Frame123

Don’t have reason to have items professionally framed on a frequent basis – but this is a good place to go. I was originally going across the street & they were too snooty to repair older framework in which the matting had gotten a bit discoloured. Did not want to touch such low-​brow stuff. I went across the street & never looked back. Interestingly enough, that place went out of business. They do splendid work with both repairs as I had indicated, and, from scratch – recently, I brought them a couple of animal photographs that I had kept sitting around for years. They helped me make a better selection than I what I had in mind upon arrival, simply by softly suggesting how a contrast, rather than an exact match would make for a more engaging viewing experience. They were absolutely right & knew how to make the suggestion without being overbearing about it. Their work is fine, prices are appropriate, and they are good about calling one up to let one know about such things as flaws in the original that were not noticed upon initial discussion. That shows a high degree of ethics. I applaud them for that in addition to the outstanding service they provide.

I am a photographer and I will always refer my clients to Ellen and Andrea. They take such care to recommend the best ways to show off my images and their work is impeccable. They seem to really enjoy what they do which makes all the difference in the world to me.

This place is really great! Highly recommend. I came here a few months back to get a few photos framed for a small show I participated in. I had never shown work before in a gallery setting, so had only vague ideas about what I wanted. Ellen helped me choose mattes and frames that were both tasteful, simple and elegant. I very much appreciated this guidance and opinion! This was a rush job, and they still finished a day early! I thought the price was very fair for the excellent work and turnaround – in fact, I think it was quite comparable to most other frame stores in SF. I’ll definitely be back!

I love this framing shop. Ellen does a great job for me every time. The price is very fair, especially with the coupon from their web site.
I have had 14 pictures framed here since 2009.
The shop is a little hard to find, since it’s slightly below street level.
And they have changed their name! It’s now called Frame 123. The new website is
.

I have a beautiful oil painting that fell during the night and the glass broke. I was very upset. I took it to the Great Frame Up on Market Street and the young lady, who couldn’t have been nicer, said not to worry she would fix it. For a very reasonable price, and within 2 hours, it was as good as new. I was blown away by her professionalism and her ability to deal with me. She did a wonderful job and I heartily recommend The Great Frame Up on Market Street. Tom Hyman

On Sunday afternoon we were searching for a framer to do shadow-​box framing of 5 pieces of artwork. We needed them done by Tuesday — every framing store we talked to (in Mountain View, Palo Alto and SF) said it was «impossible» and that we would «never find anyone to do it that fast».
Then we called the Great Frame Up on Market Street. The manager (Ellen) said she could do it but there would be a rush charge. We drove to SF and got to the store 30 minutes before closing.
We chose a black contemporary frame which had to be ordered in. Ellen said she could order it in, and still get the 5 pieces done by Tuesday at 7pm. We placed the order, and then asked about delivery. (We didn’t really want to have to drive back into SF from Mountain View.)
Ellen called the store owner who agreed to deliver them to our apartment in Mountain View. We said, «Great! What’s the charge?»
«No charge. The owner will do it as a favor.»
Tuesday night at 7:45pm, the owner delivered the 5 framed pieces to us. They look great. Beautifully done. The price was comparable to what we’ve paid for other ones the same size at other places.
A nice surprise to have them delivered. Wow!

They’re great. Friendly, quick, knowlegable, accurate, affordable. What more can i say? They always get my order right. I just wish this particular shop was in the East Bay.

I had a few of my photographs that I had mounted and matted and had the frames and glass for but I was down one brad nailer, (as they call it in the business) All I needed to do was borrow this thing and drop these in there so I took it by this little spot in my hood hoping I wouldnt get raped on such a simple task. (The spot down the street quoted me almost 30 dollars) A fine young gentleman put aside his current task and slapped those puppies in there faster than a pit crew and then had the nerve to tell me not to worry about the charge… what? I cannot have that kind of guilt riding on me this early in the week so I threw him a ten and told him lunch was on me. Haha, and he thought he was gonna get away with that random kindness shit. I showed him. You may commence singing «we are the world.»

I dropped off a print of a world map to be framed on October 6^th, 2008 and was told the job would take 2 to ²⁄₁₂ weeks. I printed out the $ 40 internet special coupon and $ 352 was charged to my credit card. I called 2 weeks later and was told that the print would be ready on October 24^th. On October 24^th Ellen informed me that there was a shipping delay and that it would not be ready until the following Monday, October 27^th. I was told I would be contacted. I heard nothing on Monday and finally called in the afternoon to be informed that my print was sitting somewhere in San Leandro and that the «3^rd Party Company» that was actually doing the framing was out of business. Mr. Peter Ong, manager, unsympathetically offered a refund or a new attempt at framing it, at cost. I declined and am waiting for my print to be returned to the Market St. store, more than 3 weeks later. This shop should be avoided at all costs. The only thing framed here is the customer.

