Valley Roadrunner newspaper article:  Spring Home & Garden section:

The frames you choose for pictures that will adorn your home can be among the most important style choices you make.

Allison Waning, owner of Archives of Escondido, has been helping people make those kinds of decisions for 16 years, since she was a teenager.  She still has some of those clients.

She managed Archives of Escondido for four years when it was called J&J Gallery and was owned by Earl & Lori Culver, who had purchased it from the original owners, Jean & Joe O'Connor.  Eventually she bought the business with partner, friend and photographer Lise Martinez.  They were partners for two years, until Waning went out on her own.  This is her fourth year as owner.  She still represents Martinez as an artist and displays her work in the gallery.

Waning works with interior decorators, but mainly with walk-in customers.  Before designing a frame for a customer she always wants to know what kind of room it will be in, and what sort of style the home's owner has.

The best way to approach such a project is to take a photo of the room in question and bring color swatches from the wall.  Some clients bring in pillow cases.

"A big thing today is wall color.  A lot more people are painting bold colors on their walls like persimmon.  Yellow is a big color, even cranberry!" she says.

There are many creative ways to get the kind of effect you want from a frame.  One such technique is called "stacking".  This combines frames within frames into a composite frame that may have several colors or textures.  Many clients still have the traditional cream and off-white colored walls.  "Framing ties in with the type of furniture, the color of the walls.  I can stack a colored frame inside of a walnut frame and tie together a wall and furniture."

As the name "Archives" implies, Waning can also help preserve photos and posters.  She can laminate a poster, which will protect it from ultraviolet light, preserving it for many years.  She can also repair and replace faded paper matting on posters or photos.

"People always want to know why framing is so expensive and one reason for that is because everything today archival," she says.  "You don't want to spend $300 to frame something that won't last."  Part of the expense is that Waning does everything by hand, the cutting of the molding and the glass, doing the matting, etc.  Because she carries a variety of framing vendors, Waning can provide just what you are looking for at the price you can afford to pay.  "You can frame for from $60 to $1000 depending on what you want.  I can show artists how they can frame for $40 and up.

A recent client had a poster that was rippled from old age.  Waning peeled back the poster from the original glue using a solvent and was able to make the poster look like new when she repasted it.  Archives of Escondido also does photographic restorations.  These are done digitally.  Often the original tones of a faded photograph can be restored.  They use archival inks and apply a coating that will make the restored print last as long as a regular photo would.  That way the photo won't have to be covered with glass.

"I really take my time with each client so that they don't feel rushed," says Waning.  "When I show the finished product to them, they have to love it!  If they say, "That's OK," we are not done yet."  She frames each piece as though it was her very own.  "It's a fun business.  I never get tired of it.  I enjoy every part of it, especially my customers."

Archives of Escondido is open Tuesdays - Fridays, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and by appointment.  Call 760-747-8973.