Brickell Framing Shop Since 1978: Frame Art, 30-Minute Jobs

Frame Art Inc is a family-owned framing shop and art gallery at 96 SW 7th Street in Miami's Brickell area, at the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue, and it is open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM. Its website promises 30-minute to 1-day service, calls the showroom 20,000 square feet and says it is the largest frame shop in the state of Florida. It was established in 1978.

Most custom framers quote weeks. Frame Art's header banner says 30 minute to 1 day service, and the About page repeats it: 30-minute custom framing, with a private parking lot for clients. That makes it a practical choice when a client is flying in, a gift is due or a school diploma has to be on the wall before an event. The site does not publish which jobs qualify for the 30-minute turnaround.

The speed comes with a showroom to match. The shop says it has 20,000 square feet of gallery showroom, and the gallery page shows rows of moulding choices under the heading Variety of Frames to choose from. Picking a frame from a physical wall of samples is the fastest way to a decision, and it is the reason to come in person rather than order online.

Frame Art describes itself as a family-owned business specializing in quality custom framing and says it has served the Miami-Brickell area for more than 40 years. The About page lists the year it was established as 1978, and notes that it has taken hotel and commercial jobs since then. That history shows in the gallery, which includes photographs of a Basel exhibition installation at the Four Seasons carried out by the shop.

The commercial side is worth noting. A shop that has worked with hotels since 1978 is used to installing many pieces at once, which is useful if you are framing a set of prints for an office, a rental or a restaurant.

The About page gives a plain list of work: all kinds of custom picture framing, museum frames, shadowboxes, mirrors, university diplomas, plexi boxes, fine Latin art, conservation framing, picture installation and restoration. Pickup and delivery are offered for large pieces, which helps when a painting is too big for a sedan.

The gallery page also shows two finishes worth knowing about: dibond plexi aluminum backing, a modern mounting method for photographs and prints, and collages of your pictures, where several photographs are arranged in a single frame. Diplomas and shadowboxes are the everyday jobs, while fine Latin art and conservation framing are the specialties the shop lists for collectors. Mirrors are also on the list, so a hallway mirror can be custom sized in the same visit as a diploma.

If you want to use the fast service, bring the artwork with you, along with any size requirements for the wall. Have a first and second choice for the moulding in mind, because a 30-minute job leaves little time to deliberate. Photographs, diplomas and prints are the likeliest candidates for a same-visit turnaround, while a large painting, a restoration or a conservation job should be treated as a longer project and discussed on the phone first.

The site also invites you to send an email or use the quote page, so a measurement and a photo of the piece can start the conversation before you arrive. The email address is framarti@bellsouth.net.

Brickell traffic is the real obstacle to any errand, and the shop answers it directly: a private parking lot for clients with 30 slots. The address is 96 SW 7th Street, at the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue. If you are coming from the Metrorail or Metromover, plan the last stretch on foot, but if you are carrying a large piece, use the lot and ask staff to help load the finished frame.

Because the shop is open Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday hours listed on the site, a Saturday morning visit is the best chance to browse with time to spare, while weekday lunch hours are the likely rush.

Once the work is in the shop's hands, Brickell offers a simple way to use the wait. The Miami River is a short walk from the shop, and a loop along the water fits comfortably inside a 30-minute job. For longer jobs, ask for a pickup day and plan the walk for later.

Miami's humidity matters for framing, so ask the team about glazing and backing for pieces that will hang near windows or the coast. Plexi boxes and shadowboxes, both on the shop's service list, are the usual answers for objects such as a signed jersey, a medal or a ticket stub, because they hold the item away from the glass. Ask the framer to show you how the piece will be attached and whether it can be removed later.

Address: 96 SW 7th Street, Miami, FL 33130, at the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue. Email: framarti@bellsouth.net. Hours on the website: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM. Service range: 30 minutes to 1 day. Private parking: 30 slots for clients.

The site does not publish prices, so call or email for a quote before you commit to a design. Bring the artwork flat and protected, and mention up front if it needs conservation or restoration. For a heavy or oversized piece, ask about the pickup and delivery service when you call, because the shop offers it for large pieces and it saves you from fitting a framed painting into a car. For more nearby plans around Brickell after your visit, ask the Karpo APP.