Yesterday, I was on my own at the Frame Shop. Owner was out for the day, but I assured her all would be well, and that I was all about TCB (Takin Care of B'ness). Thankfully, I had no customers ask me any hard questions, like "how much does that cost?" You see, I haven't yet learned fully how to price things like mats, glass and frames. And by "fully" I really mean at all. The pricing isn't hard, but it's the measuring that requires some skill. A woman came in with three very old, small watercolors done by her son's grandmother which she wanted to have matted and framed for him. (Really nice of her and naturally I wanted to help her get something not just suitable but perfect, because like that's just the nicest thing to do for your kid. I bet he cries when he gets them; well, he should anyway). We found the right mat, selected a simple and tasteful moulding - I grabbed one out of existing stock that I eyeballed and figured would be enough to frame all the pieces in case it was a discontinued item or some other kind of newbie framer nightmare. Much to my surprise she never asked how much it would be. What a relief! Granted, I need to let her know how much it will be and when the job will be completed, but I was really glad not to have to attempt pricing on my own. BriGuy was TCB.
You know when you get something new for your house like a pillow for the sofa or a new vase and you start fiddling around with where it looks best? Next thing you know you're thinking "maybe if that chair was over there and that side table was next to the other chair..." Before you know it, you've completely rearranged the entire living room. Well, that's what happened to me yesterday. Owner and I had decided to move a polyptych (a painting of 4 or more panels (sic) - totally had to look that up) before the Art Walk on Friday. I know myself fairly well. The minute I took the first panel down, I knew this was going to be one of those times when nothing was safe from my moving mania. Again my OCD friend paid me a visit. It became obvious that I needed to do some light dusting which naturally means drag out the vacuum and begin vacuuming the entire brick wall aided by a 10 foot ladder and the longest vacuum hose extension I've ever seen. Remember, I am supposed to be minding the shop and helping customers - normal retail stuff, right? Presumably one should look decent and not like he was mowing the yard. Fail. I had on decent clothes and my awesome new shoes, but when you're vacuuming a 20' high brick wall, you be doin some fo real work! I found myself engaged in the battle of keeping my shirt tucked in while combating pervasive perspiration. (Thank god for paper towels). It's really hard to go up and down a ladder holding a vacuum cleaner tank and giant hose, clean the wall AND keep your shirt tucked in your britches no matter how tight you make your belt. In fact about 3 hours in I simply gave up. Lesson learned: do this kind of stuff when the store is closed and don't wear khakis and a button-down to do it.
It's time for me to head down to the shop for another day of hanging art. I must tell you, it is really a gift to be able to work with art. I enjoy seeing it and engaging it, if you get that, in an effort to try to find a place where it can best be seen and tell its story. More on that later! Have a great day.
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