Ian's Artworks is such a funky cool store. They carry all sorts of prints, both framed pieces and…read moreposters, that you can decorate your walls with. They have your basic iconic prints, like Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' or that Audrey Hepburn picture that you see in every trendy kid's lounge, but they also carry fairly obscure pieces that are pretty much one of a kind. The prices aren't ridiculous either, you can find things starting at £20 and ranging up to around £200. You can also find greeting cards here. Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's worth having a look; it's like a mini-gallery.

Although I was a dissatisfied framing customer, I have given Ian's Artwork 3 stars because of their…read morefriendliness, good customer service and the fact that they aren't just a picture framer but also a small trendy art dealer with a collection worth checking out. If you are seeking a picture framer my suggestion would be to go somewhere else, UNLESS you're looking for a lower-cost custom picture framing job AND you don't mind risking imperfections (which they will gladly fix for you). And, while in their shop I saw lots of nicely framed work. In my experience I brought in a picture that they suggested not dry mounting. (Dry mounting ensures the picture is flat under the frame but can reduce the value for resale if you have purchased artwork as an investment, because the piece is fixed to a board for the rest of its life. Not dry mounting makes the framer's job of keeping your work flat harder.) When they told me it was complete, I went in to pick it up and noticed an obvious smudge on my poster in the lower left corner, a very obvious hair in the top right corner, and a tiny spec of hair in the top left corner. I pointed these out to them and they said, no problem and asked if I could come back tomorrow. Very nice but they should have caught these issues before ever presenting it to a customer. When I came back the specks and smudge (some dust) were gone. I brought it home and upon looking at it the picture was very wavy under the frame. (Additionally, I noticed some issues with the consistency of the stain on the frame and [I had decided not to say anything upon the purchase of the service] but the stain job looked very unnatural.) By this point I had lost faith in their abilities. When I took it back they said they could straighten it but I decided to ask for my money back and try somewhere else. They agreed to my request and handled the situation extremely well, I just have very diminished faith in their framing abilities. I chose Ian's for picture framing because they were local and I didn't want to leave Balham. In hindsight I wish I had taken the time to leave Balham. I had also read a bad review about them from someone who had twice gotten pictures framed there, accepted the work and then complained online that, not only were the frame jobs bad but also her pictures were damaged. Mel, the owner had replied to this review by rightly saying: "In reply to the review would like to say we were quite suprised that you felt you were unable to tell us that you were unhappy with your framing as we do try and accommodate our customers. We are more than happy if you want to bring the picture back and we can rectify the problem even after one month (you wouldn't get that kind of service at Ikea). Unfortunately you were not happy with the frame but we did try and get it to you sooner rather than later. As a family run picture framers we are very busy and believe than communication with our customers is a vital part of the local shopping experience." I respected that and felt just that way about their treatment of me as a customer.

Many of the residents of Dulwich use this as their framers, simply due to its locality…read more I have on various occasions used Studio 45 but the last picture I had them frame was totally disappointing. Their services are not cheap, which foolishly led me to believe that the quality would be greater. The end result however, was even worse than the expense. The frame was flimsy with rough edges with a thin layer of Perspex in between. In the past I have been relatively pleased with Studio 45 Framing services, but since my last experience, I shall definitely think twice and advise others likewise before using them.

Really rude staff. The younger guys are nice but the other two are obnoxious. I think the two…read moreolder men are the owners. Everything seems to be a huge inconvenience for them. I took 3 identically-mounted photographs in to be framed. One came back a different size to the other two and he tried to convince me I had supplied them as different sizes. Last time I went in, and I literally mean that will be the last time I ever set foot in there, I asked the price of one of their chalk window display heads. It was obvious he sized me up and calculated the most the could possibly ask - which was double what I had paid for a similar, better quality item in the same shop a few months previously. Take your custom elsewhere. God knows how they have stayed in business all these years with that attitude.

The older man, who I presume is the owner, must be the rudest person I have ever met. He not only…read moreput the phone down on me because I couldn't provide the exact measurements of the pictures I was collecting, he informed me I could find somewhere else to do my framing. Which I will, and advise others to as well. Having some sort of personal bad day is no excuse for such an outburst to a customer. I expect he will reap the benefits of his poor customer service skills.

This is one of those little shops that sells a random selection of gifts and knick knacks. Just off…read moreBalham High Rd it's a great option if you're disorganised like me and need to buy a last minute birthday present. It stocks cards and a wide range of gifts like candles, bits of jewellery, diaries, notebooks, stationary, pictures etc.. It also has random bits like sunglasses and gadgety bits. It is a little bit on the expensive side but that's the price you pay for convenience and not having to trek into town! Apparently it also does picture framing but I've not tried this out!