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| The Gobble Family |
What do you enjoy the most about your career? How many years has the Little Yellow Frame Shop and Gallery been in operation?
The part of my job I enjoy the most is the relationships I get
to form with the people who trust me with their often-precious artwork and
memories. While we’re working on making the right choices for their framing
projects, I get the opportunity to spend time talking to my customers and
getting to know them.
I started my business in August of 1998, so we’re coming up on
23 years.
Do you have a philosophy of life that guides you
in your business and in life?
I never really thought of it as a philosophy, but rather just
the way I naturally am, but I’ve always felt that I get the best reactions from
people, whether in a business situation or personal, if I’m simply in the
moment, aware, and treat people with respect and consideration. I always tell
my kids that it’s so much easier to be nice to people than not. We’re all in
this together and, ultimately, should be present and available for each other.
How did you decide on Richland for the location
for your business?
I’m originally from Norristown, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. I met my husband when we worked together at an art supply store/frame shop. While we were dating, his family moved to Michigan and he returned to college about three hours from me. When he finished school, he went to Michigan to spend the summer with his parents and decide what his next step would be.
During that time, I had been working for two local frame shops in my area but
had thought a great deal about starting my own shop. My husband (then
boyfriend) started a graphic design/photography business in Battle Creek and
was looking for a space closer to Richland where he lived. He discovered the location
we’re in now, but it didn’t work for him. He had the idea to call me and ask if
I would consider it for a frame shop. I flew out to see it and loved it. There
weren’t really any frame shops close by, so I went for it.
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| Little Yellow Frame Shop |
What is it like to live upstairs from your business?
I was originally worried that it would be all work, all the
time and that the line between my home and work lives would get really fuzzy.
There are definitely times when that happens, but it’s usually very manageable
and incredibly convenient, especially once we had our two girls. Even though it
cuts our living space in half, I love the mom-and-pop shop model.
What was the most challenging framing project you have had?
I once had a couple bring in a three-dimensional, wooden model
of an altar in a cathedral. It was something like two feet tall and almost as
wide and very detailed. Absolutely beautiful. They had purchased it overseas
outside the cathedral it was modeled after. There had been an art student who
was attending a local art school and he made this as a project for one of his
classes. They had it carefully shipped home and wanted a case for it. We built
a beautiful case with ornate frame moulding and glass on three sides. It had a
door so they could get inside to see it more closely and we installed a light
inside at the top. I have a handful of other really cool stories of projects
that we’ve done over the years. Each project usually has some kind of a story
and how I really enjoy learning from each one.
Could you name a couple of your favorite artists,
and why they are your favorites?
That’s a tough question because there are so, so many amazing
artists out there.
From a fairly young age, I’ve always loved Georgia O’Keeffe for her determination to forge her own path in this profession and to dare to see the world in a different way and paint that.
Vincent van Gogh is another artist whose work I was always drawn to, mostly because of his technique and emotion in his paintings.
Alberto Giacometti is a modern sculptor of tall,
slender figures. There’s something about his work that I love but can’t quite
put my finger on, but I’m moved every time I see his sculptures and drawings. I
love the line work in his sketches and there is a human emotion element that
speaks to me. As I’m thinking about this my head is flooded with so many others
whose work I’ve seen in museums (Bouguereau, for instance) and I find myself
thinking “maybe he/she is my new favorite.”
Has COVID-19 impacted your business?
There were two and a half months last year that we had to
close our doors because of COVID. After we reopened, we were flooded with
customers. I suspect that people had spent that time at home, cleaning out
closets and finding things they had planned to have framed, and also wanted to
support local businesses. We were very busy for months after that, which I am
so grateful for. Our biggest problem was that my vendors were all getting back
up and running and there were (and still are in some cases) many backorders and
materials we couldn’t get. It’s been frustrating to not be able to know while a
customer is here, whether or not we’ll be able to complete their order in a
timely fashion or if we’ll have to make another choice. It’s slowly getting
better, but we’re still feeling the effects from it.
Would you like to say anything about the bicycle
accident that your husband Paul was involved in, with other members of his
cycling club, in June of 2016? [Paul was cycling with members of the club when
they were hit by a pick-up truck. Five of the cyclists were killed, four were
injured. Paul sustained injuries to his head and spinal column.]
We feel so fortunate that we didn’t lose him that night. He
has made an amazing recovery. My heart still goes out to the families of the
wonderful people who were lost. So many people were affected and lives changed
forever by the horrible decisions made by one person and I urge everyone to
think about that when getting behind the wheel of a car. Our community has been
absolutely amazing and supportive throughout all of this. Because of them, my
faith in humankind was restored at a time when it had slipped. I will be
forever grateful to this caring community.
Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
I’ve had the privilege of framing countless numbers of personal, priceless items for people and I feel so honored to be a part of that. I’ve also framed so many reproductions of famous works of art over the years and I forget how absolutely amazing the originals are in person.
The arts are so very important and I highly recommend that everyone take any opportunity you can to spend some time in a museum or local art gallery to appreciate the beauty and the work that goes into the creation of art.
You can reach The Little Yellow Frame Shop and Gallery's Facebook page here.
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