Twenty-four years ago, Toby Joyce was inspired at a custom framing tradeshow demonstration taught by Brian Wolf on mat carving. Since then, Toby’s passion for custom framing has only grown. Recently, Toby opened his own custom framing shop, Artkarved. He finds his career extremely rewarding and enjoys the day-to-day responsibilities of being a custom framer and shop owner.

“I love the process of custom framing. It’s such a personal experience working with a client and creating and delivering a finished piece. Many times when you really nail it, you bring out the piece and unwrap it, and the customer tears up. It can be an extremely emotional experience, and for me, that’s very rewarding.”

Toby has learned that customer service is key in creating a successful custom framing business. “You always want to make sure your customers are happy. It’s especially important because it’s hard to get new customers into your store, so when you’re with a customer, do something a little extra for them. For example, cut an extra mat or add a mat layer to shadow. This will show them they are getting special treatment and possibly introduce them to a new design feature that they may not have considered before.”

“Another important tip is to make the framing experience enjoyable by creating a comfortable, inviting environment. You want your customers to be excited to visit your store – not intimidated. With this in mind, I set up my shop in a non-traditional style: part gallery, part living room. This way, my clients feel relaxed and at-home.”

Toby has been a Crescent advocate from the beginning. “I’ve always preferred the way RagMats cut compared to Alphamats. Environmentally, I’ve always thought that cotton is the responsible choice. Crescent has always had excellent color selection and breadth of product.”