Tru Frameable Moments™ aren’t always a single memory. Sometimes they capture a series of events celebrating a period of time in a person’s life. Dave and Christy Ping, owners of The Framer’s Gallery in Cleveland suburb Brecksville, Ohio, had the chance to create such a piece for a local high school athlete as part of their Tru Vue® Retail Boot Camp with Meg Glasgow, retail expert and owner of The Gallery at Finer Frames in Eagle, ID.

 

 

Find a community interest

The Ping’s market is home to the Brecksville Bees whose local high school gymnastics team has won the state championship 16 times and has sent several athletes to the Olympics. Meg Glasgow recommended to Christy and Dave to reach out to the team or one of its gymnasts so they could create a framing project that would connect with the community. Meg also recommended that Pings propose the creation of a framing package for free in return for the use of the piece as a wall display in their shop, in order to showcase the shops skills and garner community attention.

 

 

Make the connection

Dave and Christy contacted the team’s coach who connected them with the mother of one their brightest stars, Alecia, who was thrilled for the Ping’s offer to create a shadowbox that recognized her daughter’s accomplishments on the team. For the piece, her mother selected a photo of Alecia, medals, and a state championship patch. Working with Meg, Dave and Christy to chose a black frame and black mat to allow for the red, black and gold color scheme of the items to pop. Gold fillet around the photo and medals provides accent. The mat around the patch is cut into the shape of the state of Ohio, mimicking the patch. The 24”x30” piece is covered in Optium Museum Acrylic®.

 

 

Wall displays that attract attention

On display at The Framer’s Gallery since the fall, the shadowbox has attracted the attention of those with a connection to Brecksville High School athletics and inspired others who have similar objects at home. Dave says he will miss having the piece on the display wall, as they plan to give it to Alecia when she graduates.

 

 

“People look at the piece and imagine what they could do with their own medals,” said Dave. “We’ve done several frames for people who have come in and seen Alecia’s.”      

 

 

The Pings bought The Framer’s Gallery less than two years ago from owners who were retiring. Much of the shop’s revenue was in corporate work. The Pings saw an opportunity to boost their connections with the community and put more emphasis on consumer work.

 

 

“We knew there was a void based on what the previous owners were doing and had a desire to engage more with the community,” said Dave. “People love coming in and seeing a piece like this. They like the sense of pride it conveys.”

 

 

 

Find a Tru Frameable Moment™

This is an excellent example of finding Tru Frameable Moment within your community that will resonate with your local audience and how you can create these opportunities by offering a trade of your services to showcase work and garner publicity.

 

 

Throughout the coming months, Tru Vue will have examples of Tru Frameable Moments like this that can help you build your brand, extend your roots in the community, and create wall displays that will:

 

• Inspire customers to consider their own Tru Frameable Moments
• Facilitate conversations with customers
• Help you illustrate your techniques, materials, and ideas
• Generate community interest and store traffic
• Create a focal point for your shop’s PR and social media messaging