I've been framed!

Still not in Lansdale, so still not spending Lansdale money.  Since I have time to reflect on the past, I have come to a rather startling conclusion.

I've been framed!

Now you might think that statement is one heard only at the Lansdale Police Department, but there seems to be a rash of it going on around town.

Because I've been framed.  You've been framed.  Your kids have been framed.  The dog, too.

Because we are a society that doesn't like looking at vast expanses of blank walls.  We like something attractive hanging on them.  Perhaps a portrait or other art work.  A diploma.  Something the kids made for you.

Framing is something you don't go out and buy every day.  I might go the rest of the year not having anything framed.  But it's a great subject to talk about, because when you need something framed, you need it done well.

When I bought the house I live in, my agent gave me two things.  First was the tightly rolled up and then squashed original floor plan and front elevation drawings of my house from 1912.  And a gift certificate to The Mitre Box in Lansdale, PA.

The Mitre Box is a wonderful frame shop located on Susquehanna Avenue.  Just off of West Main Street and adjacent to the Lansdale Public Library.  Take a look at the outside of their shop as pictured in the summertime.  The Mitre Box, and their neighbor, Mike's Shoe Repair, frame their building (see what I did there?) in beautiful greenery and flowers.  The facade of their building is kept in wonderful condition.  Imagine if every property and business owner took this kind of care of their storefronts.  Lansdale would be a beautiful place.

Anyway, back to the framing.  The plans to my home were done on an onion skin type paper, and had been tightly rolled, and most probably sitting in a drawer for close to a hundred years.  I wasn't sure that they were even suitable for framing.

So I go into The Mitre Box.  And I'm one of those clueless people.

Me:   "Hi!  I'd like these framed.  Can you do it?"

Them:  <They go over the methods to flatten and preserve the rolled onion skin paper.  My eyes glaze over a bit, because I now understand that the simple technical terms framers use are too much for me to comprehend.  So we'll just say that they said:>  "Yes."

Then they followed up with the doozie:

Them:  "How would you like it framed?"

Well, the answer to that was "I have no idea," but I didn't want to admit that.  So I asked what my options were.

Talk about options!  They have an incredibly wide selection of frames, matting and glass types.  After asking a lot of questions about where the item was going to hang, and what my general tastes were, they came up with some options.  Some pretty amazing options.

They showed me how framing and matting would make the item look different.  I learned a lot about framing that day.  I made my decisions, and a short while later was rewarded with this:

An absolutely stunning framing job that not only sets off the plans, but is a piece of art itself.  It both shows off the home plans, and fits in with the existing home perfectly.  They nailed it.  They even gave great advice on how to hang it, for the safety of the picture and the wall.

So if you need something framed, The Mitre Box is where you should go.

But I'm going to admit now that I've cheated.  I also went to another frame store.  But it's not in the borough.  It's just over the line.  A few hundred yards from the borough.  But in Upper Gwynedd.  North Penn Art on South Broad Street.

I could have conveniently left this shopping trip out, but include it for one reason.  You have to go the on a Monday.  Why on Monday?  Because the Lansdale Borough tax collector, Christine Calhoun, works there on Mondays.  And she's great.

She is one of the friendliest people I know.  She actually makes you feel good when you go in and pay your taxes.  Not an easy feat!

Christine helped me pick out a great frame to have a hockey jersey framed.  And a hockey jersey is not an easy item to frame, I'm sure.  But North Penn Art did a great job.  Ken was really happy to get this Dave "the Hammer" Shultz jersey.  I wonder if he'll ever realize that I autographed it myself?  Shhhhh.  I don't think he reads this.

(For the record, that was a joke.  Dave Shultz really signed it.  I'm not too sure about the second part.  I'm not 100% sure Ken reads this.)

So when you need framing work done, you can stay in the borough and have a great job done.  Or you can go slightly out of the borough, and get a great job done AND chat with the tax collector.  And she'll give you a coupon good for 50% off your taxes.

That was a joke, too.  The coupon part.  There is no coupon.  Pay your full taxes.  It's for the good of the borough and all of our residents!


So, I've been framed! And I"m not going to take it sitting down.  Because art work is best viewed at eye level.  Stand up.

Back to current Lansdale shopping soon, I promise!

So, today’s score:

ONE opportunity to shop/eat in Lansdale met (a trip down memory lane)

ONE opportunity to shop/eat in Lansdale NOT met - but I could have (also a trip down memory lane)

Let’s see what today brings!