The Frame Shop

I just moved to the area and wanted to go buy a gift for my friend as a birthday gift. I cannot believe that the lady that works there the owner is so rude and mean and prejudice. While I was walking around looking for a gift. The owner asked me how much I wanted to spend. I was surprised by her question. So I told her around $ 500 a gift for a friend. She was trying to push me out of the store and she even told me to leave and when I know what I want to buy I can come back. So rude and so mean and I did nothing wrong. Everything that everyone is saying on here about the store in the review are so true. if you don’t believe go there and try for yourself. I’m so surprised that they are still in business in this neighborhood.

My 2 friends were spoken by the owners in the most crass, rude, condescending manner for having said nothing when he was verbally attacked while not even in the premises of their store. I will never shop their again.

What rude service! I was outside on the street and a woman came out and just started yelling at me like she was schizophrenic! I didn’t even say anything to her and she went off on a rant.

This shop has some interesting and beautiful things. Unfortunately, the owner is such an incredibly rude and negative presence that I will not return any time soon. She clearly has no awareness of her impact. She is dripping with snide remarks and a level of criticality that makes her incongruent with a quality and enjoyable shopping experience. Hasn’t anyone given her the memo? Shirley she must have heard that she is alienating and off-​putting.
There are far better frame shops in the Pasadena area– I usually shop at Aarnun Gallery. Their selection, quality and expertise makes The Frame Shop look like child’s play. Foolish me for venturing south to this most unpleasant destination.

My name is Laurene Alvarado. I am a painter from South Pasadena. My friend Kevin Llewellyn and I went into this store because we noticed the beautiful mouldings. My friend is a famous painter. Without exaggeration, he’s one of the BEST in today’s contemporary art world. He’s big on framing his pieces. (Some of his frames cost more than this stores monthly rent.)
Once inside, the female owner seemed immediately scared of us and followed us wherever we walked in the store, making absolutely rude unwarranted remarks about our artsy clothes and hassling us about coming back in Jan because they were done framing for the year. (I assure you this was complete bs on her part)
She made comments about the shoes we were wearing and asked us what was we wanted from them and why we were there, but as if she was terrified of us. We were genuinely interested in some of their mouldings but she kept trying to push us out. She judged us and has no idea the artists she’d offended. I was shocked at how rude she was. We were having an art day, and then this experience happened. This woman was completely led by her fear of our creative appearance. We looked like rock stars to be honest, I mean, we’re artists!!! How can someone own a business that caters to the art world when they’re minds are closed and stuck in a sad world of judgment? I’m shocked their pretentious business is still IN business.
Since our unpleasant visit, we’ve let our other artist friends know that this place was unnervingly ignorant, utterly rude, and that the owners were some of the worst and most judge mental people we’ve ever met. I feel sorry for these people. Internally, they’re fearful, terrified souls of anything or anyone that’s different. I would NOT associate with this company based off of their close mindedness alone.
Also, the reviews below let me know that my experience is unfortunately similar to what others have experienced.
Do not do business with the frame shop in San Marino. There are many others framers in the greater Los Angeles area who welcome artists with the same or even better mouldings. Once leaving this fear-​based store our day thankfully turned around thanks to the lovely people nearby at a local restaurant called Juliennes. They treated us like human beings and we left them a huge tip. Here’s my website so readers know I’m not full of sh*t.

I went in to get my diploma framed couple of months ago. The owner was such a delight and presented me all kinds of options for the frames and the foam. I also got a Baccarat vase which was beautiful, they have a nice selection of crystals.
Definitely recommend this store.

I absolutely love visiting this shop and I found the owners delightful and so very helpful!
Cannot imagine having lunch at Juliannes next door and not stopping there. Visually the shop is beautiful and the items are so impressive and remind me of back home in Old Town Alexandria Virginia. Just a class act and without this shop San Marino and Pasadena would be nothing! I have a list of things I will purchase for Christmas and they are so wonderful they will ship for me!

