Downtown Westfield has a new spot for anyone with a stack of unframed art, photos or keepsakes gathering dust. Framebridge, the custom framing chain, celebrated its grand opening at 220 East Broad St. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and local officials and business groups turned out for it.
The story was reported by Jackie Lieberman for TAPinto Westfield. According to that account, Mayor Jeremy Berman attended the ceremony, along with members of the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Westfield Corporation.
The shop opened its doors back in July, per the same report. The Westfield location is also named among recently opened downtown businesses in a Patch roundup of new Westfield shops and restaurants.
Store Manager Says Almost Anything Can Be Framed
Store manager Tan Nakpitugs told the outlet that Framebridge can frame almost anything. Nakpitugs also pointed to transparent pricing as the thing that sets the company apart, according to the TAPinto report.
That pricing pitch shows up in the company's other openings too. When Framebridge opened in Princeton, Palmer Square described the chain as offering “an easy and fun experience with transparent pricing.” In Westfield, the idea is that customers can work out the full cost of a framing project before they commit.
Community Events on the Calendar
The Westfield shop has already started programming. It hosted an AddamsFest event this month, and the store plans more community events down the road, including upcoming pet portrait sessions, per the TAPinto report.
It joins a fast-growing company with a nearby sibling in Summit. TAPinto notes the chain had 47 locations when the Westfield shop opened and now counts more than 50 across the country.
A Chain on the Move
Store counts vary depending on the source and the date. In Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the Post and Courier reported that the company owns and operates 48 stores in 16 states. Palmer Square, writing in the spring, cited 47 stores across 15 states and Washington, D.C.
The sources also disagree on when Susan Tynan founded the company. Palmer Square says 2014 in Washington, D.C., while the Post and Courier says 2016. Palmer Square also reports that Framebridge has custom framed over three million pieces to date.
Elsewhere, Retail Dive reports the company opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Washington, D.C., in 2019, then accelerated after a 2020 sale to Graham Holdings for an undisclosed amount. The outlet also notes a 37,000-square-foot framing studio in Henderson, Nevada, and four additional California locations slated to open in October.
At the Mount Pleasant opening, the Post and Courier quoted district manager Nicky Brown saying custom framing should be “fun, fast and easy with transparency in pricing.” The paper also reported orders are ready within two to two-and-a-half weeks, backed by a one-year guarantee covering chips, shifts or hardware failures.
