To me, the Guild’s Four Levels of Framing are about protection. It’s logical that items of higher intrinsic or sentimental value should be framed in a way that offers them better long term protection than those of lower value. For example, an inexpensive print with no sentimental value probably doesn’t require much long term protection. Whereas an original work by a sought after artist, or something with immense sentimental value, is likely to require a high level of long term protection. That’s just common sense, isn’t it? What the Guild’s Four Levels of Framing do is divide this concept up into something tangible: No long term protection, up to 5 years protection, 20 plus years protection & 35 plus years protection. They also specify the materials and techniques that need to be utilised to provide those levels of protection. There are, however, a number of other advantages to the Four Levels of Framing. As a business owner there’s the ability to be able offer my customers the ‘high’ and ‘ultimate’ levels of framing, which are not offered by my competitors. As the person at the shop sales counter, there’s the opportunity to ‘up sell’ from one level of framing to another: If you are only upselling on design, you’re definitely missing a trick! Finally, there’s the comfort and satisfaction of knowing that I’m offering my customers a choice of framing levels, so that they can choose how well they want to protect each item they have framed.
Larson-Juhl offers a total of 310 mountboards – 358 including backing boards, fastmount and foamboard; 137 are FSC approved and there are 163 colour options. All these products are labelled in line with the Guild’s quality standards and a new Mountboard Selector is currently in production. Copyright Fine Art Trade Guild 2021.
REOPENING SUCCESS
The framer’s viewpoint – Jon Price GCF(APF)
As people begin to venture out and businesses reopen, many of you will have been adapting your business to suit ‘the new normal’. Maybe you’ve been creating an enticing display, expanding your offering or creating a new marketing strategy, there are lots of ways to encourage customers to shop with you. 4walls spoke to Mark Gask from Galleryi who experienced a hugely successful reopening after taking the opportunity to refurbish his gallery during lockdown. Mark believes that Galleryi’s successful return was at least partially the result of its diverse offering, as the gallery not only shows art, but also has an in-house framing service and a café selling local products. Mark said: “Our aim for Galleryi was to create a destination for our customers to visit, because the hardest part of any business is getting customers through the door! If you have a diverse offering, not only are more people likely to visit, but they may also be tempted by one of the other services you offer!” Like many framers, Mark has noticed that customers are now more aware of how important their home is to them and are willing to spend more on premium home products - the focus has shifted from cost to quality and suitability. He has even had customers looking for framed pieces to act as a ‘Zoom background’! Mark has big dreams, and having already opened a second gallery in Estonia, he hopes to continue expanding his business both in the UK and abroad. His partner, Kim, is a popular artist and shows her work in both their galleries. Together, they hope to create a stream of art going from Scotland to Estonia and back, to ensure that their gallery continues to stand out from the crowd. 4walls was delighted to hear that Mark has worked with Larson-Juhl for the last 24 years and uses Larson-Juhl products in both his UK and Estonia galleries. “We enjoy working with Larson-Juhl as not only are they able to provide us with an excellent range of quality products, but they are also always available to offer their support to us as a business. When I mentioned to Lisa, my area sales manager, that I was looking to open another gallery abroad, she arranged for me to speak with the European team who were able to put me in touch with local suppliers and framers using Larson-Juhl products.” If you’d like to see more of Galleryi, take a look at their website! galleryi.co.uk
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