Business Focus: Frame De Art II, Englewood
by: YourHub.com 1/17/2011
Interview with Brian Hart, owner
How did you get involved in this business?
I have always loved art. In college I had no furniture, but my walls were full of great pictures that were framed. I decided then to get into the framing business and worked for six months without any pay to learn the business. I probably went to every framing store in town to learn what worked and what didn’t, then took out a small loan with my mother and just went for it. We opened next to the University of Denver, and stayed there for 16 years until we bought a building on Broadway four years ago.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
Since the first day we opened 20 years ago, it has been a priority to give back to the community and get involved with as many business chambers, charities, and neighborhoods as possible. I really believe in the saying, what goes around comes around, and have tried to run all aspects of my business this way. We also stay ahead of the trends with the latest tools and designs available for the framing industry, such as a computerized matt cutter, and a visualization software that shows what your framing will look like before it is even framed.
What do you like best about your line of work?
Getting to meet all our incredible customers and framing what is important to them. Every day is a new opportunity to see what our clients will bring in to capture their memories. Whether it is a jersey from a favorite player, a family photo, or a large corporate order, there is always a special story behind the piece we are framing. Owning and operating a small business which allows to work on every part of our company is very rewarding, the sky is the limit. Making a difference in the community and our customers is very important to us.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
The perception that the large chain frame stores “50 percent off coupons” are a better deal than ours, a smaller but very customer-friendly frame store, when in fact nine times out of 10, we are actually less expensive. I encourage people to go to those stores, and then come see us. They’ll see that our product is better quality, we provide a higher level of service, better turnaround time, and all-around better value.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
I opened Frame de Art in 1991, so we are celebrating our 20th year in business this March. Last year was our busiest year in 20 years, and were able to hire two more people even in this recession. We don’t take anything for granted and appreciate every day we are in business for the opportunity to help our customers. We have just been selected to do the framing for the governor’s inauguration.
