Half a century in
the same shop.
The Frame Up has been on Vienna Street since 1977. Lead and Christi Terry took over in 1987 and have been at it ever since — same workbench, same standards, same zip code. This is how we got here.
Lead & Christi Terry.
Owners. Framers. Neighbors.
Lead learned the trade in the 1980s and bought the shop in 1987. Christi runs the front of house, the books, and knows every customer by name. Between them, they've been taking care of North Louisiana's framed memories for thirty-nine years.
No employees turning over, no chain-store managers rotating in. When you drop a piece off, Lead is the one who touches it. When you pick it up, Christi is the one who rings it. That's not a marketing story — it's just how a small shop is supposed to work.
today.
The shop opens on Vienna Street.
The Frame Up opens its doors in downtown Ruston with a simple motto that's outlasted five decades — if it's worth remembering, it's worth framing.
Lead & Christi Terry take over.
Lead steps behind the workbench. Christi takes the front. Forty years of framing begins at a pace that hasn't slowed down since.
Known beyond Ruston.
Customers start driving in from Monroe, Shreveport, and across Lincoln Parish. Word-of-mouth from 18th-century textiles to hunting horns to Louisiana Tech diplomas.
Conservation & museum-grade work.
We adopt archival standards across every piece that needs them — 100% rag mats, UV-filtering glass, reversible mounting. Things built to last another fifty years.
A generation of families.
Customers who brought in graduation photos are bringing in their grandchildren's artwork. Kids who saw Dad's diploma on the wall bring in their own. Repeat business that goes three generations deep.
Still the same workbench.
Thirty-nine years in, Lead is still the one making every cut. The tools have been sharpened a thousand times. The standards haven't moved an inch.
Fifty years in Ruston.
Our 50th anniversary year. Watch this space for anniversary pieces, archival reprints of 50 years of work, and a thank-you to every customer who's walked through that door.
Three
principles.
Every decision in the shop — mouldings stocked, methods used, time taken — comes back to these.
Build it to outlast all of us.
Conservation materials as the default. If it's not good enough for a museum, we don't want our name on it. Framing is supposed to protect, not just decorate.
Tell the truth, then quote it.
If a piece isn't worth the work, we say so. If it needs a specialist, we refer. Honest answers beat high ticket prices every time.
Take the time it takes.
Good framing isn't rushed. We'll hit your deadline if we have one — but we won't cut a corner to do it. The piece gets what the piece needs.
You're
always welcome.
The shop is on Vienna Street, right in downtown Ruston. Walk in during shop hours, or book a consultation if you want Lead's time one-on-one.