After working in a woodshop and growing his business through word of mouth for 10 years, Mark Hutchins has finally found a storefront in Maple Leaf for his artistic framing business, Hangfire Design and Frame at 9211 Roosevelt Way N.E.
Mark Hutchins opened Hangfire Design and Frame in October.
Rather than be fooled by the “frame” part of the name, though, you might want to focus on the “design” part. Yes, he certainly can create conventional framing if that’s what you prefer, but Hutchins, who has been professionally framing for 25 years, has a penchant for unconventional materials that puts the fire in his frames.
“I like to do things that kind of demand attention when you walk into a room,” says the Seattle native, who moved to Maple Leaf shortly after opening his business in October. “I like to try new stuff.”
Although much of the art now hanging in the store is from Hutchins’ personal collection and isn’t for sale, it gives you a good idea of what he’s capable of – like framing a Nirvana drum cover (right) and surrounding it with found art. In this case, the silver sliders often found on the bottoms of chair legs.
He’ll often use multiple frames on a single piece, decorate the sides of shadowboxes with fabric (shown at left) that only the observant eye would spot, and he’s also a big fan of rusty barbed wire and old washers.
“It’s not unusual for me to spend hours on a piece to get it exactly right,” Hutchins said. “When people leave here, I want them to know that they got a really awesome design.”
But he’s got big plans for Hangfire, which he hopes will start with a grand opening sometime this spring or summer that just might feature some of his rock ‘n’ roll poster collection for sale. Also in the pipeline: a Maple Leaf Art Walk.
Hangfire is located in the longtime location of Revolution Cycles, until it moved in 2008 to the corner of Roosevelt and Northeast 97th Street. The frame store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, but because Hutchins is the sole employee as well as a single father, he asks that customers please be patient if he has to dash away once in awhile.
And please be patient with the Web site, too, Hutchins adds. It’s also a work in progress.
Hangfire Design and Frame is located at 9211 Roosevelt Way N.E.
I recently stopped into HangFire and found Mark to be very friendly and helpful. He has a good selection of framing and he really pays attention to the details. Definitely recommended.
-Scott M.