Four decades of
mitres and mat board
A framing bench in Midtown Manhattan that has outlasted most of the galleries around it.
One trade, one block,
since the early eighties
The shop opened when framing in New York still meant a bench, a mitre saw and someone who knew how to use both. Four decades later the tools are better and the trade is the same.
We have framed diplomas that went up in law offices, jerseys that went up in bars, and oil paintings that went back to the families who inherited them. The work does not change much. Somebody brings in something that matters to them, and it leaves protected and square.
Everything happens here. Mouldings are cut, joined and finished on site, mats are cut here, glass is cut here. Nothing is sent to a warehouse in New Jersey and nothing comes back a fortnight later.
What four decades teaches you
The mat matters more than the frame
People choose a moulding first. Almost always it is the mat width and colour that decides whether the finished piece looks considered or accidental.
Glazing is not an upsell
UV-filtering glass is the difference between a work that survives a sunny wall and one that fades quietly over a decade. We say so rather than waiting to be asked.
Reversible where it counts
Anything with value gets hinged and mounted so it can come back out untouched. Permanent mounting is for posters, not for the things you cannot replace.
Inside the workshop
Cutting, joining, mounting and glass — all under one roof on East 40th Street.
The framing bench
Workshop
Archival mat board
Materials
Ready for collection
Finished workBring it in this morning.
Hang it tonight.
Open Monday to Friday on East 40th Street. No appointment needed.