Cheap Pete’s Frame Factory Outlet

Got a mat and frame custom made by Chris. He’s the man!!! A bit pricy at 55 dollars for one order but you get what you pay for. Chris was super attentive and gave great inputs. Lorena was cool too!

Lovely store and staff available. Brian really listened to my needs and was so helpful Great experience.

First off, this would be a one star review, but the last two employees who helped me were both super helpful and professional, which bumps this up one star. In spite of the good service I personally received, I’m giving this place a low rating and will personally never shop at this location again due to the absolutely abysmal experience inflicted on another customer by a raging jerk of an employee. It was so bad that if I hadn’t already been in the middle of getting my order completed, I would have walked out.
In the short time I was in the store (less than ten minutes), this employee ripped into the customer he was «helping», berating him when the customer offered to watch what the employee was grudgingly doing to help because, (paraphrasing only slightly here) «it’s 2016, I don’t know you, there’s glass and you could get cut and it’s a liability issue» and yelling at him about possibly ruining someone else’s art (I believe it was the piece the customer was trying to get framed, in which case it was the customers to ruin. If not, it was something one of the employees had left lying out on a counter and not really the fault of the customer). The entire time, the poor customer was pretty laid back and reasonable when he probably should have simply punched the guy in the face.
It got better though, when Angry McJerkface stormed off to the back and began cursing and yelling at a coworker loudly enough that the entire store could hear. At some point, the coworker must have attempted to reply and was told at high volume to «shut the f*ck up.»
This was just a super professional guy all the way around, and I’m can only assume he must be someone who can’t be fired with that customer facing attitude. Anyway, I’ll be taking all future frame purchasing, matting and framing, etc. business elsewhere due to an abusive, vitriolic employee.

I had the best customer experience with JonV today. Jon worked with my husband and I and helped us buy a mat and black frame which was perfect from the floor. Additionally he went the extra mile and trimmed our paintings so the pictures fit into the frame. Jon did all this with a smile and while we waited the other employees were equally nice. We would go here for all our framing needs. I highly recommend Cheap Pete’s in Walnut Creek!

Amazing staff — I wanted something re-​matted way before it was reasonable to expect it back so I was going to change the mat out myself. Came in to get a new mat cut, but was pleasantly surprised by the help I got. Haven’t experienced great service like that in a long time. The person who helped me spent at least a half hour with me explaining how I would go about reframing my painting — he did not need to, he was just kind and understood people may want to save themselves 40 plus dollars — gave me everything in terms of tips and supplies with the new mat AND went so far as to re-​insert bendable pins in the frame
to make my DIY project easier. I don’t mind going back to spend for full fledged framing at a place like this because they really help out when you need it.

While not particularly «cheap» the $ 126 I paid to have two odd-​sized wallhangings reframed was worth every penny. They did a masterful job and it was less expensive than the $ 166 quoted by my local frame shop and the $ 200 quoted by Aaron Bros.

Last week, I went in in a rush to get something framed. I also needed a mat cut quickly.
A woman by the name of Samantha helped me and boy was she GREAT!
She talked to me, helped me pick out a frame, cut the mat for me, and had the whole thing ready within 15 minutes. I was really in a hurry, I really wanted FAST and good service, and she really came through for me.
WAY TO GO, SAMANTHA! THANK YOU! I’ll certainly be back again because of you.
Molly

Dylan and his colleague (a nice woman originally from Annapolis, I don’t know her name) were so helpful in figuring out the most affordable and good-​looking framing options for two posters we brought in. They were really patient during the decision process and also meticulous when making the custom mattes. At home, we put the poster and mattes into the frames and they look awesome. We are really happy and grateful!

I needed to get an emergency frame (wife’s birthday!), and I thought I’d have to take a picture and bring the results later. Here comes Brian to the rescue! He had great input on the frame and the matt — and I walked out 30 mins later with exactly what I needed. Thanks, Brian!

Wow… impressed by the customer service. Needed some glass for frames I had (no longer in stock so had to special order). The guy who initially cut them was new and the glass was too small for the frame. Came back and worked with Chris… he was awesome. Took the time to fix it and made several adjustments. Now I won’t shop anywhere else!

I stopped in just prior to closing to purchase a piece of glass for a framed picture I had that fell off the wall and broke. They were very accommodating and I took the piece of new glass home to replace the broken glass myself.
The job was a bit more complicated than I thought & unfortunately I broke the new piece of glass during the installation process.
The next day I went back to the store and told them what happened. I planned to purchase a replacement piece of glass and pay this time to have them install it. However, they did it all for free and wouldn’t let me pay.
I’m posting this review for the outstanding customer service they provided me. In this day and age it’s a rarity for a business to go above and beyond to please a customer. In my case, they did just that and their act of kindness made my day!
If you’re looking for a well stocked frame shop and an outstanding accommodating staff, this is your go to place!