I had a vintage photograph I wanted framed and gotten the name of The Great Frame Up from a digital technicial. When I came in, Ellen was so great in presenting all the options for frames, mattes, and glass. She was really knowledgable, so important as I wasn’t, and offered lots of suggestions. So happy with the work they did!

I can not believe this place is rated so highly. Wow.
I went in there a few years ago to get a poster framed and was shocked by how bad the service was. I witnessed staff talking smack about customers and felt quite rushed to make a decision when I visited. Also, they’re overpriced.

Here’s a suggestion: If you’re going to charge twice as much to do the same thing as another place, you might want to offset it with really, really good service. Or for that matter, pretty good service. Or not bad service.
So here’s my tale of woe: I brought a piece of art in to be re-​framed. Granted, it’s a big sucker. I’d say it’s 3 and a half by 3 and a half feet, so I expected to pay a couple hundred bucks. I looked these guys up on Unilocal,saw the great reviews, checked their hours and hopped in the car. I got there about 10 minutes after they were supposed to open, but alas, there was nobody there. Fine. I ran some other errands and when I got back at 11:30 they were open. OK. I tell the guy what I want and he was pretty helpful. We get it all set up and he gives a quote for FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS! For a FRAME! We were re-​using the matting from the original! Seriously, it was almost five hundred bucks for a frame! But OK, I figure I’m already there and their service is supposed to be great, so let’s do it. I pay and he tells me that it’ll be ready IN TWO WEEKS. Let’s recap so far: It’s expensive and it’s slow. Great. Anyhow, it was supposed to be ready yesterday, but I didn’t get a call, so I went by today to pick it up. The woman there, (Ellen?) looks at me and says, «Oh, I just started it.» I’m all, «It was supposed to be done yesterday.» She says, «Yeah, sorry. It should be done a little later.» To which I thought really loudly, «Um, no. It SHOULD have been done yesterday.»
So, let me get this straight: You charge really high prices, you can’t meet a deadline and you’re just a little bit rude and dismissive. I’m all for supporting the small business, and all, but not if they suck.

BRAVO ELLEN! What a great find this place is!
My partner and I always buy art from local artists when we travel, usually at an open market or something like that. Nothing particularly fancy or expensive, but priceless to us in memories. I have been going to another shop for years, but have recently been put off by the employees there that make me feel like I am framing a finger painting from kindergarten and wasting their time. Well, if I did bring that in to the Great Frame Up, they would make me feel like I had a Picasso as Ellen did with my picture from Barcelona. She knew exactly what would look good and today when I gave it to my partner for Christmas, he was really thrilled. Framing is not cheap and when you have it done you want someone to care about your project and offer you real advice and service. I have had a lot of things framed and I will not go anywhere else.
THANK YOU GREAT FRAME UP!!!

I have taken a lot of very unique pieces of art here and I have been very happy with the results and attention I have gotten here! Ellen is great and always listens and gives good advice as to which way she thinks the piece would look best!
If you have unique and treasured pieces of art to frame, this is the place to go! When ever anyone sees our framed pieces they are really impressed and ask where we went! Don’t bother messing around and putting your art at risk. This is a no brainer! Top notch! The only small downside, and this isn’t much, is that they are so good they can get very busy and the work might take longer than expected. This is not a big deal, unless you get excited to see the work and can’t wait! This is the only reason I am giving 4 of 5 stars, the work is excellent, and they are very friendly and helpful!!!

Thank you to Ellen and Andrea and all the other people at The Great Frame Up for always making my paintings look perfect.
Before I found out about TGFU, I took one of my paintings on the 38 out to Cheap Pete’s complete with sweaty palms and an anxiety attack. Do you have any idea what it feels like to take something large, fragile and awkward that you’ve been working on for months on the bus?
Never again will I do this. Ugh.
Fortunately the Great Frame Up is within walking distance. And I enjoy toting a 22×28″ painting with sexy cleavage on it through the Castro during Sunday brunch. Makes for some interesting looks and conversations, let me tell you.
The first time I took in one of my paintings, Ellen helped me pick an elegant shadow box frame. It suits ALL of my work and she managed to find the least expensive one. She’s the best!
Now it is easy for me to drop something off… I can just say ‘please do the usual’…then two and a half weeks later I pick up my beautifully framed work.
They are extremely professional (they handle the work with white gloves), very nice and I trust their recommendations. Most of the staff are artists themselves and will give you their honest opinion and/​or suggestions if you need help.
Be sure to take as much time as you need to choose your frame or frame combinations as this can be a challenging process. There are more choices than you *ever* knew possible.
p. s. They framed all the work for the Rocket Dog Rescue auction that happened last night at Terra Mia Studios. It all looked fantastic. Good job guys!