This month our local love feature will be on The Framing Mill, a custom framing shop in Maplewood.
The Framing Mill, located in the quaint shopping district known as Ridgewood Row on the border of Maplewood and South Orange, provides custom picture framing. Whatever your framing needs – paintings on canvas, works on paper, photographs, prints, posters, mirrors, textiles, certificates and more – they can provide beautiful custom framing to show off your favorite pieces.
Rick Hauser, Maplewood resident and owner of The Framing Mill, opened his business in Maplewood around the year 2000. His first storefront was at the Millstone, which is how the business got its name, and a few years later he moved to Ridgewood Row. The business started small and was open only on weekends. Over time, Rick’s business grew, and now he is open full time, Tuesday through Saturday.
Rick says, “Clients generally dictate the framing direction. Each client, art piece and aesthetic are different so it is important to provide guidance to achieve a look that will preserve, protect and show off a piece for many years.” The Framing Mill staff will suggest materials that suit a client’s taste and fall within their budget.
Rick offered some tips when it comes to framing:
- You should not notice the frame. A frame and the glass are simply a device to hold an art piece in place. If you are looking at the frame and not the art, then the job was not done properly.
- While Rick tends to be a minimalist, he says it is important to consider the scale of the piece and select the frame accordingly.
- Look at the art piece as a whole, and do not cover what the artist intended to show. For example, if an art piece has torn edges, show the edges, because the artist intended the edges to be part of the piece.
- If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some businesses tend to significantly inflate their pricing so they can offer deep discounts during a sale. Custom framing can be done on a cost effective level within your budget.
- Relationships in the framing business are important. You should trust your framing expert to make your pictures and artwork stand out. The staff at The Framing Mill will handle your artwork with the utmost care and professionalism. We can vouch for Rick’s excellent work!
- Do not buy plastic frames!
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When Rick is not at The Framing Mill, you can find him playing baseball with a men’s league in town, walking his Westie or working on his photography.
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