Stopped in here on Saturday night about 20 minutes before closing. I normally wouldn’t write a Unilocal review on a frame outlet, but in this case, I make an exception. I had such an awesome experience. I was rushing around all day, trying to get some photos framed for my parents (married 55 years) and some for my sister, as well (50^th bday). I was so f.n. lucky that this wonderful employee, Gloria (I know, because I asked her what her name was before I left) came up and asked to help me. She was completely awesome because she was the perfect approach of not too pushy, not overly fake, not crazy loud or artificially-​enthusiastic. She was genuine, sincere, sweet — spoke in a pleasant, normal voice and was just easy to talk to. She helped me pick out a bunch of frames for all my photos — not once feeling rushed even though it was super close to closing. She even helped me pick out which colors worked best with the photos.
The best part was the photos weren’t even great quality — I had a rush job done at Walgreens… but the frames cranked them up a notch — and with Gloria’s help, it looked like I had put a lot more planning and time into these gifts.
I hire a lot of folks to work in Customer Service. Cheap Pete’s better watch out, because as soon as I have a spot open up at my company, I’m going to head over there and try to poach Gloria… she’s so fantastic. Cheap Pete’s, you guys are super lucky to have her. I hope it’s because you’re a great place to work and you treat all your employees very well. I’ll be back for all my framing needs.
Thanks, Gloria, for making me my parents their new favorite child for right now (I’m one of 7 kids, so it’s not an easy task).

I am super pleased with Cheap Pete’s in Walnut Creek. From the moment I walked in to request a quote on some custom framing, to the time I picked up my finished pieces, the staff were friendly, professional and amazing. I brought in two giclee’s that I purchased last year at the Sausalito Art Festival but didn’t want to get too fancy with them. Greeted immediately, I was then shown frames in the price point I was looking for and got some great suggestions on the color and style to match my prints.
Their prices are competitive with big box stores that happen to have a frame shop in them, but at Cheap Pete’s you actually work with someone who is a professional framer. They are extremely knowledgable, don’t push services or features on you that you don’t need and have a great eye for design.
Cheap Pete’s will also fit your artwork in to pre-​made, standard size frames-​whether you bought the frame from them or it’s your own. There is a modest fitting charge but worth it. I can’t believe I never tried them out before, but from this point forward, I will use Pete’s for all my framing projects.

This is a great store!!! My name is Peter, and I can also go by Pete, and guess what? I’M CHEAP!!! So, that’s a good start, one time when I went here I brought in a really nice poster. I wanted to take care of the poster.
I decided to have the poster mounted and framed, they did a super great total major whiz bang job with it, I was very pleased with the service and the product. In case I didn’t mention it, I’m also CHEAP!!!
Here’s to being cheap and getting great quality!!!

I’ve been to the SF location before to get something custom framed and I know that it’s not exactly cheap. I recently visited this Walnut Creek location because I had several pricey art pieces that needed framing. One of the staff, Chris, was quick to welcome me in and assist me with my artwork. Two canvas pieces couldn’t fit into the standard sized frames so he suggested the option of gluing on wooden blocks in the back and then placing a wire so I could hang them without frames. He then helped me select frames for the other pieces and suggested a nice matting for one of them. I couldn’t wait to finally display all of the pieces in our home. Chris was extremely pleasant and helpful. I will return to this location for future framing needs.

I have spent thousands of dollars at Cheap Pete’s, so I can say I totally support this local business.
While it certainly doesn’t live up to its name, unless you are willing to frame your own art and photos, Cheap Pete’s will give you the next best option of saving a little bit of money.
This is the place to go for ready made frames for standard sizes.
The staff there is helpful, pleasant, and service is quick and excellent. Never have had a less than good experience. They are great at helping you choose mattes and frames only if you want advice, and if you don’t want advice and have your own ideas, they are nonjudgmental and supportive.
When I broke the glass on a frame getting it out of the car at my house, Cheap Pete’s exchanged it for an unbroken one at no charge, even though it was totally my fault.

They took my family portrait and kicked it up a notch! The fabulous employee had a skilled eye and was so quick, knowledgeable, and friendly. Coming back for all my frames from here on out.

I’m a photographer with over 15 framed 8×12’s in my home studio. Cheap Pete’s pre-​made frames and mats are an excellent option for high quantity framing. I comparison shopped quality and pricing all over town (Target, Michael’s, IKEA, etc.) and for $ 20 for a frame + $ 10 for a gorgeous mat, Cheap Pete’s really can’t be beat. Spend any less or shop other bargain ready-​made frame sellers and you’re going to find scratched, warped, yellowed or non-​matching frames. Plus Cheap Pete’s is a local chain, so more of your money stays in your community. Win win! Highly recommended.

Great experience from these guys! I needed to get some custom mattes (which I should mention were not as simple as 1 opening in a paper frame). It was in the morning, wasn’t too busy, and I got my custom mattes in about 10 minutes.
In addition to them quoting me the lowest (compared to Aaron Bros and Michaels), I was also able to use a Groupon. Customer service was spectacular! I’m always hesitant to mention the use of a Groupon due to some businesses getting «snippy» about it but the folks at Cheap Pete’s were a delight. While I do agree with other reviewers that their frame prices aren’t necessarily cheaper than other stores, the price for a custom matte is definitely outweighs that to me. To give context, Michaels and Aaron Bros quoted at least double the price AND would not do it right away (might have to wait a week).
Recommended!

I always seem to need a custom-​cut mat at the last minute. Cheap Pete’s always has been able to cut them as I wait. I don’t know if they can always do this or that they recognize panic and cut them for me.
The prices are reasonable and they do regularly have coupons online. I like to eavesdrop when then framers are working with customers. And it seems that they do steer people towards the right framing for what they have brought in to the store.