Here’s a great quote from English social reformer John Ruskin (1819-1900):
“There is hardly anything in this world that a man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey.
It is stupid to pay too much, but it is still worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose some money; that is all. But when you pay too little, you often lose everything, for the object purchased cannot perform the task it was intended for.”
Now, I like a good bargain just as much as the next person, but I also like to think that I’m a smart enough consumer to know when to spend money and when I can go for the less expensive options.
And here’s why this matters in terms of framing.
For most of our customers, picking out a frame and mats is great fun! Your focus is on color and style and how your choices enhance what you’re framing. And while we relish helping you in this process, we’re also concerned about the quality of our materials, the workmanship of the final product, and the overall value we offer you.
So we choose manufacturers that we trust, who are reliable and have a good reputation in the business. We do that so that you don’t have to worry that your frame will come apart at the seams in only two years. (Yes, it can happen with so called bargain frames!)
With spring almost here, graduation season is just around the corner when proud graduates will receive diplomas that represent much hard work and thousands of tuition dollars. Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many diplomas end up in frames bought at the college bookstore – which usually means no archival mats or backs and frames made of wood pulp or plastic. In a few short years, the whole frame will start to degrade – as will the precious diploma inside! 
One of the biggest mistakes we see is trying to save a few dollars using the wrong glass because light is one of the biggest enemies of anything on paper.. We recommend conservation glass at a minimum and ideally encourage customers to choose museum glass, which eliminates reflection as well as harmful uv rays.
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about any of this because you can come to The Art Shop, where our philosophy is to get it done right the first time! And where you know you will receive the proper recommendations for preserving your treasures. Shown here is a complicated shadowbox that our own Chris Taylor designed and executed.
Most people are emotionally attached to whatever they’re framing; it means something to them. So when framing your most precious treasures, what is the cost of framing against the value of having it last a lifetime – or two? And I suppose it goes without saying that you’ll have much more fun with The Art Shop helping you pick out frames and mats! I mean between playing with our resident dogs, Molly and Emma and watching Gallery Director Andy McAfee perform his juggling act, coming to The Art Shop is a good time!
But as much as we enjoy what we do, we take our framing services very seriously. We appreciate that you trust us with your framing, and so we take the time, and choose the materials, to make sure that your artwork adds pleasure to your home and touches your heart.
And we must be doing a good job because often times we see a few tears when someone sees their finished piece. So when we say that when you pay for quality, you only cry once, we’re talking about tears of joy!
