More Than a Border: Once Upon a Frame in Solana Beach Elevates the Craft of Art Framing
Many of us don’t give a second thought to the frames that house our favorite pieces of art. Once Upon a Frame, a small business in Solana Beach, is flipping the script on that.
As the name suggests, Once Upon a Frame is a full-service, custom framing shop built from the ground up on the belief that framing is a way to both protect and elevate your artwork. Here’s what you should know.
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The Philosophy of Framing
A photograph or painting’s frame is often overlooked. It’s also thought of as purely utilitarian. Sure, you can choose a material and color, but once you do, many people hardly give a frame a second thought.
That certainly isn’t the case for Yael Gmach, one of the co-owners of Once Upon a Frame alongside business partner Jimmy Reardon. For Yael, framing is just as much an art as painting or photography.
“Framing is personal, you know?” Yael said. “Obviously, you collect the art because you like that piece of art, but how you present it is how you feel about it. With framing, you can sometimes continue the story.”
However, it didn’t start like that. Yael said she got her start by happenstance. “When I first discovered it, it was just a complete accident,” Yael said. “My dad said, ‘Frame this for me.’ I’m like, ‘What is framing?’”
After framing a piece of art for her dad, Yael said she fell in love with the craft and started framing other things for friends or family.
“I fell in love with framing,” she said. “I started framing in my bedroom. I would spend my weekends at Aaron Brothers,” she said. “My first MAC cutter was $15. My second was probably like $60. My third was $400. Then, I went computerized and wasn’t doing it by hand anymore.”
The business and the shop just grew from there. “All of a sudden, it’s 25 years later,” she said.
The Process of Framing
When you first step into Once Upon a Frame, you’ll see a variety of amazing art, various machinery and tools, and more types of frames than you can imagine. However, while there are plenty of examples of fun, creative, or beautiful frames, the framing at Once Upon a Frame isn’t cookie-cutter.
Instead, each frame is handcrafted and customized to a client’s specifications. Yael and her team work closely with a potential customer. Through this close collaboration, a client can guide the framing process from curating materials to actually cutting the materials, matting, adding glass, and securely hanging it.
Clients can choose from a variety of woods for their frames, or they could go with more creative frames of colored steel or metal. That’s just a start, and Once Upon a Frame has the equipment, expertise, and connections to handle virtually any type of framing request.
According to Yael, the abundance of options and the potential for creativity in framing often shocks people.“There are so many choices, and most people just don’t know about framing,” she said. “Which is kind of funny because most people know about what they like in art.”
Additionally, since most people will expect a frame to last decades — and even lifetimes — putting some thought and effort into choosing a unique or beautiful way to frame art is even more important than where you hang it.
“What’s super fascinating to me is that when you open the door, metaphorically, to most people’s brains who didn’t think about framing before,” she said. “You kind of open their eyes, and you can see how it’s immediately exciting.”
The Art Gallery & the Future
Although it might take some people time to wrap their heads around the idea that framing itself is just as much an art as painting or photography, speaking to Yael makes one thing incredibly clear: She’s both an artist and an art lover.
This deep appreciation and passion for art has evolved into a new aspect of her business at Once Upon a Frame: an on-site art gallery that showcases local and regional creatives.
“We were already throwing art events in the backspace (with all the equipment,” she said. “But we got a new space in front that lends itself better to a gallery space. It doesn’t have frames and machinery everywhere.”
In the past, Once Upon a Frame has hosted both exhibits and openings for various San Diego painters, photographers, sculptors, and more. Just recently, the gallery showcased the artwork of a local doctor and street artist named CLETUS.
Going forward, Yael said her immediate plans are to continue framing, and possibly to find help to run the gallery space so she can focus on her own art. Even though she has an incredibly artistic eye and a variety of creative skills, Yael said her second passion is music. She plays the bass in a band called Big Boss Bubeleh alongside her partner, Vlady Yarovinsky.
But if you need something framed for your home, business, or space, Yael and the team at Once Upon a Frame will still be available for the foreseeable future.
“Framing is the best job I could have landed in because you’re crafting and spending time perfecting little corners and whatnot,” she said. “And the fact that not many people know how to do it is also quite nice.”
What Is Once Upon a Frame Known For?
We have a deep passion for protecting, preserving, and showcasing our clients’ fabulous artwork, and our specialties include:
- Full-service, custom framing
- Committed to protecting and elevating artwork
- Handcrafted framing tailored to customer specifications
- On-site art gallery that showcases local and regional creatives
- Bespoke, hand-picked frames for art, photos, and more, including artwork and diplomas
Get In Touch!
- Address: 132 E Cliff St, Solana Beach, CA 92075
- Phone: (858) 764-4274
- Email: Yael@onceuponaframe.com
- Website: https://www.onceuponaframe.com/
- Socials:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnceUponAFrame
Instagram: once.upon.a.frame
