Business
BY HALEY MCLEOD & JILLIAN NACHTIGAL
What started as a professional framing business has evolved into a multifaceted business connecting artists, designers and customers under one roof and one community. The overview ArtDirect, a Cedar Park business, boasts a full-service model that spans framing and printing to a curated art collection. A closer look The concept was rst launched as an e-com- merce business in the 1990s, when founder George Prichard saw an opportunity in the rise of online marketplaces. Today, the frame shop o ers custom-built frames alongside a range of services—from frame strategy and canvas stretching to sports jersey, TV and mirror framing—plus pickup, delivery and art installation. “If you can envision it, we can frame it,” ArtDirect Vice President Brent Howard said. The business later expanded into a print shop after recognizing a gap among artists unfamiliar with the business side of selling their work. “We were just mainly listening to collectors, art- ists, photographers [and] interior designers on what they needed and then we provided that,” Marketing and Gallery Coordinator Giovanna Martin said. Supporting local art The current 9,000-square-foot facility also includes an art gallery. The company works with over 1,200 artists locally and around the world. “Our bread and butter is the custom framing. ... Our gallery is just to give back to our artists ... give them a place to start and give them that leg up,” Martin said. The company not only provides opportunities for up-and-coming artists to showcase their work, but also creates a welcoming space where both rst- time buyers and seasoned collectors can explore and learn about art. “Right here is where you would want to start, because we do have all of those emerging artists,” Martin said. “We have a wide variety of art—we have prints all the way to originals, ranging from $5 all the way up to $10,000.” Giving back The organization is also deeply integrated into the local area through its charitable contributions Art as a connector: Cedar Park’s ArtDirect frames art and community
ArtDirect not only provides custom framing but features dozens of local art pieces.
PHOTOS BY JILLIAN NACHTIGALCOMMUNITY IMPACT
From left, Giovanna Martin and Brent Howard said ArtDirect places a focus on consumer education.
ArtDirect features a full-service print shop after identifying a need within the local art community.
and partnerships with groups like the A ordable Art Fair, American Heart Association and Texas Humane Heroes. “Giving back to the community is the biggest thing,” Martin said. “And we’re not just for the artist ... we’re literally for the everyday Joe.” The business often contributes in-kind support, including donated artwork, framing and prints. The approach centers on using art as a connector. “Art brings people together,” Martin said.
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720 S. Bell Blvd., Bldg. 9A, Cedar Park www.artdirect.com
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CEDAR PARK EDITION
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