Above & Beyond Framing

I have come to Above and Beyond for two different framing jobs.
They are located in a half deserted strip mall in Bartlett. It is not their fault, but it makes the «neighborhood» that they are in seem a little less desirable when there are so many empty stores. They are right next to my Chinese takeout place though.
On the plus side, there is plenty of parking in the shared lot.
Walking in to the small shop, you will see general clutter and disarray. These people are artists, not marketing experts. I don’t require a shiny, corporate space, but they should put on the business face a little.
Above and Beyond is staffed by the owners. They are very nice people that take the time to understand what you want and they give honest advice. I appreciate the personal touch that I get from this type of business.
My first job for them was a single picture for which I requested a simple black metal frame. A very basic job that was completed as expected.
My second job was a bigger project that involved matting and framing 7 20×30 prints. This was a very important project to me because I was framing native plant photographs taken in my yard and I intended to display them prominently in my dining room. They spent hours with me picking out just the right shade of matte and the right wood frames.
After the framing was completed, they let me borrow a very expensive laser level system to assist with hanging so many large pictures in a consistent manner. I don’t know how I could have done it without their generous loan. They didn’t require a deposit or insist on a time limit. They also gave me several other tips to ensure that I would be successful. It was this type of home town trust that I really appreciate.
A few weeks after the job was complete, I noticed something terrible! One of the pictures was bubbling inside the frame. I took it back to Above and Beyond and they were genuinely concerned and disappointed that I was inconvenienced. Even worse, while they were working on that, about a week later, I noticed that another of the pictures was bubbling. (Of course, I am wondering if they are all defective now.) But shit happens and while I was irritated, the true test is how they handled the situation.
It turns out that something went wrong with the pressing that mounts the prints, perhaps bad adhesive. One of the prints was destroyed when they were trying to unmount it from the defective mount. I had to order that print again. (Thank goodness for digital.) They paid for the reprint. Eventually I got both pictures back and up on my wall.
I was assured that they stand by their work and if I have any other problems, they will take care of me. I hope there are no more issues.
So overall I have to give them a middle of the road review. I like the friendly, home town atmosphere and the willingness to work with the customer. It may have been bad luck that this batch of pictures was affected but it represents a major portion of my experience with Above and Beyond. I do like to encourage small, local businesses so I would still consider them for my next framing job.