The Framer’s Workshop

I really like The Framer’s Workshop on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. You can have them frame your piece, or they will let you you choose the materials, they cut the frame, mats and glass for you, and you can assemble them in their studio with their help. It’s not hard to do as they show you exactly how, and help you if you’re having trouble.
If you sign up on their website, they have a coupon every month. Often it is for them to do the framing but not charge you for their labor.
They have a good selection of ready-​made frames and mats, too. Their studio is in the same block as a large parking lot, and I think they validate, so parking is not difficult.

The shop is very well stocked and clean. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. I got what I needed (a custom cut matting) in a short amount of time. I’ll definitely be back!

I visited this place today to buy a framing kit so that I could do my own framing. It turns out that they do not sell kits. They tried to sell me a pre-​assembled metal frame for $ 30 – 35. Metal kits cost $ 15 – 20 for 9×12″. If you add glass and backing material costs, you might not save a great deal with a kit, but if you really want to do your own framing with a pre-​cut frame, apparently this is not the place to go.

I brought an old print to be framed. From start to finish, the staff were helpful, knowledgeable and fast. I mostly worked with Susan, who could not have been more helpful. I really appreciate the great advice and education about framing my poster: it looks great. Thanks!

TIP: Framer’s Workshop currently has a Unilocal check-​in offer for 20% off your first framing order, so remember to check in BEFORE you pay (…not forget to check in while you were inside the store, then do it on your way out of town and realize you could’ve saved a considerable amount. *sob*)
Anyway my mistake aside, Framer’s Workshop did a fantastic job of mounting two poster prints of mine onto frameless wood mounts. The turnaround time was less than a week and the final bill was reasonable, considering the quality of the work. My prints look fabulous hanging on my wall!

This place has great service and a wide selection of different frame styles. Sam was great and helped me find just what I wanted on short notice. I was in a bit of a rush to get the piece back so they rushed my order and it was even ready early! It turned out wonderful… exactly what I wanted. I would highly recommend this place.

Came in with a couple of posters to frame… on a budget. Lee was a great help at providing me with different options… came all the way from San Ramon and would do it again.
Lee thank you so much for the warm welcome and patient demeaanor.

Been meaning to write this review for a while now. I had a really great experience at the Framer’s Workshop. I came in with an assortment of posters and art to be framed and they helped me find the perfect, most affordable solution for each piece — from using a ready-​made, basic frame, to a beautiful frame made with fragments from someone else’s job that happened to be the right size, to custom framing and matting, and custom + partial DIY. I worked with several different people between the two connected stores (one for custom, one for readymades), and everyone was patient and knowledgeable and nice. Very happy with the final products as well.

These guys are an awesome find. I came in to buy a frame for a diploma, and I found a good basic one for a reasonable price. But to my surprise, they also helped me to seal it, paper it, and hang wire on the back — all without extra charge. And they gave me some hooks to help hang it on the wall. I never thought I would be so excited about a frame store, but I am absolutely coming back here for any and all of my framing needs :)

Today was my 2^nd visit. I needed a mat cut for a wonderful watercolor painting I recently purchased in Vietnam. I brought in my own frame and they did the rest for me — new mat + acid-​free backing, and all of little finishing touches that are included in a highly professional project. The workers are very knowledgeable… professional… friendly. I’ll be returning very soon.

I just had the absolute best experience at this store today. I needed to reframe a watercolor with a simple frame and matte. I went to Aaron Brothers and Michaels first, thinking I would find what I was looking for since it was so simple. The selection at those stores was surprisingly limited and they did not have what I was looking for.
Then I went to lunch in Berkeley to consider my next move. I googled «frame store» in Berkeley and this place came up. I was shocked at the selection. It is vast. They had multiple options of exactly what I was looking for. The owner was amazing and she helped my put together a great new custom frame and matte at a great price.
I cannot get over what a good experience I had at The Framer’s Workshop. I will recommend it to anyone I know who needs framing.
Also, the store is in a building that has parking and the first hour is free, which is a great bonus considering how busy Channing and Telegraph is.

