Pasadena Picture Framing

I wish we had read the reviews BEFORE we took an oil painting to be framed by Pasadena Picture Framing because we would have gone elsewhere. Instead, we went on a referral of a relative, who heard they did good work. We were promised a date for pick-​up. We called to confirm the painting was ready for pick up and we were told it was… LIE! When we arrived at the shop (in the middle of the day), the door was locked and there was a sign listing a cell phone number to call. We called and were told the owner stepped out and would be back in 15 minutes. We waited and he finally arrived and told us he needed an additional 15 minutes! He then went in the back and completed the work, we heard sawing and hammering while we waited. He obviously did NOT have the work completed as he told us earlier and wasted a total of an hour of our time.
We left a picture frame that needed repair… What a mistake! I went on a Tuesday at 11:00am and again the shop was locked up and nobody was there. I called and left a message both on the business line AND on the cell phone. I did NOT receive a call back that day. The next day, extremely frustrated, I called the business line and left a message AND texted the same message on the cell number. A miracle occurred, I received a response! I stated the time we would arrive to pick up the picture. We were given all kind of excuses about the problems he had with his ‘employees’, but NEVER offered an apology or a discount to compensate us for the inconvenience he caused us!
If you have all the time in the world to waste, I recommend you go to Pasadena Picture Framing. The owner, who never had the courtesy to introduce himself by name, obviously believes that his time is more important than anyone else’s. We will not be back and hope this review will help others to avoid the frustration of dealing with a business that works on their own schedule and is unconcerned with providing ANY level of customer service.

If literally the only thing you have to do for the next year or so is get a picture framed then this is the place for you.
I brought a small picture in to be framed in early November of last year for a holiday present. I was told it would take one week. It took six weeks. In that time, every time I called no one answered the phone, every time I stopped by during normal business hours no one was there.
Finally a few days before the holidays I got the picture back. When I got home I saw that there was a scratch on the inside of the glass frame. It was small but I had paid $ 65 (super overpriced is an added bonus to the gem of a mom and pop shop) to get this thing framed. Hell nah.
So I took the picture back in early January to get it re-​framed. I was told it would take a couple of days. I got it back three months later, after stopping by and calling multiple times. Two separate times the owner of the store, Richard, told me he’d drop the picture off at my home and both times he did not show up or call to tell me he wasn’t coming. When I finally picked up the photo he didn’t apologize, offer a discount, anything. AND the person I got the photo framed for died. Just kidding, the person is still alive, just wanted to see if you were still reading. But everything else is true, and this place stinks.

Richard, the owner, loves art and was an artist in his youth. He bring this artistic eye to framing your art, in the context of the room, and colors it will be surrounded by. He is much more than a furniture maker with decades of experience; he is an artist! He brings so many more dimensions to the consideration of selecting the right frame and glass.
Sure his prices are very good and better than what you would find on the internet (as shipping costs are so high). Yes I checked two websites for a large print 60″ x 32″.

beautiful, fast, precise and excellent.

Forget my 1^st review, I am NEVER doing business with Pasadena Picture Framing ever again.
I tried numerous times to get a 3^rd picture framed and it was exhausting trying to pinpoint when Richart was going to actually be at his shop, so I am taking my business elsewhere.
I actually overpaid for my previous photo by $ 40 – 50 because I was told that the glass was better, so they up-​charged me for this «better glass» and rather than wait another hour or so for him to redo it, I paid the difference which really didn’t sit well with me.
It’s not the quality of the work, but the lack of respect shown from this store as it seems that my time is not valued and I have nothing better to do than do business on THEIR time.
Plenty of options in the area, so I am taking my business elsewhere.

Richard is the best. I’ve been here twice and on each occasion he assisted me in less than 5 minutes with mounting hardware to the back of a frame. I know this is a simple fix, but if I ever need more extensive framing services, I know where to go. Thanks, Richard!

Richard and team are amazing! A real pleasure to talk to and visit with as well. I took 10 pieces of art consisting of Rock Concert Posters, Egyptian Papyrus, & Camille Rose Garcia prints, and was able to sit back and trust their artistic vision for a great finish with no stress. Prices are very reasonable, and turnaround time as well. Needless to say I will be taking all of our wedding pictures and future art collectables to this place!
Note that Unilocal may be showing previous address location for the shop. They are located at 605 E Walnut St, Pasadena, CA 91 101.

