After being in business for almost five decades, Malen Framing is closing shop for good. Owner Gaston Malenfant opened the shop in 1978 as a lamp store with local artists from the neighbourhood hanging their pictures on the wall. A year later, it became a gallery and Malenfant began custom framing. “Our whole industry started growing with custom framing. We set up as a custom framing store and became busy doing custom framing,” Malenfant said. The store on Prince of Wales Drive specializes in framing, lamination and acrylic, creating special projects for customers’ family photos, wedding photos, paintings and collectables. Providing quality products for customers for the last 48 years, Malenfant says it’s all about meeting expectations. “Our specialty is to take something that people bring in and that they like and then by the time they pick it up, they like it even more,” Malenfant said. “That’s something that’s always been part of our thinking is whatever we touch, will go to the next generation. With the thought that they will be passed on at some point and much of what we do is not done for temporary. It’s done for long term,” Malenfant said. Malenfant says the framing industry is getting smaller and there’s less than a dozen framers now in Ottawa. People are shopping online more and keeping it simple. “The industry is not growing. People are buying things readymade. They’re buying things online,” Malenfant says . “The other problem that we have with the custom framing industry shrinking in North America, the average age of people who do what I do are my age. We don’t have the new generation taking over.” “We have no idea where it’s going to go in the future because the predictability is not that it’s going to grow. It’s going to get smaller and smaller,” he says. Malenfant says his favourite part has been being part of a social environment. He says having the best and most loyal customers and is what he will miss the most. Jane Proudfoot has been a customer of Malen Framing for more than 35 years. “I think almost every painting in my house has been framed by this gentleman. I have lots of art. Gaston’s a very reasonable, man. He’s very, very knowledgeable about framing, about art, how to protect pieces. I have some collectibles and he’s been phenomenal doing great work for us,” Proudfoot says. Even though she doesn’t have any more room on her walls, Proudfoot says she’s sad to see the store close and it will be a loss for the community. “Care and teamwork are the two words that fit well together into how we exist in the store,” Malenfant says. While prices could range from $150 to more than $2000 per frame, Malenfant says they were always willing to work with customers to find the best frame, look and price. A team of six work at the framing shop, including Rafman Nazerally, a carpenter and builder who has been working at the store for more than 36 years. “What I do is what most people don’t do, which is very interesting things. I couldn’t believe I could learn so much stuff by working on so many different projects. I don’t regret any of it,” Nazerally says. Nazerally says this job has given him the opportunity to travel across Ontario to hang frames in places like universities, the Deputy Prime Minister’s office, the Lord Elgin Hotel, the waterworks, the Indian Embassy, Saudi Embassy, Parliament Hill and many more. After being in business for 48 years, Malenfant says he believes it’s time. “Very, very sad and very, very sad, in large part because it’s very fun to work here. Everybody who comes in here has something they like and something they leave with liking more. We touch the whole range of our community and so it’ll be a really sad moment when I don’t have this hobby and this environment to work with and find enjoyable,” Malenfant says. Malen Framing closes March 30.
