Framing artwork and memorabilia “doesn’t look hard, but it takes many years to really hone in and get a nice precision, quality craftsmanship,” says Matthew Findling, owner of Phoenix Custom Framing & Gallery.
A thirty-year industry veteran, he opened in June in the tin-ceilinged former Rock Paper Scissors storefront on W. Michigan Ave. It’s “a beautiful space,” he says. “I fell in love with it pretty much right off the bat.”
He’d been scouting the area for about a year, knowing that the owners of Saline Picture Framing Company, a fixture on N. Ann Arbor St. since the 1980s, were headed toward retirement in late 2023. The Bowe family has “been a big help and a great support,” Findling says, especially with customer referrals.
He’d spent the last twelve years working in Ann Arbor as the framing manager for Pierre Paul Design. Its closure earlier this year accelerated his longtime dream of having his own shop. The name evokes the mythological bird rising from the ashes with renewed hope.
Building on relationships from Pierre Paul, Findling sells work by local artists, and he’s filled out his store with other handmade pieces for sale on commission. From greeting cards and jewelry to sculpture and locally themed landscape paintings, the gallery spans a wide range of price points. But framing remains his “bread and butter.” He cuts frames, mats, and glass to size in his on-site workshop, and delivery and installation are available.
Findling has framed all sorts of art over the years, from oil paintings to ceramic tiles to kid-made keepsakes. Other projects have included sports jerseys and memorabilia, a full-size kimono, a twelve-string guitar once owned by Keith Richards, and swords from the Civil War.
“I love working with people,” he says. “You know, that progression of finding something beautiful to fit their cherished items to be able to put up on their walls, and knowing that I had a hand in that, it’s a good feeling.”
Phoenix Custom Framing & Gallery, 104 W. Michigan Ave., Saline. (734) 209–0500. Tues., Wed., & Fri. 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Thurs. noon–8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. phoenixcustomframes.com
Thanks for this info! Saline can use a good frame shop after the closing of Saline Picture Frame.
One small note: the word “hone” as used in the article is misapplied. The proper word to use is “home in.” Think of homing pigeons. The word “hone” means to polish or sharpen as with a whetstone.