprise you?).

First of all, it’s about perspective. Let’s say that a typical custom picture framing job is in the two hundred and some dollar range. Compared to buying something off the shelf in a discount store, mass produced in China, yes…it seems expensive. The fact is, it wasn’t mass-produced in China; it was custom made to your specifications. The picture frame moulding is made of wood and probably has a somewhat sophisticated finish. The mat board is probably of a higher quality and is most likely acid free. And the glass is probably a higher quality – maybe with UV filtering. The fact is, picture framing is not brain surgery, but it’s also not as simple as washing your car. To do it well requires a design sense and a skill to cut everything properly, put it together and attach the art in such a way as to not damage it. It takes time to learn these skills and in some cases, the skills are innate. As much as we try to keep our costs down by buying direct, there still are labor costs that we can’t do anything about.

The reality is that most people are not used to buying a product that’s custom made. If you go into Nordstrom’s to buy a good tie, it could very easily be in the $125 range. Made of nice fabric. Mass produced. Probably 10 minutes worth of time put into it. The typical frame job takes an hour and a quarter. Many people have become accustomed to paying $125 for a tie because it is what it is – along with everything else we buy, including clothes, plumbing and car repair.

Here’s the most important thing: framing is one of the very few things you can spend money on that’s going to be in your possession in twenty years. And can, quite possibly, go on to the next generation.

One mystery solved. Two more to go!

I have hired hundreds of people over the years. In the beginning I had no clue what I was doing. I eventually figured out this is an unusual company to hire for. I have always respected the fact that I am dealing with art and the people designing the framing should understand art. I also know that designing framing requires creative abilities. The obvious solution is to hire artists. That would probably be half right. I have learned that the artistic people I hire also have to understand and respect business – use a computer, follow proper procedures, honor deadlines, take care of customer requests, have professional business behavior.

You’ll notice that Artists Frame Service employees don’t casually walk in five or ten minutes after 9:00 and then leave their coffee cups on the counter. They are competent on the computer. They understand the responsibilities of working in a retail environment. While they might be free spirits, each in their own right, they are also business people. I take a little credit for giving them some business skills, but more credit goes to genetics and childhood development. I always make sure I thank parents when I meet them for creating such a wonderful, well-balanced person.

The average person in the showroom has been with the company for 8 years, in an industry where 8 months is a victory. It works for me. It works for them. And ultimately it works for the customer.