Framer's
Spotlight:
American Art & FrameFramer and business-owner, Lou Groves, and wife and artist, Freda, have been
framing up Montgomery, Ala., since 1978.
However, building up their framing
and fine art establishment was certainly not effortless. A year after launching
their company, American Art & Frame, in a Montgomery strip-mall, the
husband-and-wife team discovered an old turkey farm on Perry Hill Road. They
found that the new space would provide an area for Lou to construct the frames,
as well as a location for Freda to teach art.
Shortly after purchasing the
homestead, the Groves moved the entire establishment over to Perry Hill Road.
"We were a little nervous about it at first, but it worked out very well," Freda
said. "Our business didn't slow down, if anything it increased. And we really
worked on the place off-and-on for a decade or more."
Piece-by-piece, the
two toiled to renovate the old farmhouse into a charming frame shop all with
their own two hands.
"It was a real dump when we moved here," Lou stated. "I
do like to build things and see things change, thoughand the fellows were just
so astounded that we did all this work on the place."
Without borrowing a
penny, the Groves would save up a construction fund, purchase what lumber they
could and do the work themselves after the shop closed in the evenings. And
eventually they had a beautiful one-story establishment nestled in a three-acre
plot of land in what was then East Montgomery.
They placed the workshop in
the basement and situated the gallery and Freda's art studio on the main level.
In 1995, the Groves decided to tear the roof off and add a second story. The
building materialized into a two-story, Ante Bellum-style home complete with a
frame shop, a studio, a gallery, living quarters and a gazebo. As the second
major renovation came into fruition, the Groves suddenly had one of Montgomery's
well-known landmarks.
At Perry Hill Road, Lou is able to store 25,000 feet
of moulding in a honeycomb-shaped shelving unit he created in the basement
workshop. "I just thought that moulding laying down would not warp as bad. We
get shipments weekly, and we stock about 400 profiles," Lou said. The major
suppliers of American Art & Frame are, Larson, Southern Molding, Cash
Molding and Bendix, which is no longer in business.
Last year, the couple
tooled with the idea of retiring. Yet, shortly after the idea stemmed for
"semi-retirement," the Groves decided to open a second store seven miles down
the road. Freda said, "My husband seems to think he's 18, and he works like he's
18." As Lou attested to the love of framing, he confessed, "I'm going to work
'til I fall down."
Lou figures he builds about 30-50 frames a week, "but we
used to do about a hundred a week, every week." Having since decreased the hours
of the shop, which is now only open Wednesday through Saturday, the framer and
painter are still finding the love of the art is keeping their framing business
alive.
"The new store is in an area where Montgomery is growing toward the
east," Freda stated. "We are finding a mixture of clientele, but some have been
loyal and gravitated to our second store."
The new shop is equipped with a
studio and gallery for Freda, as well as a showroom for custom framing and
design. Most of the framing and labor, however, is completed at the Perry Hill
location, where the entire basement is dedicated to the workshop for Lou. The
new store, located at the Somerset Shoppes, is primarily a venue for
design.
After being in business for 27 years, the Groves have kept up with
the necessary technological advances the framing industry has to offer. The
Wizard Computerized Mat Cutter Lou leases allows him to stay on the cutting edge
of matwork. "I can do a mat in 15 minutes that looks like it took three days to
complete," Lou said chuckling about one of his favorite machines.
Aside from
the 400 frame profiles, a computerized mat cutter and readymade frames, the
store also boasts a DVD Databank for locating art prints.
The Groves found
that framing unique pieces, like shadowboxes, containing family heirlooms and
memorabilia, has set them apart from the other shops. Freda contributes her
success to her valued customer service and distinguished and upscale framing
styles. "We try to do stuff you just don't see anywhere," Lou
said.
Montgomery is home to several big-name frame shops, including Michael's
and The Great Frame Up, as well as smaller mom-and-pop shops. However, American
Art & Frame, along with Freda's Studio 7 art gallery, has lasted 27 years as
a forerunner in the town's framing industry.
For more information, log on to
www.betterframing.com
and www.studio7art.com.
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American Art & Frame and Studio 7 art gallery have been Montgomery, Ala.,
mainstays for 27 years.
Lou stores 25,000 feet of moulding in a
honeycomb-shaped
shelving unit he
built.
Lou figures he builds about 30-50
frames a week.
Roadfront signage points to Lou's
framing business and Freda's art
gallery. |