It’s no easy job to make a painting or drawing the centerpiece of a room one has never seen.

That is the challenge Kay Traylor faces every day when she goes to work at Frames N’ Things, the custom framing store she has owned for 26 years.

“Whether it is a $25 dollar print somebody bought, or an original piece of art, the mating and frame completes the look,” Traylor said. “Done right, the matting and the frame makes it and makes someone want that piece.”

Traylor said she will spend as much time as necessary to match the matting and frame with not only the artwork, but also the room where it will be displayed for years to come.

“When we look at a piece, we have a good idea in that first look what kind of matting and frame would look good on it,” Traylor said. “We might show the customer some frames we think would work, but we work with them to make sure it’s a perfect fit.”

Traylor admits there are times where someone at her business notices a mat or frame doesn’t look as good as they thought on a piece.

“Sometimes, we’ll start working on something and we realize it won’t look as good as we thought, and we’ll just call the customer and give them our recommendation,” Traylor said. “I want my customer to love the finished piece.”

Traylor has help from two other throughout the week, who will work the storeroom floor, assists customers, as well as frame and mat pieces.

After 18 years of matching pieces of art with the perfect-fitting frame, Frames ‘N Things employee Bonnie Fitts knows better than most the work isn’t always fun and games.

“You have to respect the glass,” Fitts said. “I have found that out. We work with some really large pieces of glass, and you’ve just got to be careful when you are cutting it.”

Late Thursday morning, Fitts was busy finishing several framing projects with her one finger wrapped from a cut she received while working with a piece of glass earlier in the day.

“It happens,” she said. “I’ve got just a few scars.”

Despite the dangers of sharp glass, Traylor said she is hoping to stay in business for years to come

“I love what I do,” Traylor said. “I hope Selma supports me for another ten years. At that point I will be 78 and probably using a walker when I come to open the back door for customers, but that’s alright.”