Making friends with Cath

 

4walls got in touch with Cath Friend of Emerald Frames to hear all about how she got started in the framing industry, and what 2020 has meant for her online presence.

Cath initially began in the framing industry after she was left feeling unfulfilled in her previous job in a completely different field, and deciding she needed a change of direction towards something more organic and creative. At the time, she was working full time in a corporate role, and had started volunteering at a local framers during her weekends. This was the perfect opportunity for her to explore the framing world, and through her volunteering she gained the knowledge and experience needed to decide the career change was right for her.

She tells us: “It was a leap of faith at that point, but with a love of art and creative processes, it was a very appealing career choice. So, after setting up Emerald and leaving the security of having a full-time job, I have discovered that this is the perfect job for me!”




Emerald Fames is now a thriving framing business, and Cath stresses that building relationships with her customers is absolutely paramount. Because of this, they have developed speciality services for their clients, including a thriving art gallery space and artist workshops.

Cath and her team are all experienced, highly trained, qualified framers, which enables them to provide a first class service to their customers, regardless of the diversity of the work that they are presented with. Cath also has an advanced qualification for conservation framing, which has allowed her to work with some amazingly diverse clients and businesses in the conservation sector.

Modern, progressive businesses need to be consistent and active on social media platforms. This is something Emerald Frames acknowledges because it has allowed them to continually build and evolve relationships with their clients, customers and friends. Cath tells us that she posts business related content on a regular basis to interact with potential and existing customers. She also makes use of social media to raise awareness of the services they are able to offer, provide inspiration for framing ideas and showcase some of the wonderful artwork they have worked with.




Social media has been especially important during the global pandemic, as Cath says: “During lockdown, social media was very important to us, as we were able to support other people and provide some encouragement and inspiration, as well as provide updates about our status. We have gained many orders from our social media platforms and it has been a fabulous way to keep in touch with everybody.”

4walls was very pleased to hear that Cath often dips into the online Resource Centre on the Larson-Juhl website, and was very impressed with the webinars that have been featured recently. She tells us: “Frame Design with Jon Price was full of creative ideas and inspiration, and I also noted down some key points from Jo Palmer’s excellent webinar, Selling From The Design Bench - and the very topical Reopening Your Framing Business.”




We were even more pleased to hear that Emerald Frames use Larson-Juhl products on a daily basis throughout the business. Cath is clearly a big fan: “The framing range is very diverse, and the finish and quality of the Larson-Juhl range is unparalleled. My favourite moulding ranges definitely include Marais due to its stunning finishes and range of profiles, and Anvil as is it so different and looks amazing when completed.”

To find out more about Emerald Frames, follow them on Instagram and Facebook: Emeraldframes, or visit their website.
www.emeraldframes.com