«This is THE place for framing! I was there last week because a photographer friend if mine told me that they did some really amazing custom frame work for him and I was looking for unique frames to spruce up some original artwork…
Wow, what a find! Not only was the entire staff incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, but they also had TONS of really beautiful and interesting frames to choose from… they even had some really cool remnants from custom orders that were available to choose from. I loved how they could work for not only artwork, but photographs and mirrors too!
Surprisingly, the pieces they had hanging around the store gave me a lot of really great decorating ideas too because until now, I never actually considered custom framing to be an affordable option. Now that I know it is; I’m excited to get started on pulling together my design structure at home. ;D
I thought it was great that they were able to cut some mats for me right on the spot and I left with matted and framed pieces at a great price that look like they were custom framed… which, in fact they kinda were, by me!!!
Their new outlet store next door (to the main store) had some really nice ready-​made frames too so I bought a couple of these as gifts for my family.
This will be my go-​to frame shop from now on!

Could you find a nicer or more professional framing place? Plus, if you’re the do it yourself type, they’ll show you how and you can use their table and tools! Pretty much as good as it gets

Great service. Great selection. Affordable prices. The end.

They actually damaged my original artwork. I went in to have a 5.5×7.5″ painting on canvas-​paper framed. At first it was difficult to get helped b/​c everyone was busy. I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted, and I was ready to pay for a custom frame that would allow for the edges of the painting. But, they had no custom frame that matched the color (burnt orange) or style (wide) that I wanted. The one thing I was absolutely certain I wanted wasto NOT have the oil painting behind glass. But the rep said it was NOT possible because the painting was on canvas paper. He said the only way to frame it behind glass with a mat. I felt bad just leaving the store at that point, but I should have just done so. I had never considered a mat, and then spent some time choosing frame mat combinations, etc., It would have been really useful if the rep had told me about the computer that they advertise on their website, which allows you to view all mat-​frame combinations, but apparently it doesn’t exist, because both times I went, no one offered me that option, and I didn’t know to ask. Instead the rep was really pressuring me to buy, and I felt like he was rushing me into a decision as though I was being «high maintenance» and taking up too much of his time. I made the purchase, and then felt horrible about the fact that I was spending over a hundred dollars on a custom frame I didn’t want– a matted painting behind glass. I actually returned to the store, and changed my order with a different rep and made 2 additional purchases to make up for being such a «high maintenance» customer– which is how the last rep made me feel. This rep was much nicer, and she helped me find a simple custom frame, and she said it didn’t have to be behind glass. When I picked up my finished frames, the frame for the oil painting looked weird, and I removed the artwork. I was really glad I did, because I found out that whomever framed the custom piece just folded over the edge of my canvas-​paper painting, in order to fit it inside a standard 5×7″ frame, which defeats my whole purpose for getting a custom sized frame! So the full edges of he artwork weren’t visible, which is why it looked weird. I will gladly upload images of my receipts in case this review is removed again due to claims from the Framer’s Workshop and/​or Unilocal that I didn’t have a «real» transaction there– I will also upload images of the damaged art.

Great place– I have been there a few times over the years. They are great at helping you pick out nice frames, mats, etc. to match your artwork.
They have a great selection and really nice products– the only problem is the cost (which I suppose is the nature of the beast.)
They had a great frame/​mat combo for my $ 75 print — but it was about $ 750.
I wish I could feel good about spending that much on a framing that print because the gal helping me did a fantastic job with the frame and mat selection– but it was just too much for me to spend.
The gal helped me make some different choices that dropped the price to less than half the original quote. So overall a great place– just wish I could get the sweet frames for a sweeter price!

Awesome place. Very nice and helpful employees.
I dropped by for a somewhat simple frame-​up for my diploma. This place was great. Went over options with me and happily worked within my budget. My diploma looks AWESOME now and I spent less than fifty bucks. Will definitely come back here in the future. Highly recommended.

First let me say I am graphically challenged – I can’t visualize what anything will look like in any color mat or frame, much less putting the two together. I desperately need a trained eye to help me and not to condescend or to completely abdicate responsibility for how something will look when finished («It really depends upon what you like» or «It’s up to you if think the blue looks better than the yellow») because I just can’t visual the frame going all the way around the work of art.
Thank goodness both for Framer’s Workshop staff AND their computerized image of how something will look with different mats, frames and combinations. Excellent service started when I walked through the door («We’ll be with you in about 5 minutes,» and they really were), very useful advice and options, correctly reading the sticker shock on my face at the first option and immediately suggesting ways to reduce the cost, not trying to talk me into more expensive glass, getting my order done in time for my husband’s birthday just three days later, etc. etc.
Anyway, two days after it was hanging in my living room, I got a phone call from one of the other places I’d checked before going to Framer’s Workshop, telling me they had a frame in stock I’d inquired about two weeks earlier. Too late. No looking back – I’m taking another original piece in to Framer’s Workshop this week.

