Loading...
- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Back To the Picture
Categories: Arts & Entertainment Art Galleries Shopping Art Galleries Shopping Arts & Crafts Art Supplies Art Galleries, Art Supplies
934 Valencia St(between 20th St & Liberty St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 826-2321
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 12 pm - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
- No
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Andie L. said: "I love this place! Love, love, love! A great little yarn shop! And the women who own the place / work there are a-maaa-zing. I've never taken a class here, but it's where I learned to knit. Much better than ImagiKnit. The people there…" read more »
34 reviews for Back To the Picture
Review Highlights
34 reviews in English
-
Review from Minnie I.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2011
Randy and team do a great job, and are super friendly and helpful to boot. I'm prone to getting intimidated at places like bike stores and frame shops, but these guys are really good at providing advice on framing options and make me feel good about my home decorating choices.
Randy even helped me take the seats out of my messy minivan and loaded my picture for me. Thanks guys! -
Review from schmoo l.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2012
I went in to order a print. Had a nice talk with one of the guys who worked there. He said he would order my print and call me when it came in. Two weeks later after no call I went in and politely inquired about my order. The same guy who took my order was there and I dealt with him again. He again took down my number and said he would check on it and get right back to me. I never heard from him.
We are in a down economy, and this place can afford to turn away business. I have close to a thousand dollars worth of framing I need done. Guess who is NOT getting my business or my money? -
Review from Margaret I.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Randy is super helpful and always smiling whenever I show up. He has great suggestions and takes wonderful care of me, and my prints that I'm having framed. Thanks!
-
Review from Andrew K.
1/22/2012
Derek is a super nice guy. I came in with a poster I purchased in Tokyo. He guided me through the framing process, provided a creative idea re: an alternative to matting, and charged me a fair price. He's a super nice guy who spent a lot of his precious time with me. This is a great place to go to honor your art, without losing an arm or leg. Thanks, Derek!
-
Review from Dinah S.
San Francisco, CA
2/29/2012
Randy and team have been reliably and beautifully framing our acquisitions for several years, including handling some odd little matting jobs. Along with their quality work is a willingness to let us take the time we need figuring out what will work best from their wide selection of frames and mattes. Pleasing.
-
Review from Russell D.
San Francisco, CA
9/17/2010
I have been using this frame shop for years. Go and ask for Randy Figueres. He's super nice, very knowledgable and a great help in picking the appropriate frames and mats for your artwork. They do first class work.
Another big plus ... they have self framing. You can come in and for the cost of materials and a small fee frame your art yourself. The staff is super helpful showing you exactly how to do it the right way. If you're having trouble they will cut your mats for you.
This shop is first rate!!! -
Review from Shannon T.
San Francisco, CA
2/21/2012
Randy is amazing. I have been going to his store for years-- with long breaks in between-- and he still remember me and the art I have taken in. This time, I went with my son who wanted to frame a Giant's World Series print. Randy helped him to pick out the frame, glass, background, etc. and even shook his hand when the deal was closed! It was truly adorable to see my 6 year old light up as he worked on this project. To make it even better, the price was far less than I had been quoted when I called around to get estimates. We even go the local Mission discount.
-
Review from Barbara Y.
El Cerrito, CA
3/26/2009
I remember back when Servio first opened this shop, we are talking eighties folks, I was in my late teens or about to be 20, and I still come back when I need quality work.
So a couple of years ago, I walked in to have my wedding portrait framed, and it happened to be their 20 something year anniversary, so I got a 10% discount just for being a returning customer. And their work? PRIMO darling, you gotta try them.. To try them is to LOVE them.
I have several Frida's around the house and my wedding portrait and I just adore the framing they did for me. -
Review from laura g.
San Francisco, CA
8/24/2007
Took ten minutes to repair my frame, while I waited.
Free hanging nail thingy as well! -
Review from Jon T.
San Francisco, CA
1/10/2007
I'm an inexperienced picture framer. My hard-drive is littered with pictures of that should be posing along-side wall fixtures and mirrors.
What is a man with plenty of pictures and a no skillz in glass & wood to do? Go to 'Back to the Picture' and talk to Randy.
Choose a frame. Choose wood. Choose a matte with suede feel and beveled cutouts. Choose complementary colours. Choose a backing with sawtooth hangers. Choose to do it yourself. Choose Back to the Picture.
The staff was eager to teach me to do the work, but make sure you have some time to spend because they have plenty of business to attend to.
My frame and pictures came out wonderfully -- and are now posing on someone's fireplace. -
Review from Suman G.
Brooklyn, NY
2/25/2006
Your very friendly neighborhood framing spot. The guys there will spend the time with you, and give you the benefit of their more experience eyes, while you try to envision what your print, poster, painting, etc. will look like with any number of their hundreds of choices for frames. Talk to Randy.
