Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Garrett.
Hi Jane, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I studied graphic design and photography in college and actually stumbled across custom picture framing almost by accident. I answered an ad looking for help at a custom framing shop in Ann Arbor. I actually didn’t realize what custom framing was all about but got a great start at Pictures Plus. They opened a second store just before Arborland was demolished and then moved the entire operation to the Westgate location.
In 2000, I moved to Traverse City where I had spent summers helping out on my grandparent’s fruit farm. After working at a winery for about 5 years, I found work at one of the 4 frame shops (on the same street) in downtown Traverse City. Working there for a few years reacquainted me with the craft and changes that the framing industry had gone through but I had also re-discovered my love of photography and took a job at The Camera Shop of Traverse City.
By then, TC was down to 1 shop on Front Street and The Camera Shop realized that they were sending a lot of potential business out the door by not having a framing department. I was asked if I would be interested in running the operations of the framing department and we decided to open Fusion Fine Art Framing and Gallery not as a department of The Camera Shop, but as a “sister store” to them.
In 2015, we got started in remodeling the space upstairs from The Camera Shop and by 2016, we were open regular business hours. We expanded our space a few years after opening and then, a couple years after that, we expanded again. Our space now takes up half of the upstairs of the building… and I feel like I need more room!
The collaboration with The Camera Shop was a great start with clients bringing their photos upstairs and has quickly grown to where framing photographs is not the majority of what comes in the door. We see so many interesting item and hear many interesting and heartfelt stories that every day is different and keeps us on our toes. It’s a privilege to be able to help our clients bring their vision to fruition.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Once the decision to open Fusion Framing was made, I would say that I have been immensely fortunate with the support of not only the people who allowed this to happen, but also of our clientele. Getting to that point may have been a little bumpy and fraught with self-doubt, but it has been an amazing journey once Fusion Framing opened its doors.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Fusion Fine Art Framing and Gallery is a custom framing shop/gallery in downtown Traverse City, Michigan. We specialize in working with our clients to show off their art, whether it’s their child’s drawing, a concert poster, a valuable (or not) original piece of art or their grandmother’s wedding dress. Not only do we work with our client’s to make their item look good, but we explain to them the best way of preserving it by using conservation methods. Then, we make it happen!
What I know about “what sets us apart from the others” is what I’ve garnered from our clients themselves. I think the primary comment that I’ve heard from them is that we listen to them. We listen to what their vision is and get it done. We also have an amazing gallery of frame options. If we don’t have it, I try to find it – or, we work with frame makers who can create it.
I’m most proud of our attention to detail and quality of work as well as our relationship with our clients.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Some things that many might not know about me is that I’ve worn many hats before and during my custom framing years. I’ve been a photographer, a Montessori teaching assistant, a graphic designer, jack-of-all-trades at a winery, a hydroponic strawberry farmer (yes, they tasted amazing), an alpaca breeder, a B&B host and most recently I’ve been working with clients on cleaning and restoring their art. The art restoration is a separate business from Fusion Framing that I work on from home and because of the amount of time spent at the shop, it’s definitely secondary to my time there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fusionfineartframing.com
