How to Start a Picture Framing Shop
After the holidays, homes are full of things worth framing: new prints, children's drawings, family photos, certificates and gifts that deserve better than a drawer. A picture framing shop turns that steady need into a skilled, creative business. This guide covers how to start a picture framing shop, from learning the craft and setting up a workshop to pricing, suppliers and finding customers who come back.
Key takeaways
- Framing is a skilled trade. Learn measuring, mat cutting, mounting, glazing and fitting before you take paid work.
- You can start from a home workshop, a shared studio or a retail shop, and add a storefront later.
- Price every job with the same worksheet so materials, labor and overheads are always covered.
- Repeat business often comes from artists, photographers, interior designers and local companies, not just walk-in customers.
Framing suits people who enjoy careful handwork, color and design, and talking with customers about things they care about. A wedding photo, a grandparent's medal or a child's first painting often matters deeply to the person bringing it in. Treat every piece that way and your reputation grows quickly.
A quick note: this article is general information, not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice. Rules for registering a business, collecting sales tax or VAT and employing staff vary, so check with your local authorities and talk to an accountant or lawyer where needed.
Learn the craft first
Customers trust you with items that are often irreplaceable. Before you open, make sure you can do these tasks confidently and consistently.
- Measuring and design. Measure artwork accurately, suggest mat widths and colors, and choose a moulding that suits both the piece and the room.
- Mat cutting. Cut clean bevels, multiple openings and double mats without overcuts.
- Mounting. Know when to use reversible hinging for valuable art and when permanent mounting is acceptable for posters or prints.
- Glazing. Understand the difference between standard glass, acrylic and UV-filtering options, and when each one makes sense.
- Joining and fitting. Join corners tightly, fit the package cleanly, seal the back and add the right hanging hardware.
Short courses, apprenticeships with an established framer or working part-time in a frame shop are all good ways to learn. Framing trade associations and suppliers also run training, so ask around in your area.
Pro tip
Keep a practice log. Frame your own photos and prints, and those of friends, and note the time each job takes. Those real times become the labor estimates in your pricing worksheet.
Choose your business model
There is more than one way to run a framing business. Pick the model that fits your budget and the customers around you.
Home or studio workshop
You take orders by appointment, online or through partners, and work from a garage, spare room or shared studio. Costs are low, but you need space for a mat cutter, a joining tool and safe storage for customers' artwork. Check that your home insurance and local rules allow a business at home.
Retail framing shop
A storefront brings walk-in customers and room for a design counter with corner samples, plus a small gallery wall of ready-made frames and local art. Rent and fit-out are higher, so footfall and visibility matter.
Trade and commercial framing
Some framers focus on business clients: hotels, offices, interior designers, photographers and artists who need consistent work in volume. Orders are larger, but deadlines are tighter and you will need written quotes and clear payment terms.
Common mistake
Stocking hundreds of full-length mouldings before you know what sells. Long lengths tie up cash and space. Many new framers start with a well-chosen range of corner samples and order cut-to-size or full lengths from suppliers as jobs come in, then stock the profiles that sell repeatedly.
Set up your workshop
A tidy, well-lit workshop makes framing faster and protects customers' pieces. Plan your space around how a job moves through it.
- Intake and storage. A clean, dry, labeled area for artwork waiting to be framed or collected.
- Cutting area. A sturdy mat cutter and a separate space for cutting glazing and backing board.
- Joining area. A tool to join frame corners, plus clamps and wood glue.
- Fitting table. A large, padded, spotless surface for assembling the final package.
- Design counter. Good daylight-style lighting, corner samples and mat samples so customers can see combinations.
Work safely
Glass, sharp blades and heavy frames all carry risks. In the US, OSHA's general duty clause expects employers to keep the workplace free from recognized serious hazards. In the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act applies, and employers with 5 or more employees must have a written health and safety policy and a written risk assessment. Even if you work alone, use cut-resistant gloves for glass, keep blades fresh and store glass sheets securely.
Price custom framing clearly
Custom framing involves many small components, which makes quick guesses risky. Use one consistent method for every quote.
- Measure the finished size. Record the artwork size, mat borders and outside frame size.
- Calculate materials. Moulding length including waste for corners, mat board, glazing, backing board, hanging hardware and tape.
- Add labor time. Use your practice log to estimate cutting, joining, mounting and fitting time, then multiply by your hourly rate.
- Add overheads. Include a share of rent, tools, software, insurance and card fees.
- Add your margin. Profit is what lets you replace equipment and grow, so price it in from the start.