It's also nice to just drop in and see what they have for sale and on the walls. Typically lots of nicely framed Rivera and Kahlo prints.Listed in: Mission spots
-
Review from Barb S.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2012
Good framing is always heart-stoppingly expensive; may as well get good service for it. I was helped by three people (Derek, Randy and Doug) and went to two locations at various points of an involved framing of a spendy, large art-print. I had great service at all times. The only hiccup was that the re-opened SOMA location didn't have all the matte and edging samples when it first opened. The business made up for that annoying inconvenience by honoring a great discount. Randy gave me good hanging and transport tips and made the overall experience pleasant.
-
Review from Regina S.
San Francisco, CA
6/13/2008
I am slightly biased since I live upstairs but I think this place is great. I had my only souvenir from Cuba framed here and they did an incredible job for cheap. I found a frame in the style and size that fit my print and they gave it to me for free (I paid for the mat and new glass). I really like that they encourage you to do it yourself here. I have worked on a couple of older frames on their back table and they let me borrow their tools and gave me the minor extra parts to make it work. Very artist friendly.
Yesterday I picked-up my dad's hand-drawn elevations of our first house. These are prized possessions and they look even better now; safe and snug in their new natural wood frames. I might throw a party to show them off. -
Review from Sofia S.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2009
This place is awesome!!!! My father has been coming here for ages, in fact so did I (only I was the kid in tow!). . . Randy totally helped us out! After agonizing over countless framing options, I found myself deferring to his better judgement! He picked out perfect frame styles for my very special paintings. . it just made them pop!
They do amazing work here and they're great people too! While some complain about the pricing . . . the old motto goes: You get what you pay for! Oh, and don't forget. . . you're supporting a small business owner. . . not a chain!!! Three snaps up go the "Back to the Picture"! -
Review from Shannon R.
San Francisco, CA
3/17/2007
This place really did me right. Now, I've always had some kind of affinity towards this store, since I am a total frida kahlo fanatic, and they represent. I think they've had that larger-than-life frida picture in the front window ever since I moved to the mission a year and a half ago. In any case, I recently decided that my dorm-style decor days were officially over, and to prove just how serious I was about that resolution, I decided to get a poster...FRAMED! :) imagine that!
To my chagrin, I am an extremely detail-oriented perfectionist with a sharp eye for error, be it my own or someone else's, and I have to say, there is not one thing wrong with the way my print turned out. It looks incredible. It's one of those euro vintage reproduction prints, and it is currently hanging in my kitchen, a grand attestment to just how adult I now am! I mean, c'mon...I have framed art in my apartment!
I'd also like to mention how patient they were with me when I initially came in to pick out the frame. Decisions are not my strong point, especially when presented with a variety of lovely options (which they certainly have), so I probably spent close to 45 minutes hemming and hawing over what to choose. When I finally picked, they mentioned that they'd give me a 10 percent "neighborhood discount," which helped bring the price down a bit, and frankly, don't worry about whether or not you live in the neighborhood, cuz nobody's asking.
Lastly, I called them two days before the promise date they had given me, because I was having a party, and I wanted to have it by then. They accomodated me and I was able to pick it up early! Overall, I was very impressed by the whole experience. Highly recommended! Their work is truly exquisite. -
Review from I-Chant C.
12/16/2007
It's a nice, neighborhood-y place, but there were a few problems. I have to say the staff is very friendly and they help you a lot, making some suggestions but always letting you make the final decisions. I like their non-pushy attitude and their recommendations on how you can save money. The selection is great, and I think you could really spend some time there to pick out the most perfect frame for your picture. And the staff there will help you patiently through the process. On to the few problems.
First problem, it seemed to be a little expensive. We did the DIY option, and it was still over $100 to get a frame and matte for our picture. Second problem, when we got the picture back, our light beige matte had a noticeable black smudge on the corner. Third problem, the matte was not cut with clean edges. At the top, we found a little part where the matte was cut twice, leaving a little part hanging. These imperfections with the matte seemed unprofessional.
Overall, I felt good about the final product but not great. -
Review from Nicholas B.
San Francisco, CA
9/9/2008
Randy and the rest of the folks here were a super help to me when I had to get a picture framed and get the frame packed up and secured for my move back to Europe. Randy took the extra time to make sure my picture was secured in the frame in a way that will not damage it if the glass will break en route and also took the extra time to brace the frame itself with extra cardboard to make it super sturdy. On top of it all, even though Im leaving he still gave me the 10% Mission discount.
Overall a very good experience, very helpful staff and good prices (lets be honest people, framing is expensive). Would recommend to anyone. -
Review from david c.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2009
Frame-o-Rama used to be my go-to frame shop, but since I've discovered Back to the Picture about two years ago I've never gone anywhere else.
