BRIDGEPORT — When the White Sox prepared to retire Paul Konerko's jersey, the team made its most meaningful purchase right in the neighborhood.
The team called a local shop at 3250 S. Morgan Street and asked if it would put Konerko's jersey in a frame, behind glass — a gift to the retired ballplayer.
The job was a no-brainer for Cole Glassner, the 30-year-old co-owner of The Frame Shop. He had framed many sports memorabilia before. He's also framed stuff you wouldn't often imagine behind glass — like a car bumper or positive pregnancy test.
"If you don’t know if you can frame it, we’ll tell you," Glassner said. “Usually we’re going to tell you 'Yes.'"
When Glassner and his father, a career framer named Donald, moved the shop to Bridgeport in March 2014, the duo planned to mostly serve artists hoping to frame their art. In a frame, Glassner said, a piece of art looks — and sells — better.
The Glassners plan seemed like a safe bet, considering the number of art houses in the area.
The frame shop is nestled on the same street as the Zhou Brothers Art Center, and near the Bridgeport Art Center, the epicenter of an art community that includes numerous galleries.
“We didn’t know too much about the area, but we knew there was this happening art scene,” Glassner said. “We loved the energy of the area.”
But what Glassner soon discovered surprised him. While the artists came in every so often with their work, the shop served more neighborhood residents wanting to frame graduation diplomas and sentimental mementos, such as sports jerseys.
It doesn't matter what a customer brings to the shop. They'll take on almost any project, Glassner said:
"We’ll figure out a way to frame it."
The Frame Shop is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Fridays and closed Sundays.
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