- Present options. Show a good, better and best version, such as standard glass versus UV-filtering glazing.
Be careful with the urge to undercut other framers. Customers who care about their pieces usually value good advice, careful work and a firm due date more than the lowest price, and very low quotes leave no room for mistakes, remakes or broken glass. Explain what each option includes, and most people will choose the level of protection that suits their piece.
Many framers build a price list that sets a rate per size band or per measure of frame length, so quotes are fast at the counter. Whatever method you use, review it whenever supplier prices change.
Job ticket and pricing template
Copy this into a spreadsheet or your shop software. All amounts are made-up examples for illustration only.
| Job | Outside size | Materials (example) | Labor (example) | Overhead share (example) | Quoted price (example) | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding photo, double mat, UV glazing | 16 x 20 in | $38 | $40 | $15 | $140 | 14 Jan |
| Child's painting, single mat | 12 x 16 in | $20 | $25 | $10 | $80 | 10 Jan |
| Certificate, ready-made frame plus custom mat | 11 x 14 in | $12 | $10 | $6 | $45 | 8 Jan |
Attach a numbered ticket to every piece, photograph it at intake and note any existing damage. It protects you and reassures the customer.
Keep an eye on stock
If you carry mouldings, mat board and ready-made frames, track how fast they sell. Inventory turnover is cost of goods sold divided by average inventory. A low number for a profile or color tells you it is sitting on the shelf and may be worth discontinuing.
Find customers and build repeat business
Framing is a local, trust-based trade. Mix walk-in customers with partners who send regular work.
- Google Business Profile. Add photos of finished work, opening hours and services. You can publish updates, offers and events, such as a January "frame your holiday photos" week.
- Artists and photographers. Offer consistent pricing for repeat or batch work before exhibitions and markets.
- Interior designers and businesses. Offices, cafes, hotels and rental hosts need art framed and hung. Prepare a simple trade price list and written terms.
- Schools and sports clubs. Certificates, team photos and signed shirts are steady seasonal work.
- Customer photos. Ask permission before sharing pictures of a customer's framed piece online.
- Email updates. With clear consent, send occasional updates. In the US, CAN-SPAM requires an unsubscribe option and a postal address; in the UK and EU, PECR and GDPR consent rules apply.
When you take card payments, follow PCI DSS and never store full card numbers. Taking a deposit on custom orders protects you if a customer never collects.
Hypothetical example
Imagine Tom, a former graphic designer who learned framing on weekends with a local framer. He starts in a converted garage, taking orders by appointment and through two interior designers he used to work with. He uses a single pricing worksheet for every job and photographs each piece at intake. After a year of steady trade work and growing reviews, he rents a small shop on a busy street, adds a gallery wall of local artists' prints and keeps the trade work as his reliable base.
Your framing shop launch checklist
- Train in measuring, mat cutting, mounting, glazing and fitting
- Keep a practice log of how long each job takes
- Choose a home workshop, retail shop or trade model
- Register your business and check licenses, permits and sales tax or VAT
- Arrange insurance that covers customers' artwork in your care
- Set up a safe workshop layout and glass handling routine
- Open supplier accounts and choose your starter sample range
- Build a pricing worksheet and numbered job tickets
- Set up card payments, deposits and a collection policy
- Launch your Google Business Profile and contact trade partners
Frequently asked questions
Can I start a framing business from home?
Many framers do. You will need enough space for equipment and safe artwork storage, plus confirmation that local rules, your lease and your insurance allow a home business. Customer visits by appointment keep it manageable.
What insurance does a framer need?
Talk to a broker about liability, equipment and especially cover for customers' property while it is in your care. Valuable artwork can be worth far more than the frame, so ask how high-value items are handled.
How do I handle valuable or old artwork?
Use conservation methods such as reversible hinging, acid-free materials and UV-filtering glazing, and explain the options to the customer. For very valuable or fragile pieces, recommend a conservator if the work is beyond your experience.
Should I sell ready-made frames as well as custom framing?
A small range of ready-made frames can bring in quick sales and new visitors, especially around gift seasons. Keep the range tight, track what sells and make sure it does not crowd out the design counter where your higher-value custom work happens.
Related reading
The bottom line
Starting a picture framing shop rewards patience and precision. Learn the craft properly, begin with a lean workshop and a focused sample range, price every job with the same worksheet and look after customers' pieces as if they were your own.
The new year is full of framing projects, from holiday photos to fresh certificates. Practice, track your times, fill in the job ticket template and reach out to a few local artists and designers. Steady partners and happy walk-in customers can grow a small workshop into a well-known local shop.
