Frameworks

Do not do business here. As a professional artist and previous picture framer I was in Georgetown on business. I needed 1 piece of foam board for a project and thought I would give my business to another small business. I am unsure if the older man with white hair is the owner. If he is, he needs to retire. He tried to give the worst possible costumer service possible. I will be in the area for another few months and am living a block from this establishment. I will not give it my business but will rather travel miles away on order receive friendly courteous business. Little did this business realize that i will be spending thousands of dollars on framing over the next few months. An additional note: the elderly man told me he only sold acid free foam board but he gave me regular acidic board.

I have been a customer of Frameworks for years, never had a problem, always been given the correct advice and had beautiful frames delivered on time. Not cheap, but the best selection of all hand made frames I have ever seen, and I lived and shopped in New York for years before moving to Washington. The owner is very knowledgeable and has always delivered better than expected.

We’re still in the midst of getting stuff framed, but K. B’s review from ⁴⁄₁₀ rings some bells. When we got to Frameworks the owner wasn’t there, and a somewhat frame-​naïve young woman tried to help us (without telling us where the jefe was). Finally another customer came in and asked to have him fetched, so the young woman went across the street and got him at his house. I don’t know what would have happened if they hadn’t come in; she was steering us toward pretty inappropriate choices.
The Man himself was no more snotty than anyone else in the art world, and had helpful suggestions.
We haven’t heard back from him yet (after 5 weeks), and are trying phone, email, and, eventually, a visit. So what K.B. says about his shopkeeper ethic seems pretty accurate. Not Mr. Customer-​Facing.
So far, so good, but not a hand-​holding experience.

While Frameworks certainly has the best in framing options (hand-​cut wood, beautiful craftsmanship, etc.), the service leaves a lot to be desired. In other words, the experience that you will inevitably have here is not worth the price you will pay… unless you thrive on grief and arrogant attitudes.
I went to Frameworks in early January to have a piece of art framed. And while the $ 1500 bill did not shock me (much…), it was the rude behavior of the shop owner who is driving me to write: «Buyers beware!» He was arrogant, judgmental and inexplicably rude not just to me but to my husband and visiting in-​laws. In fact, I am hard pressed to think of another time where I walked away feeling so turned off by a vendor’s attitude.
As if his attitude wasn’t enough, we were told that the art would be ready in 4 weeks. Fine. Eight weeks later (March), I called to inquire about our overdue framing and was met with a, «Well, we sent you an email in early February to tell you it was ready. We’re about to charge you for a month’s storage at our store. You have not responded.» Now, granted, spam filters may have been at fault, but the question remains: What shop emails — and doesn’t at least call in follow-​up — to tell you when something is ready? Especially if it has been sitting there for a month waiting for its owner? Wouldn’t you at least call as a courtesy reminder if you didn’t hear from the owner in the 4 weeks since you sent an email?
Gets better… Frameworks doesn’t adhere to its advertised hours. So for three weeks, my husband and I attempted to pick up our framed art to no avail. Why? The shop owner decided to close early, take lunch, or just not open at all. Then, when I finally did get to the store — and it was open!, I was told that I couldn’t get my art because the framing expert was not in the store at the time. After 10 mins of cajoling, I was able to convince the neighboring art gallery owner to check the storeroom and see if my framed art was just sitting there. Indeed, it was. Success!
So, all that said, I leave you with this… DO NOT even bother with Frameworks. Even if you have a priceless Picasso, you are better served at another shop in Georgetown. The aggravation that you will inevitably receive is not worth your money.