Anabela Springfield Virginia Framer

Custom Framing Discounts

Anabela Ferguson      Owner/Artist/Framer/Fine Art Restorer & Conservator

I spent sometime this  past week researching how galleries and custom framing shop have been able to survive the coupon and discounted framing at point of sale in this economy.  As I compared one of the framing and gallery shops to the prices my custom framing studio and mobile gallery/frame shop provided to clients and collectors ordering for the first time.  I realized that during the years I have kept my prices at a very low. I don’t offer coupons or discounts.  I want to offer everyone the opportunity to own a piece of my collection for their home or office, not necessarily for less.  Most of you know, that my prices are and always have been very reasonable.  I read a comment from a gallery owner in GA and explained exactly how they charge for their framing jobs; “We stay at 100%-500% mark ups on all open edition prints and 200%-800% on custom framing (200% on glass and mats, 800% on molding).  Our prices are much lower than any other frame shop in town through, including large chains like Michaels. One way to keep profits in the gallery has been to do as much work in-house as possible.  Because we do all on site, we cut out the middle man in a lot of different aspects”.   So for example, I took a 16 X 20 of a mid level cost frame and figured you would need 7.5’ with 2” wide.  If their cost for bulk length is $1.89/ft, then 7.5X1.89 plus the chop and join will be costing the customer  $5.51 / ft. = 41.32 X 800%=$330.60.  That is how the framing business works.  This is why so many of you wonder why framing is so expensive.  Wow!!, I realized that my prices have always bitten the market altogether.  My framing for posters and photos are way below what most galleries start at with a small job, $79.95.  Then if they order an exclusive print of any of my work on canvas or paper,  starts at $39.00/online/or by phone.  However, I don’t buy bulk like all framing and gallery owners, so my cost is always hire than their inventory cost.  I don’t have a middle man that does cutting for me except for my wholesale store, they chop and join my frames to precision with their miter saw; “I work in my gallery, and I do not add saw particles on my unfinished pieces or restoration pieces, I prefer for that to be done somewhere else”.  However, my prices are still lower than everyone around me.  Clients that know of my skills have learned to appreciate my prices, and one or two have asked for discount in the past two years on a higher end job for custom framing or fine art restoration and framing together.  I have always offered 300% mark up of my wholesale cost for anything new coming to me to have framed.  If you choose to change a frame on one of my pieces, I trade the cost of the frame the painting is on, and will calculate the difference between the new one and the old one.  Regarding mats and glass; I charge 125%-200% of my cost while other framing companies are taking 400% from their cost.  I want for my customers to value my work and not remember me as a framer but as an artist that will also be flexible enough to provide the custom framing in addition to original works of art.  www.anabela-artist.com                 May 2013.