About
Our Story
Master Framers Inc. was established in 1959 as a full service studio workshop specializing in the design and creation of fine handcrafted picture and mirror frames. In 1974 the company became an anchor in the historic artist community known as Lowertown, a vibrant and growing area in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. Our staff of professional artists and framers offers over 145 years of combined experience in custom framing, gilding and restoration services. Our showroom is open to all, Monday through Friday, 9 to 6, and we are happy to offer evening appointments during the week. Just call in advance to schedule one with any of our award winning designers.
Our Mission Statement: To be the premiere custom framing and restoration facility in the Midwest by providing the highest quality of craftsmanship available from design concept to completed project by building a relationship with our customers based on knowledge, respect, integrity and trust.
Our Staff
The Master Framers Staff
Our talented staff has over 145 years of combined experience in the framing industry. Roger Nielsen, the owner of the business, who along with Janet Hawn (production manager and lead finisher) developed the business into a leading custom frame and restoration studio in the country. Sue Davis joined the company in 1988, with 12 years experience behind her and a widely known reputation for creative frame design and problem solving. Between these three, there are a number of national and local framing awards. And, all three claim the CPF recognition, meaning they are Certified Picture Framers, having passed a difficult exam required to gain this recognition.
Andrew Webster has been with Master Framers since 1998, and is a key member of the staff in that he can float from the front shop (where he cuts mats, mounts art, is the ruler of the ruling pen and creates fantastic french mats) to the back shop (where he gilds and finishes many of the custom frames).
John Spielman joined the staff in 2006 with a background in interior design. He is our "nit picker" who works on all the frame restoration projects. An excellent detail person, he can piece together all the tiny fragments of a broken frame and finish the repairs to match the rest.
Kevin Kolleth is the newest addition to the crew, coming to us in 2007 after working at at the Detroit Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center and other companies where he gained valuable wood working experience. Kevin mills all of our frames, builds them and does some of the prep work needed to ensure a sucessful finish. Often in a cloud of sawdust, Kevin is a tedious craftsman where second best is not good enough.
The photo, in the front row are Roger and Kevin. In the back row are John, Drew, Sue and Janet.
Light Rail Street Construction
Light Rail street construction in Lowertown is almost complete!
As the construction for the Light Rail continues, we remain open with access to FREE PARKING in the lot DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR ENTRANCE. Look for the spots marked for us. You may drive across the tracks to access the lot, and across the tracks to access the traffic lanes. 4th Street is open with a traffic lane in both directions. There is no longer any on street parking on 4th Street, but there are meters on Wall and Wacouta Streets. Wacouta is open from the south and the north so you can turn east to drive on 4th Street, or from 4th Street you can turn left or right onto Wacouta. You can also check our facebook page for up to date info.
Videos to view about Master Framers
Check out these links to some videos about Master Framers:
This short video appears on our Dex Yellow Page ad. It gives a short overview of our shop, what we do, and shows our staff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FueHvOWs-NA&feature=plcp&context=C33afb1eUDOEgsToPDskJchBjMhGL-U-boTxcNTWOP
This is a longer video produced by Twin Cities Public Television. This shows just the part about Master Framers, not the entire Lowertown Documentary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXtsFtQpFhY&feature=related
Lowertown documentary on TPT
Twin Cities Public Televsion has produced a wonderful documentary about Lowertown. "Lowertown:The Rise of an Urban Village" tells the story of this neighborhood and how it has become a wonderful place to live and do business. Master Framers is featured a number of times as pioneers in the neighborhood. Both Roger Nielsen and Janet Hawn are interviewed about the early years and how the neighborhood has grown. You can watch this film anytime by clicking this link: http://www.tpt.org/?a=productions&id=7
Be sure to also click on Program Extras to see Roger gilding a frame, and while you are browsing, click on Featured Artists to learn more about some of the artists in our neighborhood. Then, be sure to visit their studios during the St. Paul Art Crawl, April 27,28 and 29, 2012.
Pure Talent
Master Framers was a featured artisan/craftsperson in the July issue of Minneapolis/ St. Paul Magazine. In the article, "Pure Talent" Master Framers was one of 12 local "go to" artisans. One of our corner samples was featured on the cover page of the article as well.....Be sure to check it out!