Sometime in the early 60s Brown's Art Shop and Suburban Frame Shop came together to work as one unit. This was the birth of B&S Picture Frames Inc. in Williamsport.
"Browns Art Shop used to be on Market Square in Williamsport and burned. In the meantime a guy by the name of Charlie Koch opened Suburban Frame Shop in what is now Gardenview. When Brown's burned, they incorportaed as Brown and Suburban. That is the B&S," said Dave McGarvey, president of the frame shop.
McGarvey began working at the frame shop in the 70s, right out of college. From the moment he began at the shop, McGarvey knew it was the place for him.
Article Photos
Eventually, McGarvey became one of the owners of the shop and never looked back.
Aside from framing, the full service custom frame shop also does restoration for both paintings and paper. Regional artwork may also be found at the frame shop.
"We do quality work. we believe in what we do and believe we do a good job at a fair price," McGarvey said.
The frame shop tends to see some unique business as a result of the framing.
"We framed a piece of stone from the Berlin Wall," said Amy Messersmith of the business.
The framing and restoration of historical memorabilia goes hand in hand with the services the shop provides.
"We do alot of work for the Bloominggrove Historical Society. We also do a lot of work for the Thomas Taber Museum," McGarvey said. "We have a customer who collects General Longstreet memorabilia from the Civil War."
Customer service and product quality two driving forces of the business.
"We make the experience as easy as we can for the customer," McGarvey said.
"We listen to what the customer's ideas are. We really spend time with our customer to come up with something they are going to appreciate and enjoy," Messersmith said.
"If you listen to the customer, you can get an idea of what they are expecting to see when it is done. It's one of the things we do well is to meet the customers needs, and the brainstorming comes to see if we can meet that goal. If we can't, then we change as little as we have to," McGarvey said.
Although prices are reasonable, what is best for the customer is the shop's main concern.
"Our prices are the best. However, its not always about price. It's not always about figuring out the cheaper way to do it. It's about figuiring out how to do it the best way and in a way the customer wants," McGarvey said.
One thing that sets the shop apart from the rest is the work is truly enjoyed. There is nothing about the job that McGarvey would consider challenging because he loves the job that much, according to McGarvey.
"Some things that make the business rewarding are the people we deal with and we are doing something different all of the time," Mcgarvey said.
Hours of operation are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mon. to Thurs., 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Fri. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat.
