Picture Frame Moldings

On Location: picture shop frames a Hollywood future

That was no problem for owner Adrianna Cruz, who had one of her framers complete the work by Sunday, generating a tidy $3,200 for her shop.

Catering to Hollywood has become an increasingly vital source of income to small business owners like Cruz, who have been buffeted by a deep recession and an anemic recovery that has kept may consumers from buying discretionary items like picture frames.

“If it wasn’t for the film and TV business, we would be in hot water,’’ said Cruz, who generates 75% of her annual sales -- more than $500,000 a year -– by supplying frames to set decorators on such TV shows as “CSI” and HBO’s “True Blood” and movies including “Spider-Man 3,” “Funny People” and the upcoming December release “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

To be sure, like caterers, prop houses and scores of other firms that service the local entertainment industry, Cruz’s company has been squeezed by runaway production in recent years as films and TV shows have left Los Angeles to such states as Michigan, Louisiana and Georgia.

But enough film production has remained in L.A. to offset a 50% decline in her consumer retail business since 2008, said Cruz, whose Van Nuys store employs five people.

What’s more, she said, there are signs that production activity is beginning to rebound in L.A. Her film and TV business is up about 15% so far this year compared with the year-earlier period, which she partially attributes to the state’s film tax incentive program. California allocates $100 million annually to keep productions in-state.

Her shop, wedged between an Armenian and Russian deli and a Norms restaurant on Sherman Way, is adorned with dozens of photos autographed by the various stars and cast members of shows she’s supplied, including “Medium,” “Matlock” and  “Chicago Hope.”

The 46-year-old Colombia native launched her business in 1988, buying the store where she had worked part-time as a teenager and college student with the help of her parents, who took out a second mortgage on their home.

One of her first Hollywood customers was Thomas Roysden, a set decorator from the 1986 Robert Redford movie “Legal Eagles” who purchased much of her store’s equipment and supplies to be used as props for an art gallery scene in the film.

How to Pick Picture Frame Molding : Tips for Different Picture Frames

Learn how to use picture frame molding like a professional with expert home décor tips in this free online framing video clip. Expert: Minnie Bell Contact: www.digital-picture-printing-frames.com Bio: Minnie Bell has over 20 years of experience framing pictures and fine art. She currently works for Nacq Partners, a company who specializes in picture framing and antiques.

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