GK Framing / Reflectel Mirror TV

Interview with owner, Elizabeth Goldfeder

Walking into GK Framing is like entering into an art gallery, showroom and workshop all in one. And one of the first things you notice is the amazing diversity of beautiful frames and art-work too. It’s one of those unique NYC places where design, and custom manufacturing meet seamlessly. This curious space is the creation of GK Framing founder, Elizabeth Goldfeder, who has been designing custom frames, for art lovers and collectors, for over three decades. Like many of our local designer-creator shops in Tribeca, Elizabeth’s workshop is a place to learn, discover design inspiration and find an elegant way to preserve & display your own art.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Manhattan, but grew up in Kings Park Long Island. It was a fun place to be a kid, especially being so close to the north shore. I left for Ithaca College when I was 17 and moved back to Manhattan right after graduation.

Where do you call home now?

I live in the Financial District now. I raised my family in Chelsea and where I had my first shop.

What is your business best known for?

GK Framing is proud to be recognized in the fine art and museum worlds as the preeminent archival framers in New York City. GK is well known for our one-on-one consultation services, guiding our clients in the conservation and restoration of artwork and our white-glove art installation services.

In 2014 we developed our mirror-TV technology company - Reflectel. Our premier job was for The Baccarat Hotel opposite MOMA. We design television concealment systems - “TV when on, Mirror when off!” We advise clients in designing smart-homes with full AV integration. Mirror-TV’s are a wonderful opportunity to use our frame design skills.

How and when did you start your business?

After graduation I thought I was going to work in the world of marketing research or broadcasting. In a chance meeting in 1983, I started helping a small family-owned custom frame shop, in Chelsea's west 22nd street neighborhood, with their business development. I quickly got more involved with the running of the business and within a short time, I ended up taking over their operation and overnight became a business owner, marketer, woodworker and designer. Being the owner, I quickly realized I had to become a jack of all trades. For me art fluency was natural as my father was an artist, so I had been exposed to the art world since I was a young child. To be passionate about framing, one must have a great appreciation and an affinity for caring for art.

When and why did you move your business to Tribeca?

My firm started in Chelsea, but in 2000 due to rising rents, we started looking in different neighborhoods to find a new home. I found our current location in Tribeca and moved the business here after an extensive renovation in mid 2001. This spacious, historic footprint gave me the opportunity to have a ground floor presence and create my vision of a state-of-the-art, archival framing laboratory replete with a clean-room, modern gallery space, a glorious showroom and incredible production facilities including a full on woodshop. Tribeca was a natural place for us to locate, especially with a large portion of the art world being downtown and Tribeca itself being home to many large ground floor yet to be converted factory spaces. We have found that, especially new clients, that come from all over, enjoy visiting our Tribeca location and exploring Tribeca then too.

So you have run a successful business for over three decades – what is the secret to your success?

My secret to success is truly loving what I do. Every day I am renewed knowing I am creating something beautiful or helping preserve someone’s important or sentimental artwork. The challenge is that it is also a lot of hard work. Therefore, you must have a passion for excellence and unflagging commitment to customer service. I revel in the details of our work, and have been fortunate to develop a team that has the same understanding of excellence and takes pride in their work. Our line of work, especially when dealing with irreplaceable art, means a 0% error margin. That requires thinking and caring people at all times. And I am lucky to have that type of team.

What is the best part about being in Tribeca?

Tribeca is a unique part of New York. I love the historic energy and how quiet the streets are. It really feels like a neighborhood. The transportation is great with the A,C,E and number 1 minutes away! The community here is vibrant and we always enjoy meeting the local Tribecans. The sidewalks are wide and you never know who you may bump into. The store owners I know, like in the deli to my left and the liquor store to my right, are salt of the earth folks.

What percentage of your business is local?

Most of our business is from private art collectors, museums and galleries, all over New York City. Our neighborhood business including Soho and Fidi is approximately 20% of our business. We look forward to the growing business community for B2B work in the upcoming years.

How do you market your business/shop?

The majority of our business come from referrals and word of mouth. Fortunately, we also have many clients who are the 2nd generation art collectors and galleries whose families and partners have been working with us for years. The professional art community at large is a large source of business for GK as well. These are huge testaments to our commitment to quality. Like others, GK has started having a social media presence and has been putting time into refreshing our website. As of late, now that my children are grown, I’ve been going to more networking events after work. Meeting like-minded people is always a plus.

What is some of the most memorable art-work pieces you have framed?

GK has had the honor of preserving and framing many significant works of art. I confess that seeing a Degas Ballerina pastel out of its frame was a huge thrill. Seeing the actual pastel flakes humbled me. (Our work space is specially prepared for works of this value). It is awe inspiring to frame original Picasso and Miro canvases among others. All the art we preserve and frame has a story, whether it is a priceless museum piece or someone’s family heirloom. It’s a privilege to be trusted by all our clients.

What advice would you give anyone starting a business in Tribeca?

Tribeca is a great community, but it is low density. My advice would be to make sure you are a special destination location. The secret of Tribeca is that it has a “cool factor”! Capitalize on that. One of the wonderful synergies I have with the neighborhood is sharing all the jewels of Tribeca with my clients including the restaurants and the small unique businesses. Most people love to explore and learn. The more you put into the community the more rewarding it is. At GK/Reflectel we have been offering programming in our space; that is also something I would share with a new business in the neighborhood. We have hosted art pop-ups for artists, discussion groups focused on art history or archival framing, and to nonprofits having discrete events. We have some new initiatives up our sleeve, including a fun one for the kids of Tribeca but we are keeping that under wraps until the idea is more formulated. Stay tuned is all I can say; it’s going to be fun.

When people visit you in Tribeca, where do you like to take them?

My client base is growing, especially with the advent of Reflectel Mirror TVs, we are drawing clients from all over NYC and the tri-state area. Funnily I get quite a few tourists now! When I have a client lunch I love to take them to my favorite local hangouts like Estancia or our new favorite coffee shop Interlude. For a fancy meal we have a bevy of choices right on Greenwich Street. I am always sharing with my clients the wonderfully preserved historical architecture and telling them to “look up”. Recently I learned all about St Johns Church on Varick Street and the amazing St. Johns Park, sadly, alas all now paved over with the Holland Tunnel. But the one highlight that will always remain is our amazing river views of the Hudson. Any day is a good day to wander and stroll to our awesome waterfront and take in the views of our vast cityscape.