I have a few posters that I have collected over the years from several musicals that I’ve attended. I wanted to frame them for a while now so when I moved in to my new place and saw that the walls were empty I though it was a great opportunity to frame them and display them.
After going to several other framing places, in which I was told immediately that the posters were of an unusual size and that the only way to frame them would be to order some custom frames which would be quite expensive, I read about their do-​it-​yourself option and I gave them a try.
The lady at the counter was really nice, she walked me throughout the whole process and pricing and she took her time doing it, and she wasn’t condescending at all when I asked my probably stupid questions something that had happened at all other framing shops. I was told they would contact me when all the pieces had been cut to create my frame and that I could just come back to build my frame. I got the call the same day! Talk about fast service!
I went back the following day and I got a different person helping me. He was nice too, showed me how to put everything together and in no time I was walking out with my poster framed and ready to hang. I’m so going back to frame the rest of my posters soon!

I’ve known about The Framer’s Workshop since my time in the dorms next door when, um, Reagan was prez. I had mounted some posters on foamcore with a plexi glazing attached using clips (very 1980s, I think); I’ve brought in stock frames and have had custom mats cut there; I had some other art matted and framed there.
And most recently, I spent the MOST I’ve EVER spent on artwork, which was to frame a lovely piece of embroidery (a baby carrier made by the Miao people of SW China).
I had a vision of suspending the textile inside a custom made plexiglass box, like a museum piece. I’m so glad I went with the advice of the staff there, as my partner and I were stunned when we saw the final work: a natural wood frame and linen background, above which floats the textile that’s been given some form with an internal, archival (we were assured) cardboard form. Less than an inch deep (interior). The linen is warm, and, like the rest of the frame, not intrusive. The work truly stands out on its own.
It was wicked expensive, but the piece is an heirloom and will be in our family for decades, so it’s worth it: it’s out of storage, we can appreciate it daily, it reminds me of a wonderful trip when we got it.
We also used FSC wood and all wood spacers (the inside frame that holds the glazing to the frame), which added to the cost. We might need to upgrade our furniture now as it’s among the much nicer things hanging in the living room!
And, when we came in to pick up the the framed textile, we brought in an older piece that I had had framed there years ago, and they took a good long time cleaning it up for us, for free.
The staff are professional, knowledgeable, accessible, and capable. They kept an estimate for a 2^nd embroidery we may do in the future. They presented us w/​different options to manage our costs. They called to apologize for it being a tad late (I didn’t think it was). I felt they were really taking care of our art work. I guess I was skeptical at first b/​c the examples of textiles they have look a little cheesy to me (I don’t care for the framed sports jersey look). But we’re thrilled with the final product.
We’ve had some custom work down at Aaron Brothers, but in the end, I think a locally owned place that’s been around as long as TFW is much better for custom work. I also like their model where you can do much of the work if you choose, which allows them to serve more customers with a smaller staff, keeping their prices reasonable.
With Aaron Brothers, you’re dealing with a corporation and the store manager at best. We had a big delay in a piece there recently: they had to send the piece back to their vendor for additional mounting which they incorrectly specified; and their communication was really sparse– we had to go IN a few times to see what was going on (in this day and age of email and, uh, phone, why in the world do we have to get in the car, drive, find parking, and inquire? Makes for nice small town sitcoms, but not here!). In the end, we were able to wrangle out a price reduction. But we’re not interested in getting the cheapest deal for its own sake: we would’ve been happy paying full price had they been on time, not months late. We’ll go there to pick up cheap frames from time to time for snap shots. That’s it tho’.
We’ve also looked into getting custom work done at Michael’s, and again, it’s a chain, and you get someone who may or may not really care about doing a great job. Our guy looked like it was his summer job, doing as he was told; but I didn’t get the idea he was apprenticing in the craft. Besides, doing frames isn’t Michael’s’s core business. When I leave some important art to someone, I want to make sure it’s going to be taken care of.
That’s what you get with The Framer’s Workshop.
PS– I hope Unilocal hasn’t forced them to subscribe b/​c they have so many positive reviews!