Daughter takes over store from dad, who ‘hopes he’s alive to really see it take off’
After growing up at her father’s Art & Frame store in west Wichita and working there through the years, Tara Wilson has now taken over the business and reinstituted a gallery.
“Once I got back in, it was like, ‘wow, I’m home,’ ” she said. “It just felt right.”
Her father, Jack Wilson, started Art & Frame by doing custom framing from his home in 1995.
In 1999, he opened his first storefront at 21st and Ridge Road and then moved to NewMarket Square. Today, the store is at 1317 N. Maize Court, which is just south of 13th and Maize Road.
Jack Wilson used to show his own work at his business, but Tara Wilson created the store’s first gallery for other artists in 2017, several years after her father was diagnosed with ALS.
When she then encountered her own health issues, Tara Wilson said she had to put the gallery on pause.
“So, we’re just really excited to start this back up,” she said. “I learned a lot from the previous show experiences and how to make it even better than before.”
Wilson said having the gallery is about promoting artists and their work.
“There’s a lot of efforts that go into an art gallery.”
She started with a show of her father’s work, which will run through July 12.
“We’ve had a great response.”
The core of Art & Frame still is custom framing, but the store offers fine art printing, photo restoration and other services as well. Wilson says she offers more services than a box retail framing shop.
Along with the gallery, Wilson said she hopes to take the business to a new level with her “art so real” concept at artsoreal.com and on Instagram and Facebook. It’s an online art gallery to showcase local artists in order to sell their originals and fine art prints, which she creates for them.
“It’s just been an exciting journey,” Wilson said of helming the store. “It’s definitely a passion project with the amount of time I’m putting in.”
She said that “part of my dream is for dad to really see the business take off.”
“He’s tickled,” Wilson said. “He’s my biggest encourager, and he’s also my hero. It’s really been amazing to have him be alive and have him witness this new path that I’m going on.”
Just as she’s hoping, Wilson said her father, too, “hopes he’s alive to really see it take off.”