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| > About the Chamber > Member Profiles > Ray's Frame Shop and Gallery |
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Ray's Frame Shop and Gallery
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Ray's Frame Shop and Gallery
Ray and Rosalie Gustafson bought their two family home on the corner of Poqounock Avenue and Spring Street in 1979. A cabinetmaker by trade, Gustafson did all the redesigning and reconstruction himself. During the reconstruction, he discovered that the house was originally an annex for students at the Loomis Chaffee School.
Because of its history, the house has attracted lots of interesting characters including a golden aged customer who came in to reminisce about her days as a young girl. She used to walk down Poquonock Avenue and often heard whistles after her out the windows from the schoolboys.
In 1985 Gustafson transformed his living room into a 280 square foot beauty salon. The Second Look Beauty salon is owned and operated by one of their twin daughters Linda Stanhope. (The other twin, Lisa Gustafson, is not a part of the business, and currently resides in Canada.
The couple continued to downsize their own personal living space to accommodate additional small businesses. Different tenants have occupied the rental spaces over the years.There have been make-up artists, jewelers and gift stores. Gustafson had always talked of owning his own shop and in 1995 he rebuilt what was then their dining room into a frame shop.
Gustafson started building custom frames and sold small prints to accompany them. During that year the couple attended Windsor's Adult Education classes and learned some new outlets for their creativity; Ray joined a stained glass class and Rosalie attended Watercolor classes. Both students showed terrific talent in their chosen art forms and began to display some of their own work in the frame shop.
Today the store is filled with their own unique creations. Ray's custom stain glass window coverings and award winning photography and Rosalie's whimsical watercolor clotheslines and dreamy landscapes are on display to buy or just to come in and enjoy.Rosalie Gustafson said, "I think it's important that our store has our own art in it. When purchasing a piece for themselves, customers can change the frame to their needs. When you are shopping for art you also get to "meet with the artist" and that just makes it special."
Ray's Frame Shop and Gallery is located at 53 Poquonock Ave in Windsor, CT. Drop in to view the beautiful artwork and to browse the prints and frames. Contact Rosalie and Ray at 860-688-0144.
By Shari King 2005
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