The response to our article in the last issue of In The Frame, describing the business success of Church Hill Gallery, was very encouraging and led to several of our readers actually visiting the gallery to see how it works for themselves. For this issue, we have chosen a picture framer with a completely different approach to the business, yet one which is equally successful. It is interesting to note that there is some common ground between the attitudes of these two very different businesses - perhaps we will develop a list over a period of time of those areas that seem to lead to success!

The Off The Wall picture framing gallery is tucked away in the corner of a tiny courtyard in Thornton village on the outskirts of Bradford. South Square is owned by Bradford Council and is home to a number of businesses, all art-based. This support of local arts obviously pays - the Square is full of tiny, one room shops devoted to arts and crafts.
When we entered Off The Wall, we were amazed by two things: its size (no more than 200 square feet in total) and how tidy it was. Perhaps tidiness or organisation should be the first item on our list of the attributes of a successful framer!
Despite its size, Off The Wall is an interesting place. It is full of ideas for art and framing which we hadn't seen before, from frames designed to fit around corners or columns, to 3D insects made entirely from Colourmount.
It was an insect, in fact, which drew our attention to Off The Wall. Its owner, Adrian Stokes, an artist himself, responded to an article in a previous issue of In The Frame asking for UK framers who can produce a stratagraphic such as those we currently commission from America. To whet our appetite, he sent us a Colourmount 3-D butterfly. We have since begun discussions with him about the possible production of a full stratagraphic in the future.
Adrian is a craftsman at heart and believes his success lies in offering his customers a truly bespoke service. Whether the customer wants a frame made from driftwood found on the beach or a set of made-to-measure mirrored shutters, Off The Wall is the place to ask.
Partly because of the shop's size and partly because of the nature of the work undertaken, the equipment used here is minimal but, like Church Hill Gallery, everything has its place. In the centre of the room is the custom-built wood cutting unit, which combines a circular saw, router and spindle moulder in one, which enables the production of custom-made profiles. Otherwise there is only an old C&H straight cutter, a Morso and a free-standing underpinner, each neatly placed to avoid clutter. Every other process is achieved by hand.
Because space is at a premium, it is impractical for the gallery to hold large quantities of stock. Fortunately, Adrian has developed an excellent relationship with local distributor, Sisslings and relies entirely on their huge stockholding. Because they are only five minutes away, he is able to offer every type of Colourmount board, mouldings and other material in the knowledge that he can collect it the same day. This is great for cash flow - important for a small business.
Over the last two years, Adrian Stokes has worked hard to build a reputation for unusual, crafted work. His customers range from local artists (fellow members of the Bradford Arts Forum receive a 33% discount on framing) to film makers and special effects crews, for whom Adrian has recently been asked to frame the simulated head of a gorilla.
For members of the public looking for a good local framing service, Adrian gives personal service, good quality and extremely fast turnaround of the work and, if you have a bit of old skirting board that you think would make a nice picture frame, don't hesitate to ask!
Off The Wall can be contacted on 01274 422987.


Acid-free, white core 300 Series gathers momentum

The extension of the entire standard Colourmount range into acid-free white core earlier this year has proved to be a great success. The number of distributors stocking the whole range is increasing every month and sales of acid-free white core are soaring.
The latest stockists to take the acid-free white core 300 Series in full are West & Wales Framing Supplies in Bristol, Kestrel Framing Supplies in Glasgow and Westward Art Frames in Cornwall.
West & Wales is a family business, run by Malcolm and Diane Britton. They serve framers around Bristol and South Wales, and stock the whole Colourmount range including barrier boards.
Kestrel have depots in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and are ideally placed to distribute to most of Scotland.
Westward Arts is situated on the Cornwall/Devon border, with branches in London and Manchester, stocking both neutral pH and acid-free Colourmount.
West & Wales Framing Supplies:
Telephone 0117 957 4457
Kestrel Framing Supplies:
Telephone 0141 646 1231
Westward Art Frames:
Telephone 01379 383523