Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Lochow.
Greg, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Attended a White Sox game in the spring of 2001 and ran into Jack Heuser, who owned a Ben Franklin craft store in Blue Island. Jack, an old friend from the Lions Club and other civic groups, said, “Let me buy you a drink, as I have a proposal for you.” He said that he and his wife were closing the store and selling the property, however, the sole profitable center was the framing department. “An enterprising young man such as yourself can make a success of this,” he told me. Unconvinced, I did agree to meet him at his house the next day, where he closed the deal.
I bought his equipment, inventory and customer list – then opened a brand new business with the name he suggested – Franklin Framing. We started out in a 100 square foot corner of an antique mall in a building formerly occupied by Watland Camera. A year later, the owners of the mall had a falling out and closed abruptly, so we moved half a block down the street, built out a former stained glass studio, teamed up with a photographer – and we are still there 15 years later.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had a couple of iffy employees years ago, but that is a thing of the past. Our staff today is mature, talented and delightful to work with. The recession of 2008 was terrible and we barely kept our nose above water, but things are much better now.
Franklin Framing – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We do custom framing of art, photographs, posters, sports jerseys and more. We also create shadowboxes of treasured objects, for example, mementos of a 500-mile pilgrimage in Spain. Unlike a mall store, we have very experienced, talented framers who go to great lengths to do a job the right way. We pay attention to small details and it shows in our finished work.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We host shows for local high school art students and it is a thrill to see the pride and talent exhibited by young men and women. It is also fulfilling to see quality art on a wall, knowing that we made it happen.
Contact Info:
- Address: 13019 S. Western Ave.
Blue Island, IL 60406 - Website: franklinframing.com
- Phone: 708-389-0000
- Email: greg@franklinframing.com
- Facebook: @franklinframing
Image Credit:
Claire DiCola’s MBA diploma, Julie Sklom with the Chicago Water Tower, Money with her owner, Christie Hawley.
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