I was extremely happy with the work Pasadena Picture Framing did for me. My performance photo looks like a million bucks! It was the first time I ever had anything professionally framed. They were real down home folks. They worked with me in making the final decisions on what would look best. I went to two other shops before deciding on them. They had the best price, were the most helpful and had the best vibe. Framing is a real art. It takes a true artist eye to create the perfect frame. It also takes time to get the perfect job done. I did have to wait. But I was not in a rush so that was okay. I will definitely get more photos framed with them in the future. I would also not hesitate to refer friends to them. I would have given them 5 stars if it were not for a couple missed promises of delivery date. Not a big deal though. They do GREAT work! I give them 4 ½ out of 5 stars! Cheers

Got two pictures framed here. I took them in on July 18^th and the work was not completed until August 10^th when I was originally told it shouldn’t take that long. He said about a week and a half. When I dropped them off I went on vacation for two weeks and was expecting them to be done when I returned, however, they were not. I was told they would be done by the weekend and to call in Friday. I called Saturday and he said they would be ready for pick up by 1pm. He called me later that day and asked if he could have until 2pm, I said yes. Then when I went to pick them up at 2:40pm, he said he still needed «5 more minutes».
Although the work was pretty good, this wait time just isn’t ok, and it was very expensive as well.

Very happy with the job that they did. I don’t often have things framed but from now on I definitely will be using them. Done quicker than promised. Much care and attention to details.

I don’t know where to begin my glowing review!!! Ok Let’s start with Richart being amazing the man has been doing this work for 30+ and knows his craft, i’m sorry craft? Art. I went in with my first beloved piece to be framed and questioned the heck out of the poor man from frames, to mats, and what nots … I would have saved a butt load of time just leaving it to Richart and walking away, which by the way I did the second time I came in! Still not a waste of time because Richart is an awesome individual, ridiculously kind and helpful! Ps. my family now goes to Richart with their lovely things too!

Size of artwork: 8 in. x 10 in.
Type of frame: Simple black frame with white matte surround
Cost: $ 50 (cash only, credit cards not taken)
Quoted time to completion: A few days
Actual time to completion: Over 3 weeks
Quality of result: Good!
Quality of service/​professionalism: Terrible!
I dropped off my artwork on Sun ¹¹⁄₂₄. Chris quoted me a quick turnaround, saying it would be ready in a few days and definitely in less than a week. I asked if they’d call when ready and he responded yes. He asked if I wanted to make a deposit. (I don’t understand the purpose of an optional deposit…) I decided to just pay in full and make life easier for them.
2 weeks later, after no call, I assumed they forgot, so I drove over on Sun ¹²⁄₈. While looking for parking, I decided to call so they could get it ready. I spoke with Richart and was told it wasn’t ready, and he’d been sick and short-​staffed. (So why didn’t he call and inform me?) He guaranteed for me it would be ready tomorrow and would call me. So, I drove home empty-​handed.
Another week later, I still hadn’t received any call. The artwork was meant to be a gift, which was already late. It would be today or never. So, I drove over on Sun ¹²⁄₁₅ to pick up my piece. Upon arrival, Richart told me it was still not ready, and guaranteed again it would be ready the next day. (Again, why didn’t he call and inform me?) I reminded him he said the same exact thing last week, and told him I needed the artwork back at this point. I then stood and waited for 20 minutes as he wandered around searching for the piece. Since my family was waiting in my car outside, I politely requested after 20 minutes that he end his search, and just to inform me of the procedure for this type of situation as it was clear he had lost the artwork. He mumbled something about how his brother had the keys and knew where it was. I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his other customer, so I just asked him to call me with his procedure for how he handles lost artwork.
2 days later, on Tues 12/​17, Richart called and informed me my artwork was ready. It made no difference to me at this point, because the recipient of my gift had already left town empty-​handed.
On Thu 12/​19, I drove back. After waiting in an unmanned room and calling out to the backroom for 5 minutes, Richart emerged. He searched in the room briefly and brought out my finished, framed piece. I thanked him and left. I didn’t request reimbursement or compensation for all the driving, wasted time, or 3 week delay… nor was any offered.
We all make mistakes sometimes, and ultimately what matters is your professionalism and how you deal with and correct for the mistake, right? In this respect, I felt Richart really failed in his duty of professionalism. He didn’t properly safe-​keep the artwork, failed multiple times to meet his timeline promises, neglected to call me in advance to explain/​apologize for the situation, and took a sorely reactive approach to dealing with his mistakes.

