where do you frame?

[markw]

Its fascinating to read between the lines on some of the posts - Johns recent post asking for advice on lighting was full of descriptions of gallery space - questions on dust lead us to imagine the sand blowing into underpinners workshop - Cardigan Bay must have been stunning this week.
My workshop / gallery is based in an old pub in the Cotswolds. In this recent hot period its been wonderfully cool - the walls are 3 feet thick - the ceilings low and the windows - well they were designed for a pub not a gallery and are very small - but it has a good atmosphere and my customers seem to like it. Of course like many very old buildings its supposed to have a ghost - The cellar has a well in the corner and a drunken landlord was once said to have fallen in and drowned, he's never bothered me and i only sense a happy building.

Johns post (see "lighting") talks about not putting off his framing customers by presumably making his gallery space too smart - In my experience its an important factor with framing that we have to encourage customers to come in through the door - and for some a smart gallery space puts them off. although my workshop is in the back room (bar) i like to take work to the front shop - gallery space - I make a point of welcoming everyone who comes through my door and asking them if i can help them - if they want to browse then i try not to be to intrusive, but keep an eye out for that tell tail sign to sell. I still find it bazaar that despite a wall full of sample chevrons - signs on my windows and me working at a bench i am still asked if I frame pictures - or - despite walls full of images - oh its only a framers. the conclusion being that you can try your best but you will never get it right for everyone. I suppose i ought to be thankfull that they dont come in and demand a pint of best.

[Merlin]

This could be an interesting thread. Well done.
We have a retail outlet on a High St in SW Cornwall.
Cold and extremely windy in Winter, in fact a constant 30mph as the minimum blows across The Lizard peninsular. Summer and full of frustrated tourists from the big cities, who just cannot understand that the farmers have to make a living as well and do need to take their tractors on the roads and can only do 25-30mph. We love them really ~ the tourists that is!!!
On one side our picture wall is some 30ft long and covered in some 40 different style of pictures. Although just on 1/3rd of the wall is Aviation prints.
The other half of the shop is allocated to Needle Art craft.. ie X stitch and Tapestries. A very good side line and of course the rake off is framing the finished pieces.
Unfortunately the work shops are small, one 'clean' - for the putting together of the frame, glass etc.... cutting the mounts with one straight and one oval cutter. The other is the 'dirty' workshop. with the Morso and underpinner, plus the racking of length moulding.
Due to limited storage space we can only carry some 100 length mouldings. we use chop on about 50 wood and 25 or so Aluminium.
Plus about 100 various mountboards. Float Glass and non reflective Glass only. in stock and only 20 sheets of each.

But it works and works very well.. Tidyness is the big thing and with that goes the cleanliness.
Yes we still get those 'lovely' customers who ask if we do framing. The Chevron board is directly in front of the door.. In fact I will get the camera working and hopefully post some shots on here.
I will not immediately attack a customer, let them browse, like MarkW, you quickly learn when the tell tale 'help' sign goes out, then I pounce.
We have been asked if we sell lampshades, Knitting machines and once was even asked where in the shop was the millinery department.

The mind boggles, but that is what makes it all the more fun. Just wandering what or who is coming through the door next and what the question will be this time...

[John]

Could be a fascinating thread Mark.

I like John’s idea about photographs. For anyone without their own webspace I would be happy to put up their pictures so that they can be viewed by all. Unfortunately I will not be able to contribute my own snaps as our new premises are still being fitted out and will not be ready for a couple of weeks.

Our best customer incident was when an old dear walked the full length of our gallery, right up to the counter, and asked me if her glasses were ready.

[markw]

A good sense of humour seems to be a neccesity for any owner business - my favourite incedent was a customers dog "crapping" on my workshop floor - a moulding rep with a keen sense of humour was standing in the background waiting for the customer to finish - upon seeing the dog do its business he commented - " i see you take a small deposite" I laughed untill it hurt. The rep writes an article in the picture business (MR E Rep) and it duly appeared in the next issue. The dogs owner is a good customer - but i keep a carefull eye on the dog - just in case.

[SquareFrames]

Hi All,

In reply to MarkW's, yes a good sense of humour is definately required, but also a great deal of patience, expecially when people come in and ask 'Do you do framing' or 'Can you give me a price on something, that size' (making a sqaure with their hands in mid air).

