How You Frame It Off the Wall focuses on treasure preservation Text by Nancy S. Moseley Being a framer is kind of like being a bartender, Tracy Williams, owner of Off the Wall custom frame shop, offers. "I hear whole stories behind vacations, weddings, special events ... you definitely make a connection. I've made people cry, in a good way." Then she adds in a side-eye whisper, like it's a secret of sorts: "If someone is framing a pet, the pet has died." It's an industry hazard, or industry reward, depending on perspective, to bear witness to all spectrums of human emotion. Only the cocktails are missing. Williams grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Virginia Tech with a major in communications. As a student, she got a part-time job framing at Ivy's Gifts and Crafts in the New River Valley Mall. After Ivy's went out of business, she actively looked for other framing opportunities in the area, having latched on to the craft. That's when she got a job at Original Frameworks in Blacksburg. Following her 1995 graduation she went to work as a store manager for the now out-of-business Piece Goods craft store, followed by a run managing JOANN Fabric store. "I've always loved and preferred working with my hands." Her grandmother taught her how to crochet when she was 8 years old so she could make her own doll clothes. She is still an avid knitter and seamstress. "I guess I'm a maker. I like making things," she laughs. Eventually marriage, three children and a collection of four-legged pets steered her away from unpredictable retail hours and toward, literally, banking hours. For the next 15 years she worked at the National Bank of Blacksburg. To keep the creative juices flowing she taught craft classes at Michaels. As her children grew up and home life settled into
autopilot, Williams decided to start putting out applications for something craftier than money management. In doing so, she used former employer, Original Frameworks, as a reference. "Once they became aware I was looking for work again, they contacted me." Williams went back to work for them. She became a manager and enjoyed more autonomy over the framing process than she had during her first tenure. During this time, she attended an annual framing conference in Las Vegas, which eventually led to her earning credentials as a Certified Picture Framer (CPF). "Then," she recalls with the vantage point of hindsight, "I had an opportunity to do all of it on my own." The fated connection: Her second husband's boss's wife ran Blue Ridge Gallery and Frame Shop out of her garage in Rocky Mount and was looking to retire. "She had all of the equipment, a good deal of
Stop in and visit our Info & Welcome Center
See our selection of T-shirts, Souvenirs, information and maps! 701A W. Main Street NRVMAGAZINE.com
Nov/Dec
2 0 2 1
45
