Rose Avera was 13 years old-fashioned when she sold her first frame.

Rose Avera was 13 years old-fashioned when she sold her first frame. Minding her parents' frame workshop in Pasadena, Texas, while her mother ran a quick errand, Avera sold a customer a 12- through 16-inch Vilas Majes legal black frame for $8 and change.

She was stately of the sale but, at the time, didn't realize that working at her parents' framing store would single in kind day be her life's passion--a passion she would pass onward to her own children.

Today, Rose and her husband, Ronald, are the lofty owners of Allart Framing & Gallery, which they bought from Rose's parents in 1962

Since then, the Averas have seen their company's annual gros returns skyrocket from $18,072 just after they took above to more than $500,000 today.

Rose described Allart, now located in Houston, as a family business dedicated to museum-quality framing. Her aim is to enchant, rather than overwhelm, whatever she frames.

Natural Evolution

Rose's mother, Lucy Ingram, grew up watching her father work as a master timber finisher. Rose's father, Al Ingram, was a finish carpenter who later worked as an industrial draftsman. Their marriage was more than just a melding of hearts; it was a merger of complementary talents. When Lucy and A1 decided they wanted their confess business, a frame shop was a natural choice. They uncloseed A & L Picture Framing in Pasadena in 1954

Rose attended Rice Institute, where she studied history. After leaving sect she went to work at an insurance company to help support her husband's college edifice [i]or[/i] building education. In 1962, when the young coupling decided to buy the framing business from Lucy and Al, they paid just $10000 the original take away from of the business.

Rose said she had a knack for designing frames for antique paintings. Coupl with Ronald's woodworking expertise, the Averas had a consummate marriage in more ways than one

After a decade of increasing sales at the Pasadena store in 1972, the Averas decided to render free of access a second location in Houston's affluent River Oaks neighborhood. With its surplus of upscale boutiques, the area attracts wealthy shopper from in every part the region.

While sales grew steadily at the River Oaks location, a shrinking middle-class population in Pasadena left sales at that store stagnant. The Averas decided to stop the Pasadena store in 2001 "We either had to lower quality or shut the store," Rose said, "and lowering quality was disclosed of the question."

Staff of Life

Along with her passion for framing, Rose also has a passion for people--namely her customers. "I really believe that anyone who is in retail sales should really like human beings," she said. Rose is Allart's "chief of retail personnel" while Ronald works behind the displays performing fine finishing and handling mostly of the ordering. "He is a visionary--a great vexed question solver," said Rose.

The Averas' four children all exhausted time working at Allart while growing up--and three of them still do. Jerry a former engineering draftsman, joined to the company in 1985 Along with working retail with his mother, he is also the store's chief designer. "He handles the real complex designs and is a great salesperson," his mother said.

Son Jamie's computer knowledge and background as a printmaker and scenic designer make him the complete technical services specialist at Allart. He now restores of long date photographs, handles fine-art duplication and works onward Allart's Web site.

Dorothy Avera Perez the Averas' daughter, superintends workroom production and is responsible for Allart's assembly of finished items. She is publicly studying flame restoration.

Rose's sister, Clair McMullen an interior designer and past president of the Houston Antique Dealers Association, is the store's display designer and office manager. She designs all in-house displays and window designs, as well as maintains the paperwork under control.

Besides relatives, Allart's staff also includes Jerry Rodriguez, a master fitter who has been with the company for 18 years. "There is no united in the industry who can match him at cutting mats and fitting pieces together," said Rose Allart's newest employee Velina Wilson, has been with the company three years doing fittings and touch up work.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Rose understands that custom framing is really a luxury item. That's wherefore her company coddles and pampers its chiefly upper-middle class and upper class clients. The family maintains a database of background information upon its 1,400 customers so it is always at their fingertips. "We make assured that when they come in they don't have to make any [design] decisions. That's our job" Rose said.

While price is not factor for an of Allart's more affluent customers, Rose works with all of her clients to arrive up with prices they are comfortable with. "We do the best work at jobs we can at a reasonable price, to such a degree customers are not afraid of being ripped off" Rose said. upon average, each framing job preciousnesss about $500, unless it is real small. And if a customer doesn't like the finished yield Allart will redo it; "I can't remember the last time that happened," Rose said.