What will I be doing?

Photos and drawings are enhanced by a quality frame. If you enjoy working with art or with wood and other materials, consider a home-based picture-framing service, designing, selecting, constructing and installing frames on art, photographs and documents. Such a business can be operated in or from your home, serving a wide variety of customers.

What will I need to start?

To start your picture-framing service you’ll first need training or experience in selecting and installing frames. You can get this experience working for a framing shop or by studying books on framing, and by practicing on your own frames.

A framer typically works at a framing table with clamps, saws and other tools of the trade. For efficiency, you may need an air compressor to power a pneumatic stapler or other tool. Materials and supplies are available in wholesale framing catalogs and stores found in most metropolitan telephone books.

Who will my customers be?

Customers for your picture-framing service include individuals, artists, other businesses and wholesalers. Some framers prefer to work directly with the public while others don’t. In most areas, you have a choice. One successful framer has four galleries as clients, all located in a resort town. She visits the shops once a week to pick up any art that requires a frame or frame repair, bringing it back the next week. Another framer specializes in ornate frames for awards and certificates, selling his products to wholesalers.

Once you’ve defined who your customers are and what they want, it will be easier to find them through mailing lists and advertising.