Original owners Vicky and Hugh Simmons opened their first store in San Marcos in 1994 and moved to its downtown location soon after. The shop earned its name from Vicky’s mother, who, while the couple was contemplating what to name the business, dreamed of the shop being titled Cardinal Frame.
The shop has a variety of framing techniques and thrives on assisting customers looking to frame personal items such as artwork, sports regalia, diplomas, kimonos, needle art and more.
Since 2018, Jennifer Rosas has been the owner of the shop.“I started framing in 1999,” Rosas said. “I lived in Austin for a long time, and then when I came to San Marcos, I was hired by them to work for them. Then I was managing the shop and they were, you know, of that age, they were ready to retire. So, they gave me the opportunity to buy the business from them.”
Cardinal Frame provides the service of creating custom frames. Rosas said there are many reasons why a customer would want a custom frame made, possibly due to them not finding a frame in the right size or to commemorate the art.
“I get a lot of oversized art like large pieces because there’s a lot of, you know, some of the big-box stores, they won’t work with things that are over a certain size,” Rosas said. “So I get sent a lot of those orders to do, but I like it. I’m not against framing anything; the variety is nice.”
The shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but every other day of the week Rosas is there beginning at 10 a.m., personally performing many of the store’s duties. From making custom glass to fit frames and repairing glasses for frames to stretching canvas paintings that have been rolled out of shape, Cardinal Frame gives a variety of services to choose from.
While some projects are for customers celebrating accomplishments, others might be to remember good times or to appreciate artwork made, according to Rosas.
“Some things will be sentimental, and sometimes it’s just something that’s gonna look good where they’re putting it; we’ll get some of the backstory,” Rosas said. “A lot of people buy stuff on vacations, and they’ll frame them because it reminds them of the good times they had when they were out traveling.”
The shop’s prices range depending on what a customer wants framed as well as the size and material used, but Rosas said she always works to ensure customers leave with exactly what they wanted.
“I’ll frame something, and it’ll just make me feel really happy, like the final product, when it just looks really good when they didn’t hold back. You know, maybe they did something a little crazy. Just brings a whole new life to whatever it is or framing them, which makes me happy.”
Custom Framing
Going to a custom framer might not be an option or a consideration for some, but Cardinal Frame strives to make notable handmade frames that considers customers’ wants, making the business the successful shop it is today.
Some of the services offered:
Custom frames
Custom matting
Custom glass and glass replacement
Shadowbox framing
Needle art and fabric framing
Stretcher bars and canvases
Frame repairs
Oval frames
Flag frames
Photo mounting
Cardinal Frame & Art
117 N. Guadalupe St., Ste. 102, San Marcos • 512-392-7699 • www.cardinalframe.art
Hours: Tue.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.
