Towering heights: after years spent trying to make a name for itself, Sacramento's Tower Framing & Design Gallery is poised for success

Art Business News, Nov, 2003 by Ellen Sturm

Whatever does one do with an ugly frame? Last summer, D. Oldham Neath, director of Tower Framing & Design Gallery in Sacramento, Calif., answered that question with a one-of-a-kind art show. She came up with the idea after ending up with some garish, hand-carve mahogany frames. The frames were part of an auction lot she purchased because it contained framing equipment she wanted. Not knowing what to do with the frames, Neath asked several artists to create something with them. Those creations--which included everything from sculptures to wind chimes--were later featured in a special exhibit at Tower. Along with selling some of the artwork, the company receive good press that, in turn, led to some new customer "Customers enjoyed seeing what artists could do with [the frames]," Neath said.

Thanks in part to creative ideas like this one, Neath has transformed Tower from a fledgling business that was losing money to one that now grosses around $400,000 annually. The company specializes in framing and frame design, as well as art sales, art delivery, art moving and installation.

Art History

Tower Framing was established in 1983 by Shirley Dubnick, sister of Tower Records founder Russ Solomon. Dubnick hired Neath as Tower's director two years ago. With her 25 years of flaming design experience--including 10 years spent owning an archival framing shop--Dubnick hoped Neath would help reverse the company's losing streak.

One of Neath's first decisions as director was to remodel parts of the store, which is located in the Solomon Dubnick Gallery building, for better functionality. Its 8,000-square-foot frame shop in the a back allows each framer to have his or her own table and storage space. The front of the shop is 1,000 square feet and includes a design room and a "clean room" for completed and to-be-completed frame jobs.

Staff Investment

Tower has eight flail-time employees. Neath said she pays framers about 25 percent more than other area frame shops because she wants them to care more about the work they do. She said she often rewards employees for performing larger jobs. For example, after completing a large job for an area hotel, Neath took her entire staff on a trip to Mexico.

To make sure she's hiring the right people, Neath gives all new employees a two week trial period during which they are paid $8 per hour. It isn't until she assesses their skill levels that their salaries are set. "Everyone says they can do everything, but you don't know," she said.

Above and Beyond

Customer service is key at Tower. While the store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, Neath will meet with clients by appointment after hours and regularly makes house calls. During the past two years, she said, she has been in almost half of her customers' homes.

Tower works with interior designers and their clients, all of whom receive a 15-percent discount. But that's not the only discount Tower offers. Anyone who buys three or more of the same frame gets a 15-percent discount. If someone buys 10 of the same frame, he gets a 25-percent discount. And if a customers buys more than 10 frames, Neath will try to score a bulk-order deal and then pass the savings along.

Tower also tries to accommodate emergency situations (i.e., husbands running late with anniversary gifts). Rush jobs can put framers behind since they require other projects to be put on the back burner. While most frame shops charge up to 20 percent extra for rush jobs, Neath usually waves the fee. This is possible because Tower always has at least one framer available specifically for rush jobs.

Stock and Awe

Tower recently began providing museum-quality service so it can handle such important projects as framing family heirlooms. The company stocks 10,000 feet of moulding, and has a "sale board" containing pieces that, after being ordered, turned out to be the wrong size or color. "We have customers who come in and only shop the sale board," said Neath.

Tower orders most of its matting according to customer need. But it also keeps standard colors such as white, cream, black and yellow in stock a all times. Tower also does fabric wraps, including silks, linens and cottons.

Going Corporate

Neath tries to accept every framing job that come her way, no matter how big it is. To make sure she can accommodate large corporate jobs, she keeps up on the prices of matting, moulding and glass. When necessary, she'll temporarily hire more framers or collaborate with other frame shops to get the job g done. While such collaborations may mean Tower can't mark each piece with the store's logo, they give the company an opportunity to work on jobs it otherwise couldn't handle alone, Neath said.

Such a collaboration enabled Tower to frame 1,600 pieces for an Embassy Suites hotel in Sacramento. Recently, the company framed about 50 pieces--which included antique moccasins, tomahawks and beaded shirts--for a law office. Tower had the moulding milled and stained to match the office's woodwork. Tower also frames diplomas for a local university.