- e 4- GROWSWITHWHITY Us" Mnc tiravuncs, Uisç nave ,jomncG meC Whitby éhaptcr of thse Buiness Improvemient Association,, an organization devoted to renovating hlstoric clty districts. (There are asort di 200 $Us.hi Onario.) "The. BIA decideti the. haut'direction 4>tq-ponsor promotions te put, p1ôk w gays EIIiab. "B1$A' oundines thée promotions, andthe Uic uncrrtsL have t o get people ln tlmelr doors." BIA dihemes are uspally seasonal andi include ~dispIcy window copeitions for participating meails. Bnds, mimes and balon ývendors ýoftn enliven-die streets. "More andi more people are getting "WoIed," Lionel gàys* one of ubewuàals a 10monsor a ooster fo.l,'-wheas othçr mercilants mlght be iterested in hanglag-a analposter. If the poster or the art cacl promoiona wcuc to takeoff, tbcy would cdnsider takln the saznc, concept te, teighbÔulng towns, andi produclng the mate"la fbt cercnts tise. "$W.w want to mnplc people aware 0f 'local art," she says. *There's a neeti for itL" Addla#Ar Art, was Dot always as important t0 Picture This and That as It la now - and wlU ha in t ha future. The shop began as a framuiUS enterprise, but.. when the 4OiiiÏlins bôught il out a little;more than cîglit years ago, Uichyinaugurated a series of improvernents and expansions. The profitable custom fraauing Uine was supplementeti by limiteti 'etition rpoutons and posters, anti the. Grvlnsexpect te upgrade eventualiy to "Vie alrcady bad some limitedcditions, but dicy wcre nuixed in wich disý posters" Lionel adds. <'Fôr a wlue, every drn someone came in, we would ask lais opinion of the shop. On. sales, rep told us, f Separate your amt Make o ne wall Uitèd edltiwns, one posters.' That nigit I moveti everydiins irounti." They also began displaying mor framet limited editions, rearranging; Uic gallery space to do so. "Once we hung tii. framnet limited eclitions, we created more of a gallery atanosphere," says Elizabeth. "It's a struggic 10 sell art la 'Whitby. People go to .Torontc> 10 buy art They don't trust our knowledg. flsey'd neyer sma a gallery in ibislocation." "Wiha we want 10 sell anid what people hure wantso1 put on the walls arc two diffues things. We're.educating theni wlth ou custoas ftala aid car limiteti editiotis. We'v. fousa4 hbat peopleý Who have bougws custom frsmln front us Win coue bacto bpy pdu.w Tbe isalIdg boning thir hbuns is actuuly fmu abuus hlgb: The. buseaunt <190 M.q0 st whom tw.jdo u the. m'-;4 tum - r - anob 1100 squ tm)w* îwu4g t « ' s aui provice gastezy-ony auspiay room Their lving quarters are on the. top level, Tiie Upstain Gallery, as the. secondilevel is cailot, also, la useti for special events. _Receptiouls for art shows are belti in that area, andi laut Christata, an expandeti lin. of cua went to the lof'tr As dhe gallery grows, the Gravelines expect to finti more uses for titis story of Uic ahop. The ambience in t he two levels differa dramatically Tbe Upatairs Gallery la sparse andi quiet, witb polisbed Wood floora, high windows ladi minimal furniture. Tlhe downstairs level la warmcr and brighter, with a honiey. rustic look andi a tumblo of anisU dispiays. Crafts, candica, pottery anti other arnali décorative items are acattercd tirougbout thc bottomn level, adding more to Uic decor than to Uic profit picture, but underscoring Uic general air of welcome. Thc Gravelines hope to begin acquiring more regional crafts, as well as unusual items Dot gencrally available i dicir arca. Focu oen FramlIng Hlowvçr mucli tliey May love the art aspect of their operation, Uic Gravelines are nos about to Jose sigbt of Uic fact tiat framrnn provides the. bulk of their business. "Right now, Uie custom. ftainig design table - whicb takes up about 30 square feet - pays for the wbolc building," Lionel says, *"Custom frml7ng la doing great If we didn't sei one pieçe of art off Uie wall, we'd stili bc dolng grat" One reason sales arc so good la diat Uic Gravelines put such a wide range of samples on, thc wall. Tbey concentrate on frameti limitedttioeiao pleces, but Uiey also show off such- lowor-end pieces as tlieir son:fistfinger pitiags. "Soanstimes people think what they're brinsiag in isn't worthy of belag frane&d" ays BlizabetIL "So if "hy sec a cbuld's drawing alteady frameti on the. wall, dicy fecl bettu."; lby sold several frames to prend parents afier thcir owa son's work was-" , bey 88 aut baeverythlng Uicy framie for cttstouss, W"lc gnci the - framlng display- achages abmst' dally," says Liomel. "Them.s atways, somethisig mealive up there, usualiy by Uic design table. It belps break the ice with customrs."t Although thc shop produces about 60 frmned items a week, thc Gravelines stock vcry littie.invenory. 1I cmi get any;bing 1 nced ID Toronto sigit away," says Liotiel. Turnaround is generally two weeks. Customers who watit a small item framed righit away are encouraged to choose a ready-made frame for wbich Lionel wiIl cnt a mat on tic spot. 'Vie tell tbem, 'Look through the mata andi frames. If you finti somcething there you 11h.. we cai put it togetier in an hour. But if you want somcthing custom iframeti, it'll talc. a couple of wceks,' h e says. Lionel does aIl of tic framing, although be la aîdcd by part-time and fuli-time employeca who belp witi mounting, stretcblng, cutting and cleanup. **We're trying to train one person to take over tbe framlng ini tic basement area so Lionel can get on thc main floor. Tiat way we eau botb do sales full time," says Elizabeth. "*Customer rapport is so important. Customers are really buying us." Lionel bas carneti bis Certified Picture Framner designation from PPFA, a fact the Gravelines promnote in their ad literature and in their sales presentation. His framed certificate haxngs by the %aies counter. glazed witb Dcnglas®. "Whenever we' re selling Denglas, we take people over to the certificate so they cai sec bow it looks," says Lionel. "They sec my narne and ask what the certificate means, and tien wc explain it." It's an excellent way of working tic tieme of profcssionalismn into a conversation about framing. la thc puat, especially in their early days. ticy would Icave the front door open late t wigbt became thcy were stili working in Uic shop. "Iuat for our customers to corne in andi look around madie it wortiiwbiie for us to say open late," says Lionel. "A lot of people didn't even know there was a frame siop in town." But Uiat's a state of affaira Uic Gravelines are determihiet to change. And aithei rate they're going, it won't be long before cvcryone in town knows wbo and wbcrc they are. 115 Brock St. S.y Whitby 6661330