We recently purchased a valuable piece of art from one of the European galleries and it was shipped in rolled form, which needed re-​streching. After internet research we took to Richard. We were anxious about results since when we walked in into this unnoticeable shop in Pasadena.
Well, I must say we were really impressed with results. First of all, very professional work, reasonable time and pricing. Though we had a original stretch bar, Richard build a new one to insure right alignment and I think he was right, paining is just gorgeous.
Price-​wise he is most affordable in area at least (if not in entire LA). He also provided us delivery at no charge, which saved us a lot money from hiring a uhaul (since paining is huge (6′ by 6′). He also has a decent selection of frames, etc
I think after many years we finally found a place where we can trust valuable artworks for framing and stretching

I cannot say enough good things about Richart and Pasadena Picture Framing! Seriously, this is how you do good business, so if you’re a business owner, take note and maybe you will one day be as well-​revered as Richart:
I called Pasadena Picture Framing to get a quote for a canvas that needed to be stretched onto a frame for my office. I had previously called three other businesses who all quoted me more than twice the amount Richart quoted, so already I was sold. I arrived to drop off the canvas later that afternoon (it’s a bit hard to see from the street, but keep in mind it’s right next to the big dry cleaners on the corner), and Richart was clearly swamped, as it was a few days before Christmas, but still incredibly kind and professional. He was actually willing to get the work done before Christmas, but it wasn’t a rush so I told him I’d call once I arrived back from vacation.
I called the day after New Year’s Day and told Richart I’d come by and pick it up later that day. Of course, I got stuck in a meeting and totally forgot to call him or stop by, so he called to check in with me and I promised to come by the next day. The next day I received a call from him stating that he was in the same area as my office (a completely different city!) and would be happy to bring the canvas to me!
I know this a lengthy and boring story to everyone but me, but SERIOUSLY has anyone ever dropped off a perfectly executed project that was already underpriced to you free of charge?! And with a smile? I can’t even get UPS to come to my condo door instead of leaving packages in front of the property on the damn street! I tell ya… AMAZING!

The owner, Richart, is very friendly and talented guy. His work is flawless. For you student, tell him that you are a student and he will give you a discount. Also ask him for his opinion/​suggestions for type of frames and other stuff.
Definitely will come back for more framing jobs

Richart is a really, really nice guy who does really, really good work. He seems to genuinely love what he does, and it shows. Had him frame two oil paintings for me, one plein aire landscape, the other a contemporary abstract. When I saw them framed, I was blown away. Ask for his advice, he will steer you in the right direction.

I needed some help with a photo canvas, adding some backing paper and sawtooth hangers to match a series and he not only did it for a fair price, but did it there and then in about 10 minutes so I didn’t have to go back later!
He has a very large selection of frames and you can tell that he has been doing it for a long time and really knows his stuff. I am looking forward to being able to recommend him to my clients that need some custom framing.

Unilocal is great when you’re looking for restaurants – but not always so helpful when you need to find other types of businesses. And that’s why I’m writing this review. I took two prints to Richart and he did an amazing job framing them. He’s super friendly and very experienced. He’s not always in the shop, so you probably want to call first to make sure he’s around. If you leave a message for him, he WILL return your call.
I will definitely be coming back.
One more thing: he doesn’t take credit cards! So make sure you have cash or a check.

SERIOUSLY, as good as it gets. finding a truly good framer is an accomplishment, finding an affordable one is another, and never do they seem to be the same framer… except now, _​this_​guy. anything you’ve ever wanted to put behind glass and on a wall, take it to Richart immediately.
the photo i posted along with this review is of a 24×36 poster, so with frame and matting, it got huge and, apart from anywhere else, fairly cost prohibitive to frame. richart built this frame to match two (much smaller) others this is to hang beside; i showed him one of the others, he returned this — perfect.
even MORE perfect, and somewhat unbelievable, there was a little flaw in the actual fiber of the paper that was pretty noticeable and distracting and… he made it magically go away! you can tell talking to him that he loves such little challenges, really enjoys what he does, and while as russel g. says, it’s tempting to keep him a ‘secret weapon’, he’s far too good, and too kind, not to reward with gobs more work.
so Unilocalers, go, get things framed by Richart — you will not be disappointed.

Richart is a down-​to-​earth custom framer who not only knows his craft, but can handle an über picky photographer like me. While I’d like to say he’s a secret weapon, I’d rather he stay busy and successful!
I stumbled upon his shop while researching Insider Pages (Shh! Don’t tell Unilocal!), and he’s archival-​framed multiple pieces for me over the last three years. A couple were for art shows, more were for my clients. His framing work is in clients’ homes in LA, Orange County, San Diego, and even a hotel in southern Utah.
The image created for the hotel (a panorama of Zion Nat’l Park) also hangs in my dining room. My print was longer than mat board he had in stock, but he bent over backwards to get the right materials. The finished art always gets a reaction from guests.
He’s a wealth of ideas, even for a hauty photog who thinks he knows just what he wants when he walks in. His suggestions and craftsmanship have made my photography look better than it should!