Ted Wettig opened the Art Gallery & Frame shop in 1969 at 1100 Oak Street. The shop was also called “U-Frame-It” for a while, so that customers could purchase the supplies needed to frame their art and put it together themselves, while being guided by an employee. This became ineffective as customers found framing to be quite a bit more complicated than they expected. In 1995, Ted sadly passed away and Mary Ann Fierro, then the Office Manager, purchased the business from Mr. Wettig’s estate. 15 years later in 2010, Mary Ann decided to retire, and Maryann Smithling purchased the business in March 2011.

Business Art & Framing was Maryann’s first custom picture framing job after graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a B.A. in Art Studio/Photography. She worked here for 2 years until moving to New York City, landing a managerial position at the prestigious GK Framing. This is where she obtained all of her archival and art handling experience in their state-of-the-art facility.

Maryann had the extraordinary opportunity to assist clients with framing solutions for priceless works of art, either with monetary or sentimental value. Some of her clients included the Kennedy’s, Rockefeller’s, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Turner and Harrison Ford, to name a few. She worked in New York City for eight years before moving back to Syracuse and purchasing Business Art & Framing and relocating to a more progressive area, while greatly improving the workshop environment. The shop’s current location is at 3513 James Street, in the Eastwood Plaza.

Maryann operated the shop alone until November 2021, when she received an email from a young lady asking for a job. A few weeks later I, Abby Miraglia, was working alongside Maryann at Business Art & Framing.

I graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2020 where I studied Anthropology and Biology. While at college I interned at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, where I worked in the collections department cataloging and preserving artifacts for research, public display, or permanent storage. I gained countless valuable skills in object handling and conservation methods that I use everyday at Business Art & Framing.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the world shut down, all of my post-graduation plans got canceled and I desperately got a job at a chain craft store in Buffalo. They put me in the custom framing department and I fell in love with it. However, I didn’t see a future there, so I left and moved back home. I still wanted to pursue custom framing, so I started researching local frame shops to contact. That is when I found Business art & Framing. Maryann accepted me with open arms and happily taught me the ropes of her shop. I couldn’t have asked for a more skilled mentor to shape me into the custom framer I am now.

In 2023 Maryann expressed her interest in retiring and asked if I would want to take over the shop. In June of 2024 we made the transition official, and I’m so honored to be able to carry on her tradition of quality and service.

FLOAT FRAMES

Liners & Stacked Mouldings

Needle Art

Object Framing

Prints, Photos & Paintings

Specialty Matting