This place should be your frame shop of choice for three reasons:
1. Great selection and great prices on custom or pre-made frames (and a willingness to negotiate a bit if you're doing a large purchase)
2. Randy Figures has a great eye and is always friendly and helpful. If you know exactly what you want, that's cool, but I'd still get Randy's opinion. If you don't know what you want, even better! Put yourself in Randy's hands and watch the magic happen
3. Do-it-yourself station that has all the supplies you need to do your own professional-looking frame job. You have free reign to do your thing with people who can answer your questions nearby and ready to help
P.S.
Frame-o-Rama is still great, just not AS great as Back to the Picture. -
Review from J.T. T.
San Francisco, CA
9/19/2009
These guys certainly know their stuff, and the quality of their frame jobs is excellent. I've taken things to Aaron Brothers for years, thinking nothing of it, but the craftsmanship here is at least half again as good.
However, they're also half again as expensive, it would seem - I can't put a real number on that, but I was shocked that framing a newspaper printing plate with their most basic black frame and non-glare glass cost over $130. I don't think I'll be able to afford going here too many more times, but it was nice to have the experience of a job well done. -
Review from patricia c.
San Francisco, CA
5/19/2007
OK I don't often give 1 star, but I have been to these guys twice and I cannot express just how useless this sorry excuse of a store is... If there was a way of giving no stars as a rating, it would be too good.
I'll explain.... (pull up a seat)
The first time I went, I spoke to one of the guys about the framing project, and was told to stand in the framing area and someone will be with you shortly... I stood there for 20 minutes while they went about other business. I literally had to hassle them to get them to speak to me. So I left them with a job to make a frame which cost $150. I was told the frame woud take 2 weeks, but they would call me if it was completed sooner. After 2 weeks, and no phonecall, I called them back, and was told they hadn't started it yet, but would get it done in the next couple of days. I got it couple of days later.
I decided to give them a second chance recently, and took along a frame I already had, and a new picture, to just have the pictures swapped out. So this would involve mounting the new picture onto card, and putting it in the frame, and sealing the back. A pretty simple and cheap job you would think. Again, I was left standing in the shop for 15-20 minutes while the guy barely acknlowledged my presence. Terrible customer service. He added it up and told me it would cost $109!!!! I couldn't believe it - to stick a picture to mount board, and swap it out in a frame I had supplied... I said this was ridiculous and the guy looked nervous and said he had mis-calculated it and it was in-fact $67. I was told it would take 2 weeks. I said this was too long for such a simple job, so he changed it to a week. And guess what.... after 2 weeks and NO PHONE CALL, I called back and was told.... "sorry we haven't started it yet". Unbelievable!
They finally called me to tell me the frame was ready to be picked up. So imaging my surprise when I turned up to find the frame hadn't actually been assembled. They expected ME to do it! I requested that they take care of it (it would consist of whacking a few staples into the back as I already had the wire and fixings).
I remained in the store for the next hour whilst the confused 'framer' wandered around like a zombie, not knowing what he was doing. I finally had to speak to the manager and explain my utter frustration, who apologised (with a look on his face that said "how dare you criticise my shop") and had it dealt with. I finally got the frame.
I know this place has many good review, I just can't believe it. I guess if you have 6 hours to spare and want to stand in the shop doing some kind of 'workshop' where you frame your own picture, then you'd like this shop. If, however, you want a professional framing job that is completed on time and with good customer service... forget it.
My advice.... Go to Frames on 3rd. They're great.
Good luck.... -
Review from moosedog i.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2009
These guys are the greatest. I've been taking my stuff there for probably at least 15 years, and they've always done a really good job, both in terms of the quality of their work as well as in providing advice about frames, mattes, and colors. Randy, who's there most of the times that I go there, provides extremely welcoming customer service, knows people by their first names, and is quite patient and is attuned to working with you to achieve the effect you want, rather than imposing ideas from somewhere else. I also like that they are locally owned. The only drawback is that if you're getting there by car, it can be very hard to park; one can end up circling the block like a vulture. And their prices are not exactly bargain basement. But all that is well worth what you get.
-
Review from Julia A.
Oakland, CA
10/29/2007
Need help figuring out how to mat that new print you just bought? Want a frame for grandma's antique wedding photo that will fit into your very contemporary decor? Not sure how to best preserve that sentimental, somewhat tattered piece you have moved 6 times? Got rid of the ex and want to recyle the frame? This is the place. Randy is knowledeable, reasonable, and patient. I've had nothing but good experiences here. I have a sizeable art collection and Randy has framed about half of it, all quality work delivered as promised. And check out the art, he shows local artists regularly. It's a low key, relaxed venue in which you can see local art and maybe meet the artists over a glass of wine. A solid Mission experience, Back to the Picture is IT.
