By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — Just about anything can be framed at Framebridge — the athletic jersey of a favorite player or child, programs for memorable Broadway shows, sea shells to highlight a photo gallery from a family beach vacation or even a vintage bathing suit.
That’s a sampling of things brought to be framed at the new Framebridge store, 123 Post Road East, which opened Saturday.
“We’re very excited to see the pieces coming in,” said Danielle Provost, a consultant at the new store. “I’m sure Westport has some very interesting artwork.”
Provost, like other consultants at the 25 stores in the national Framebridge chain, has received training to help customers select designs for personalized frames and framing styles among the many types available in the store and online.
The Westport sore is the first opened by Framebridge in Connecticut, with a New Canaan store expected to open soon.
The company prides itself on “keeping our prices transparent,” so no one is shocked at the final cost after a piece is framed, she said. “We’re a little bit cheaper than some other places.”
When a customer enters the store, she helps them choose a frame from the samples displayed on the wall, matting, an acrylic transparent protective cover, and the best hardware to hang the artwork or object. Framing choices are then sent off to the company’s design center where the piece is completed and sent back to the store or directly to the customer, within two weeks.
Although most frames are made of pine, specialty frames made of cherry or walnut are also available, as well as frames with special veneers or leafing. Frames can also be made in all sizes, with 40-by-60 inches the limit. Framebridge consultants can also help customers create “a gallery wall” of many works.
“We can frame almost anything,” Provost said about three-dimensional treasures people want to hang on their wall — as long as they weigh under five pounds and are no more than 1½ inches thick, she said.
The store can even take photos from mobile phones, print them and frame them, she added.
Customers can also order framing materials from the company’s website, and the completed job can be sent directly to them or the store for pickup. But Provost recommends that customers, especially those who have not used the company’s services before, come in for a free consultation.
Framebridge is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 203-635-5469 or email westport@framebridge.com.
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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.
