Hobby Lobby Expands Store Footprint: What New Locations Mean for Framing Services
Complex framing builds require significantly more craftsmanship than flat prints. Two growing segments for the retailer are shadow box framing and canvas stretching. With sports memorabilia, christening gowns, and military medals surging in consumer demand, modern department counters are fitted with specialized mounting hardware.
Shadow boxes present distinct engineering challenges. Technicians must build interior sidewalls to match or contrast the mat board while securing objects without damaging adhesives. Standard practice at these counters relies on micro-pinning, hand-sewing textiles to acid-free rag mats, or custom acrylic brackets. Hot glue guns, an old bugbear of preservation purists, are explicitly phased out for conservation orders.
Canvas stretching requires equal precision. Unstretched oil and acrylic paintings shipped rolled from international studios or bought at independent fairs require uniform tensioning over wooden stretcher bars. Technicians select bar depths ranging from 0.75 inches to 1.5 inches depending on whether the piece will sit inside a floater frame or hang frameless as a gallery wrap. Improper tension leads to rippling across the canvas face or corner stress cracking, making regional staff training critical.