Today we’d like to introduce you to Cliff Wilson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cliff. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was in “High Tech” for 25 years and decided I wanted a change. I had been painting and had my art hanging in a gallery for a few years, as well as experience in Color Management with Eastman Kodak and other relevant experience. After some investigation, a Frame Shop with a small Art Gallery seemed like the ideal fit.
That was 15 years ago and we’re still growing.
Framed In Tatnuck has 2 Master Certified Picture Framers (MCPF) on staff. There are only 3 in New England and fewer than 70 worldwide. We offer everything from a Frugal Framing system that beats EVERYONE on price to 22k Gold Leaf frames that are all hand finished and hand carved. Even our Frugal Framing meets high conservation and quality standards.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like every new business it takes time to establish a reputation and become visible in the community. Cash flow during the first few years is always a struggle and we needed to be prepared for it and manage it.
We studied and implemented nationally recognized marketing and merchandising techniques. It took us a while to adjust our offering to the clients that were coming into our shop. The Frugal Framing Package system was one of those implementations and it helped us grow during the recession that closed many frame shops.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Framed In Tatnuck story. Tell us more about the business.
We offer all forms of Custom Framing. From simple pictures to complex shadowboxes. We have 2 Master Certified Picture Framers on staff and we do everything by high conservation standards while maintaining very competitive pricing. We stay on top of changes in product offerings and the industry. We teach many framing classes for the New England Professional Picture Framer’s Association as well as the International Picture Framer’s Convention. We designed a multi-door, multi-sided, frame system for framing antique documents that protects them while making them available to museum attendees. We received a “Best in Show” for this design at the International Convention. We have placed in many framing competitions and have placed first in the world a few years ago. (We’ve been tasked as judges since then, hence haven’t had another win.)
Our custom framing options range from the most price competitive to the most complicated shadowbox designs. Customers come to us from Maine to Albany for our unique talents and other frame shops send refer the customers with difficult problems to us.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
A number of Big Box stores opened over the last couple of decades and have convinced consumers with their always on sale coupons that Independent Framer’s are expensive. In most situations, the independent Framer is not only competitive, but beats their couponed prices. (We certainly do.) We are seeing a number of online websites making similar miss-leading pitches to consumers. It is going to get harder for the Independent Frame Shops with more limited budgets to counteract this onslaught.
The Independents, in most cases, are better trained, with more visual and technical talent than the large Big Box or online Retailers, yet the consumer isn’t informed well enough to understand the difference. There is a lot that goes into picture framing that the viewer CAN’T SEE. So, if it looks good they think it is good, even when very bad things may be going on that can’t be seen.
Pricing:
- Custom Framing Staring as low as $39.95 with a single mat and ready to hang.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1099 Pleasant Street
- Website: www.FramedInTanuck.com
- Phone: 508 770-1270
- Email: info@framedintatnuck.com
- Instagram: @framedintatnuck
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FramedInTatnuck/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/framed-in-tatnuck-worcester
Image Credit:
Julia Baronowski
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
