Artists Frame Service

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.