Nice things but did not care for the condescending tone. Given the high-​end items and beautiful décor, the place naturally feels stuffy. The attitude, however, does no justice. They should create a livelier tone. Won’t stop me from making a purchase because at the end of the day, I only care about the items. It would just make it a nicer experience.

Are we speaking of the same store. The owners are absolutely delightful and
knowledgeable. Their service is impeccable. This truly is a gem of a store
and I will always shop there with pleasure

This shop carries primo everything. There is not a shop in all of Los Angeles with prettier items. I have always received the very best customer service here, and enjoy my visits. Sorry to hear others have had unpleasant experiences because this is my absolute favorite place anywhere to browse and buy.

I can honestly say that I have never encountered a ruder store owner. And I have given her many chances. The store front is pretty (but rarely changes) but the pretty stops at the front door. The woman I spoke to, who I am pretty confident is the owner, was of zero help in the gift or framing department. And if that was not enough, she followed me around the store and told me not to touch anything. Anything. I have no idea how she stays in business. She is RUDE RUDE RUDE.

Void at all cost. Every single person including the owner is rude. I dropped off my very expensive art work 3 months ago. Every time I called, they would give me the run around. 2 months later they tell me I never dropped anything off to them. I showed them my slip as proof. After I got upset, magically 2 weeks later my art is at their shop. Besides apologizing for all of the aggravation they caused, I was told to come pick up my THING and take it somewhere else to frame. I was told they were too BUSY. I can’t believe these people are still in business. Don’t take my word for it take the owners «TAKE YOUR THING SOMEWHERE ELSE TO BE FRAMED»

I happened upon this gem accidentally while waiting for a lunch date at a nearby restaurant. A previous reviewer was correct: EYE Candy!!! If you aren’t into the Hermes China or limited edition silver or crystal, a divine indulgence is the John Kelly Chocolate Truffle Bars! I was skeptical when the lady helping me said they were «award winning» but after trying one, I was hooked! I later did my research, and the SOFI press release stated the following: «Los Angeles-​based chocolatier John Kelly Chocolates has just won the coveted Gold sofiTM Award from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT), in the highly competitive category of „Outstanding Chocolate“, for its Dark Chocolate Truffle Fudge Bites with French Grey Sea Salt. The Gold Award joins the Silver Award won by the company in 2007 in the same category. The sofi Awards, now in their 37^th year, recognize excellence in specialty food and beverages, and „sofi“ stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation.»
Oh, and they have some pretty spectacular frames, too. Legacy quality items and very helpful staff. Couldn’t recommend The Frame Shop any higher!

This shop is EYE candy. You can’t find many of these items anywhere. It’s worth the trip.

Terrible customer service every time I have shopped there. Will never go inside this shop again, regardless of the allure from the window.

overall a terrible experience, though the frame came out decently. the shop had been referred to me by a curator college of mine at the huntington library, but it is not a referral that i’ll pass on.
i’m not a terribly picky person, but the framing took over 3 months and cost $ 600 and some change for the simplest of white frames and matteing! to the owners credit she had a broken arm when she told me she needed eight weeks to frame a rare photograph. but a broken arm doesn’t prevent you from returning a phone call when an obligation is 6 weeks late.
when it was complete, there were some obvious craftsmanship issues with the matting in particular (¼″ over-​cuts into the opening and the image was too tightly compressed in the frame forcing the photograph to buckle). when brought to owners attention, she said it was normal for hand made goods to have imperfections and told me, if i wanted it repaired I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT…
i worked as a art handler for some time at bergamot station and never dealt with such glaring problems in any of the thousands of pieces i hung or merchants i dealt with and certainly was never asked to pay for their errors.
my outstanding former framer pulled herself from retirement, opened up the framing and releaved the stress on the photograph, at no charge…
such ellusive qualities: reason, loyalty, and care; sadly «the» frame shop is no exception.