-
Review from Jude F.
San Francisco, CA
5/23/2005
I agree wholeheartedly with Anjali... in half an hour, the kind and patient folks at Back to the Picture taught me how to frame my own damn poster, and instead of charging me for the lesson, charged me *less* 'cause I was doing myself. I feel absurdly proud of the resultant framed print.
-
Review from City G.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2006
The best frame shop. I had several really great, rare and special works of art framed at this place. they are very experienced about types of frames, matting, floating not floating etc. They took a lot of time, asked questions about the art and were genuinly nice people who knew their job well. I'm glad I chose this place and refer lots of people to them.
-
Review from David K.
San Francisco, CA
1/14/2007
I had a horrible experience here. I brought in a family heirloom--a drawing by an uncle who had passed away--and asked them to frame it for me. When I went in to pick it up a few weeks later, it was on the wrong matte, with water stains where they had used tabs to mount it. When I complained, they offered to send it to a paper conservator to fix it, promising it would be back in about a month. Six months later--after a couple of excuses that the conservator was out of town--I finally got it back, with the stains somewhat smudged, maybe a little better, but certainly not gone. A complete botch-job the entire way through. I wouldn't trust them with anything again.
-
Review from jean w.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 4/7/2009
i went "back" to back to the picture today cuz the fact is, i like this neighborhood framing place -- and i'm too lazy to go anywhere else.
i guess i'm always suprised that a little nothing $7 watercolor purchased from a street artist costs over $60 bucks to frame, even though i chose the cheapest one in the store. this time there was no mistake in calculating the price; custom framing is just expensive. randy helped me pick out the perfect frame and matte, explained the pricing system, called me by my first name (nice touch!), and even gave me a 15% discount for being a repeat customer (and a pain in the ass on yelp? :))1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/7/2008
UH OH.
great selection, patient staff, but i have a feeling this place may be systematically ripping… Read more »
-
-
Review from Gordon L.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2007
The only business in SF that's inspired me enough to finally sign up for Yelp... I've had them frame all kinds of different stuff for me over the last 6 years and I've always been totally happy with the result, regardless of whether they did the finish work or I did. And frankly, even when I do the finish work myself, I get so much help that I've barely lifted a finger (this is a great way cut your cost, by the way). I originally found them by comparing prices with other framers and BttP was much less expensive. But I keep going back for the selection and friendly service.
-
Review from Dexter M.
San Francisco, CA
3/9/2010
Dude, have you ever heard of a phone? This is the second time you've had my stuff for over 3 weeks when you said it would be one week to 10 days. But no call from you, no nothing. Hey, it's only a car poster, but my walls need some help and this place acts like they will be great but then treat you like they don't give a sh*t about you. Last time for me. Next time goin somewhere else.
-
Review from Sara L.
Berkeley, CA
10/1/2008
Randy helped me put together some really beautiful things and went out of his way to make sure I would feel really happy with the product. He remembered my name. Heck, he remembered my sister's name, when I told him that she'd bought me a gift certificate from him the previous week. Prices seemed expensivish, but as a sweet surprise, he assembled my things free of charge (I'd opted for the assemble-it-yourself discount) as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gesture. I'll be back, Randy.
-
Review from Brian S.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2008
I go to Back to the Picture a lot for my artwork frame needs. Randy and Servio couldn't be nicer or more helpful.
-
Review from frisco j.
San Francisco, CA
3/13/2007
back to the picture is essentially two stores in one. in the front, decent quality latin american art reprints (frida, rivera, botero, etc.) and mirrors can be had at a surprisingly affordable price. in the back, the back to the picture framing service is provided. unfortunately, i can't say much about their framing skills since i haven't used them for that. however, i have purchased some art reprints and mirrors, and can say that i was very satisfied with the price and their knowledge of the latin american art. i will be back for more.
-
Review from kim K.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2011
Randy was very helpful when we selected our frames. I am not sure what is going on, but they have had our pictures for several weeks and they are not done yet. We just get excuses when we call to see when they will be ready. I wouldn't suggest taking your treasures here.
-
Review from Anjali K.
San Francisco, CA
5/17/2005
If service is what you're looking for-- this is the place... Anyone can give you a frame and a mat, but Back to the Picture really embraces that whole "Teach 'em how to fish" approach with the Do-it-Yourself section. Plus, they all have really good taste :)
-
Review from Elaine M.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2009
These guys were totally helpful with a very unique project. They also agreed to fix a photo that I had framed there close to 10 years ago that had slipped - for free. The icing on the cake- they gave me money to feed the meter while we worked. SO NICE and above and beyond. Thanks Luke!
