Why is framing so expensive?

I recently bought a LeRoy Nieman print for $45. It’s large — 24″ by 36″. I took it in to my local framing shop and asked for the cheapest, most basic framing job available. They quoted me $410. That seemed obscene, so I thanked them and went on my way.

I’m sure I can find something a little less than that, but I fully expect to pay over $100. Anyone know why this is?

Doesn’t seem like it would be that demanding a skill. And in this case, the materials were inexpensive, too — all I asked for was a cheap metal frame. So why so expensive?

While I’m asking, if anyone knows of a discount framing shop in the D.C. area, I’d be obliged if you dropped me a line.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 10th, 2005 at 3:55 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.