Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Goltz.
Jay, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started Artists Frame Service on Clybourn Ave. in 1978. At the time, it was an abandoned factory district that was best known as a great shortcut to downtown. I was the first new retailer to set up shop there, and business took off quickly. By providing a better selection and better service, Artists Frame Service became the largest independent picture frame shop in the country within 5 years. Over the next 30 years, the company evolved to include Jayson Home – a much celebrated furniture and accessory store known for it’s unique selection and authentic customer service, Chicago Art Source – an art gallery and consultancy featuring contemporary artists, and Bella Moulding- supplying hundreds of other picture frame shops around the country with frames we import directly from Italy and Spain. All of the companies are ‘connected by design.’ They all have the same DNA – an interesting and beautiful selection, a customer focused approach, and the desire to thrill customers with better and different products. I started my “career” working in my father’s Dime Store around the corner on Armitage Ave when I was about 6 years old. In turn, I have been able to pass the nuances of what customer service is, and isn’t, to my 110 people, who have an average tenure of 11 years; many over 20.
Has it been a smooth road?
Hah! Not at all. While I learned about customer service from my father, I had no idea how to manage, do the accounting or even understand what marketing was. I have never had a job, or a mentor. It was trial and terror for about twenty years. Very stressful, but I slowly but surely figured it out. As a matter of fact, about twenty years ago, I wrote a book called “The Street Smart Entrepreneur” 133 hard-learned lessons in order to tell people what I wish someone would have told me. I went on to be included in a book called “Small Giants”, and was put on the cover of Inc. Magazine. From there, I became the lead blogger for the small business section of the New York Times for five years. After going through it myself, and talking to hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, I would say the number one “growing pain” of small business is learning how to hire, and knowing when to fire. The other area many people struggle with is accounting and finance- which includes pricing and borrowing money. There are far more resources today than there were when I started, and I would encourage people to seek guidance. The good news is this; when you learn and grow, it gets easier. I have a much easier time today, with 110 employees, than I had when I had 10. Keep looking for what you need to improve.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Artists Frame Service, Jayson Home, Chicago Art Source – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Whether we are framing someone’s picture, selling them furniture or art or supplying frames to other stores, we are known for our better-designed products and authentic customer service. I am most proud of two things; A loyal following of happy customers that appreciate what we do, and the fact that we have created an environment where employees want to stay around. What sets us apart? Probably 100 things, but at it’s core, it is probably the fact that we enjoy what we do. Some call it passion, maybe in other cases it is respect. In a day where people change jobs frequently and the customer is regularly frustrated by a lack of customer service, we are proud to be the exception. What I have learned is that it is not only the income that matters; it is the outcome.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the people, the resources, the skyline, and the change of seasons. The traffic – not so much!
Contact Info:
- Address: Artists Frame Service
1867 N Clybourn Ave - Website: artistsframe.com
- Phone: 773 248 2800
- Email: sales@artistsframe.com
- Instagram: @artistsframe
- Facebook: Artists Frame Service
- Other: jaysonhome.com
Image Credit:
The Goltz Group
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.