I have a 3 floor building, a gallery on the ground floor, the 2nd floor workshop, where I make all the frames, cut glass, mounts, etc. and a clean area for assembly, and the 3rd floor is where I do all, what I call my 'dirty' work, like hand finished moulding and mounts, and also hold my hand finished frames / mounts courses. Pete Bingham recently held a course comprising of himself and 8 other framers.

I used to do all on the top floor, and until recently had 2 galleries, but due to a slow downturn in original art sales and glass suppliers were loathe to carry the glass /mdf up onto it, as the stairs curved back on themselves, so changes were made to accomodate both them, and us. Well, saves me carrying it, doesnt it? I always thought it a bit silly to carry all the materials up to the 3rd floor, cut them, assemble them and carry it all the way back down, everythings is working fine now.

I use the most engenious (I think) system for detecting people coming into the shop whilst working on the 3rd floor, which is......a B/W monitor (ex snooker hall machine), directed at the door, and can see all the gallery floor (no black spots) and wait for it..........a baby alarm, and boy does it pick up the slightest sound, you miss nothing when its on.

If I had to do it all again and move premises, definately try to get everything onto 1 floor, but premises with that type of square footage on one floor are at a premium in my town.

Steven

[reynard]

I work in a basement of an old Georgian building in town.So its been nice and cool during this humid spell of weather.I am quite sheltered as well during the winter and only have a draughty time of it when there is a north easterly wind.

I work out of just over a thousand square feet which isnt really big enough but I make do.

[SquareFrames]

hi reynard,

Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy the banter.

Its always the same, we framers never have enough space, room for storage, room for the stuff not collected, but like you say, we make do, so size doesnt matter!

Steven

[Cornish Framer]

We are a gallery, framers and artist studio, (two artists). The building is a converted barn, granite construction, so cool in the summer, warm in the winter. The building used to be a butchers shop for 35 years, so we had to do a lot of cleaning up and put in heating. Also had to add a staircase internally so as to open up the upstairs as a large gallery space. We have a false wall upstairs behind which we store all mouldings upright in racks (there is lots of height up to the rafters). Downstairs is a main stable door into the shop area which sells arts, crafts, gifts, prints and small originals, also displaying chevrons, near to cash desk. Then a half door leads into a small workshop area where the morso, underpinner and assembly desk are. This is out of bounds to the public but because of the half door they can watch what goes on and I can keep an eye on the shop easily. Then a smaller room leads off this where we cut glass and mounts. The artist studio is mobile (an easel) and is either in the upstairs gallery, at the cash desk, or in the workshop depending on the day!
Some of our funniest and extremely regular comments:
* "Can I go upstairs?" (having stood reading the large bold sign saying "LOTS MORE UPSTAIRS!")
* "Do you make all of these?" refering to all of the paintings, glassware, crafts etc. Tempting reply is, "Oh yes, I am a genius, I even sign the work with fifty different names just to confuse you!"
* "How much does a frame cost?" When given the reply " It depends on how big you want it, which moulding, whether glazed etc. " the customer will often look quite supprised that there isn't one price for all.
There are many more which I'm sure everyone has similar experiences of. I reckon there is a sitcom hidden in this industry waiting to be written sometime.
Happy Framing!

[markw]

cornish framer
your gallery sounds rather interesting - i always think that i am very lucky to work in a nice old building - same as you the thick walls keep me cool summer - warm winter - and never disturbed by mobile phones.
Being on holiday in Cornwall at present i am sure like framers everywhere i look in every gallery window - at the frames. Cornwall is always a great source of inspiration - i have seen some wonderful rough wood frames - lots of washed wood - always something different.

hope your having a good summer.

[PeterC]

My framing studio is in a quite busy tourist area.I built a new studio in1998 with an upstairs gallery. Up until this I ran a gallery and framing studio on one of the two streets in our town. B & B's abounded. One sunny summers day the door flew open and an elderly out of breath lady stormed in dragging a suitcase. ' I need a room!' she demanded. Despite the signs outside and on the windows she assumed we were a B&B. When I explained her mistake she muttered 'Bloody typical!' and dragged her bag out the door again.

[John]

Hi PeterC,

So it's not just me then...

In my experience jut about nobody reads signs.

This was bourne out beautifully by my father, who is forever telling me that I should put up more signs, when he saw a framed before-and-after example of our photo restoration which had just gone up in the gallery. He launched into a lecture about the virtues of a well placed notice with a few words of explaination, and totally ignored our sign which was adjacent to the picture and written in a large bold font.