With accessibility to both coasts, plus Orlando not far away, Ocala is well positioned to be one of Florida's most desirable destinations. But something else sets Ocala apart from the rest of Florida's cities and towns. It is rightfully nicknamed "The Horse Capital of the World." Even from I-75, you can see the training rings and farms that have produced some of the most beautiful and valuable horses in the world, especially the thoroughbreds.

About a mile off the interstate, in the College Park Plaza strip center, you'll find Ocala Art & Frame, a 3,000-square-foot shop owned and operated by Robert "Sandy" Blower. Sandy's got the space divvied up so about 1,000 square feet is dedicated to the framing business and 2,000 square feet serves as an art gallery. He's been there since 1990, following a move from the Paddock Mall, across the street. The business is 22 years old.

"I was first introduced to the framing business in 1974, in Fort Lauderdale, working in a frame shop for somebody else," Blower recalled. "Then, in 1980, I went into partnership with two other guys. That's how Ocala Art & Frame got started. We opened up shop in the Paddock Mall. In 1990 I bought them out and moved across the street to my present location."

Blower has seen the industry change over the years. "Preservation techniques are the biggest innovation," he said. "It's amazing what we used to do, vs. what we can do now. Before, there wasn't any archival anything. Now, I feel like an educator as well as a service provider. People come in and want to talk price, but I explain to them how important it is to preserve what they have. It's an education process."

It's a process that Sandy doesn't provide all by himself. He has a team of four employees, each with specific duties and functions: Blanche Meskimen is the sales manager; Nathan Halverson is a framer/assembler -- he cuts and joins; Annette Adams is the resident matter; and Blower described Mitch Medley as "my all-around go-to guy for whatever needs to get done -- he's my guy Friday."

Sandy figures he keeps about 200 different mouldings in stock ("100 feet of each, on average"). His clientele for frame jobs comes mainly from area professionals. Over in the art gallery, he maintains a vast inventory of signed and numbered graphics and posters -- 10,000 images, he estimates. "I've just got rows and rows of print sleeves," he offered.

The images that seem to move the best aren't necessarily horse pictures (or "equine art," as Blower calls it). "The traditional stuff seems to sell the best -- flowers, seascapes, tropical scenes, nature scenes, botanical pictures....but the horse images and things like fox hunting scenes have actually slacked off a bit," he said. Most of his art customers, he added, are retirees.

Blower has framed some wild and wonderful things over the years. One that instantly came to mind was a pelican's skull! "It was petrified," he said, "and if I recall the customer was an anthropologist. I chose to frame it in as simple a setting as I could. So I picked a stark black backdrop and a basic black frame. It turned out quite nice and the customer was very pleased."

Blower has also done numerous frame jobs for the New York Yankees (George Steinbrenner owns two Ramada Inn hotels, one in Ocala and another in Tampa). ""I've probably done 20 shadow boxes for the hotel here in town," Sandy said, "containing memorabilia like signed baseballs, bats and Yankee team pictures. Most have been 30" x 40" plexi boxes. I have to raise the photos up so they're flush with the other items." He's also done work for the nearby "Big Daddy" Don Garlits Race Car Museum in Belleview.

This past year was one of ups and downs, in terms of total business. "I had my worst July ever," Blower said, "but that was followed by my best August and September ever." He said he experienced growth in 2002 over 2001, although it was modest. "September 11 took the wind out of everyone's sales for a long while," he said, "but I'm looking forward to a great 2003. This is a town that's geared toward retirees and it's growing. Housing starts are very strong, and everyone needs to hang art in those brand new homes!"

Blower said his continued success has been founded on some basic principles. "First, be friendly. People like to be treated well and get friendly service. That's even more important than price. We're not the cheapest place in town. But people like coming here. They know they're going to get wonderful customer service and friendly attention."

Second, he said, is location. "I chose this spot because it's convenient to so much. Everybody knows where we are and how to find us. That's very important." Third is fast service. "I can do most jobs within a week. People like that." And fourth, know your job and love what you do. "I have a good color sense and a feel for what will make for the best frame for the image presented. And I have wonderful people working for me who can execute the job."

Sandy and Blanche with
some of their huge stock
of moulding samples.

About 1,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to the framing business, while 2,000 sq. ft. serves as an art gallery.

Blower maintains a vast inventory of signed and numbered graphics and posters -- about 10,000 images.

Do you have an interesting story to tell? If so, you could be featured in an upcoming "Framer's Spotlight." These stories are suitable for framing! For details, call Ken Hall toll-free at 1-888-388-7827.