MAY 21, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Appalachian Gallery & Frame—Framing This High Country Life for 40 Years
Appalachian Gallery & Frame co-owners Becky and John Corder specialize in custom framing, but they also offer customers frame repair and the largest supply of scrapbooking materials in Boone. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Framed pictures are what make a house a home. Whether it’s art, keepsakes or precious photographs, the items we frame become permanent glimpses into our life, our existence, our interests, our obsessions, our loves and our desires. While the items we frame are obviously beautiful by themselves, no one can discount the images’ increased power when paired with a masterfully crafted frame.
The craftspeople behind hundreds and hundreds of frames that adorn walls of countless High Country homes are Appalachian Gallery & Frame co-owners Becky and John Corder, who, having owned the business for the last five years, are continuing a tradition of excellence that started when the business first opened its doors four decades ago.
Appalachian Gallery & Frame is a custom framing shop that also repairs frames and sells ready-made frames. The shop is also currently the largest scrapbooking supplier in Boone, featuring a wide selection of cardstock, themed paper, rubber stamps, punches, stickers, embellishments, ribbons and silk flowers.
Twenty-eight years ago, Lowe’s Home Improvement relocated John’s job to Boone. John continued to work for the company for the next 15 years while Becky found work delivering USA Today and The Wall Street Journal to customers in the High Country. After delivering newspapers for 20 years, Becky was tired and told John that she “didn’t want to be heaving loads of newspapers when she was 60.” John encouraged his wife to start looking for businesses to buy, and in a few weeks, Becky found out that one of the businesses she frequented, Appalachian Gallery & Frame, was for sale.
At the time, Richard Elmore owned the shop. He was nearing a decade of ownership, and the business had been open for roughly 25 years before he took over.
When the Corders took over the business, they knew little about framing. John had done some woodworking, but that was it. Thankfully, Elmore stayed on for a short time and taught John everything he knew about custom framing. John was such a good student that today, Appalachian Gallery & Frame cuts its own lengths for frames—many similar shops order direct from the factory—meaning that customers can frame any two-dimensional object, no matter shape or size.
After buying the shop and helping John learn the trade, Becky went to work stocking the business with ready-made frames and scrapbooking supplies. The new additions are pulling in new customers and helping to float the business when customers’ walls get too full with frames.
John and Becky pride themselves on providing a friendly and helpful atmosphere at Appalachian Gallery & Frame. They are honest with customers and are continually available to answer questions, even after an order is completed. If they don’t think they can complete a project to a customer’s liking, then they are honest up front and provide information on where it can be done. But if the Corders can do the project in-house, customers can bet it will be done when they say it will be done.
Recently, John added a computerized mat cutter to the business, which takes out any chance for human error. The new addition is popular with all customers, but especially to the multitude of ASU students who come to John for all of their end-of-semester framing needs. John annually gives the students discounted rates on custom framing.
Appalachian Gallery & Frame is located at 194 Boone Heights Drive in Boone, next to Joe’s Italian Kitchen. The shop is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 828-262-1450 or click to www.appframegallery.com.
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