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Hi Everyone. As if running your own business doesn't keep you busy enough, I've gone and got myself accepted onto a PhD programme of study where I'm investigating the factors affecting the framing trade.
Here's where I need your help. Of all of the stakeholders in the framing trade (and no, I don't mean those delicious big hunks of beef grilled and served with fried onions), who do YOU think holds the power in the trade? Who do we all follow? I always thought that it was the big suppliers such as Larson Juhl but I've had my eyes opened to other possibilities during my research.
Without us framers the big suppliers would have no customers and of course we are dependant on them too. I think that it works both ways. As one who does a lot of hand finishing and also stacked mouldings, together with a bit of machining various bits of wood to make up sections that fit between two different mouldings stacked to make a larger frame profile. I can easily appreciate the fact that there are instances where some frames are completed without needing mouldings to be supplied by a normal framing suppliers.
Some picture frame makers still produce picture frames in the time honoured way from bygone years, where there picture frame hand crafted the moulding before making the frame became a possibility. We have a number of members on this furum who do just that and also prepare these frames with gesso, bole and gold leaf. Factory produced and factory finished mouldings are only one aspect of this market.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
What a great post, should get a really good response.
IMHO whilst the big suppliers have a definite part to play, there are many more sources out there
There is a whole range of influencers.
In no particular order
I see the custom picture industry more as a sub-category of home decor industry. As a very small segment of the home decor industry (only less than 5% have visited a custom framer), we take the lead from the giant gorilla.