Jackdaw Prints & Frames

Jackdaw is actually a surprising find for me. I’ve walked past it several times without giving it a second thought… but recently decided to pop in for a nosey. Like Aniela, I wouldn’t normally consider spending a lot on a picture frame, and despite the fact that it is a picture framer’s, that isn’t really what caught my attention once inside. I browsed through their quite large card selection as there are a few birthdays coming up and I found that miraculously, most were quite nice (I can be very picky with cards and can get in a bit of a flap over the utter naffness of some!). So for cards I would recommend it… though I admit Tableau down the street is even better (see my review of Tableau).
I also had a flick through their prints. There were many vintage illustrations and some modern and unusual ones… one instantly catching my eye as a present for a friend and at £10 I think it’s definitely worth it. They also have plenty of 1950s style pinup girl prints for those who are into burlesque or 1950s kitschness. They also had many tasteful landscapes that I could imagine buying as a present for my parents. They also sell lots of big music posters and other student-​friendly items. So, though I might not head in here for a sixty quid frame (Aniela I feel your pain!) I think their other products are definitely worth a look.

As somebody who makes art, and studied it at uni, the need for a frame does crop up from time to time. If I’m honest I would normally drive up to Ikea for one, they do the job for under £15 (for a stirdier one).
Towards the end of my degree, I was absolutely desperate for a frame and had no money, time, nor petrol to nip to Ikea. Instead, I went to Jackdaw, a framing shop I had noticed in Headingley. I am all for independently run shops, but the prices in Jackdaw made my heart sink. If I’d had more time I would absolutely have loved to have jumped in the car and gone elsewhere, but I was desperate. I begrudgingly handed 60 shiny pounds over the counter to the man in exchange for an A2 black frame. I wondered whether I had been his killing for the day. The stock consists of wonderful frames, no doubt about it, but my visit here prompted me to ask, where does this man get off charging such ridiculous prices after plonking his shop right in the centre of a student zone?! I’m still so bitter to this day. I could weep. And I think upon leaving, I did.