Be careful and do your research! Call your local galleries and find out who frames for them. Most of your local Mom & Pop framers know what they're doing and will give you an estimate before asking you to commit to them. Be especially cautious of Michael's "sales." I took a portrait in to have it framed, mostly because they had been advertising 60% off on all framing supplies. I picked out a nice wood frame (not fancy or expensive looking), three layers of matting, and UV glass (not museum quality). I was told that the frame I had selected would normally have been $838.00 but because of the "sale," they only charged me $332.00. I've had several of my pieces framed at other places, with much more expensive frames, matting and glass and never paid more than $250.00. And none of them were promoting a sale.
Anyway, I took the same picture to one of our local framers, picked out the same frame and glass, and almost the same matting (their matting was all color-core, which should have been more expensive than what I got at Michael's). The local owner said she could have done the entire thing for $280.00. She said they don't have sales, that's just what they charge.
So, in summary, I'm giving these characters two stars, instead of one, because the staff there is usually friendly and helpful, which sort of makes me feel better about getting screwed. Also they have a decent selection of art supplies. Not great, but decent. Most on-line stores have much better selection and are cheaper, even high-end, like Dick Blick or Dakota Art. But if you need something basic right away and don't mind paying a little more, Michael's is okay. Oh, by the way, I'm just reviewing, based on my experience, in the framing and fine-art supply dept. I know they also sell some beading, knitting, scrapbooking, and several other hobby/craft supplies but I don't know anything about those activities and haven't ever really shopped for anything else. read more
