Bonnie Palizzi has been a professional custom framer for over 30 years. She began as a watercolor artist but discovered her greatest creativity comes from interacting with people. She has opened five galleries over the course of her career and enjoys a loyal following of customers.

"I believe custom framing is an art in itself. You're developing a design to fit the personality of your client and their décor. The best look for the finished project can only be created with a clear understanding of the client's style, the piece's location and any space restrictions. I get cues from customers by how they dress. I make home visits and create visual presentations and templates for their use. Armed with this kind of information, you can customize from the art out, remembering the rule to always keep the integrity of the art. The eye should always go directly to the art, not the framing."

"Encourage creative design within your business instead of competing with the framers down the street over price and turnaround time. Be different. Create new designs. Use fabric and textured matting. Instead of the standard 3" mat, use a larger mat. Float the art. Try new styles. Give yourself permission to let your talent and creativity show."

One of her gallery's unique offerings is a customer guarantee. "If they don't like it, we redo it until they are completely satisfied. Everything that goes out the door needs to be done to perfection. I want my clients to pass by their art and love it and associate it with my store and a positive experience. In the end, I measure my success by the number of clients that return."