PREVIOUS SHOPS FEATURED
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Every month The CARON Collection features one of the outstanding
shops who so ably provide stitchers with not only supplies but guidance,
technical expertise, and inspiration. We hope you'll support your local
shops and browse through our extensive SHOP
LISTINGS to find a shop near you.
This month a visit to ...
Stitchery Source International
/ Rainbow Picture Framing
in the South-West section of Miami, Florida
Stitchery
Source International / Rainbow Picture Framing is a full service counted
cross stitch and canvas store stocking extensive high quality needlework
supplies in addition to providing complete custom picture framing services.
The shop is conveniently located in the south-west section of Miami, about
30 min. from Miami International Airport. They have the singular distinction
among the shops we have profiled on our website, which was NOT begun as
a needlework store but was established to provide custom framing services.
The business was already a going concern when Steve and Jan Steinbring
purchased it in 1986. Previously, Steve had served for 22 years as a pilot
in the US Air Force Reserves, involved in combat air recovery and civilian
rescue operations. His most recent job was as a manufacturer's rep before
being bit by the entrepeneurial bug, for which there is only one effective
cure!
After the purchase, it became apparent to Jan, who is an accomplished stitcher,
that a large percentage of their custom jobs consisted of needlework brought
in for framing. Adding stitching supplies and related products to their
inventory was a natural outgrowth of this realization. When the business
was subsequently moved to accomodate the expanded inventory and increase
in sales volume, Steve and Jan renamed their shop Rainbow Picture Framing
and Needlework Gallery. That took place about 12 years ago and the business
has metamorphosized to the point where needlework represents the greater
portion of the business. In retrospect, they now comprehend how wise their
decision to include needlework was.
They
were also delighted with their locale until 1992: the year that Hurricane
Andrew blew in with a vengeance. The storm completely demolished the enterprise
the Steinbrings had worked so hard to build. In addition to being a retail
framer, Steve was also a wholesale moulding distributor, with an incredibly
vast inventory of frame mouldings in stock. Trying to salvage these in
the wake of the tempest was like "playing the world's biggest game
of pick-up sticks", as Steve describes the attempt. Though he can
joke about it now, the repercussions were devastating. Even after they
had rebuilt the business from "the ground up", both literally
and figuratively, they were forced to relocate when it became apparent
that the immediate area would not recover its economic base enough for
their store to be viable. On January 1, 1998 they moved the business, yet
again, to its current and hopefully permanent home. The new premises have
the advantage of allowing them flexibility for future expansion as business
conditions warrant.
Her
own stitching expertise, along with a degree and job experience in the
Interior Design field, makes Jan a natural at advising and helping needlework
customers with their design, thread, technique and color choices and offering
instruction when needed. Steve, who is one of the few professional Certified
Picture Framers in the industry, and a stitcher to boot, is versed in all
areas of the craft from simple yet elegant presentations to unusually elaborate
framing treatments. One- of-a-kind mats are created using the latest state-of-the-art
computer technology included in their advanced mat cutter system, which
adds a distinctive and unique element to each job. In stock are over a
thousand different moulding styles to choose from and several thousand
different colors of paper and fabric matboards. Your biggest problem here
will be too many choices, but Steve and Jan excel in steering each client
to the most suitable selection to enhance each piece of needleart to best
advantage.
Their picture framing expertise also enables them to make valuable suggestions
for needlework projects when the completed piece will eventually be framed.
Advising a stitcher to use a larger canvas to accomodate an anticipated
mat border or suggesting that the stitcher add several extra rows of stitiching
beyond the completed pattern will ensure that the design image will not
later be compromised by the overlap of the frame around the edges of the
stitched work. These situations would not be anticipated by someone without
their special expertise. Their son, Eric, having been raised in this dynamic,
resourceful and creative environment, fits right in and has been involved
full time in the business since graduating from college. All three of them
are active members of their local EGA and ANG chapters and the shop supplies
materials for many of the guilds' special project requirements.
Rainbow
maintains one of the largest selections of needlework supplies in the Southeast
US. There is a vast selection of threads and fibers and the entire line
of Caron Collection products is available. Fabrics from Zweigart and Charles
Craft are available in cut pieces as small as 14 x 18 or by the yard. Needlepoint
canvas ranges from 10ct. to 24ct., which come in a variety of colors. An
assortment of pre-finished items, ready to stitch, are on hand: towels,
eyeglass cases, pillows, table linens, aprons, baby items, hats and the
like. Complete kits for cross stitch, needlepoint and stamped patterns
round out this selection. Stitchery Source also carries the full line of
Mill House Beads and Treasures. From their own personal experience Steve
and Jan have discovered that most stitchers are "gadget freaks"
and they constantly scour the marketplace for the latest tools and accessories.
These aids often make stitching easier and more enjoyable, thus increasing
customer satisfaction.
The variety of classes offered at the shop on a regular basis includes
cross stitch, counted canvas, pulled and drawn thread, needlepoint, silk
ribbon, hardanger, tatting, lace fillings and huck weaving, with experienced
pros instructing in their particular specialty. Steve has also held workshops
at trade shows on techniques such as the correct method for stretching
needlework in preparation for framing.
The
overwhelmingly successful addition of needlework supplies to their inventory,
prompted Steve and Jan to expand their services to include mail order.
Stitchery Source International was created in 1997 to accomodate this market.
An extensive catalog is available by mail or on the internet, where the
company maintains a website. Ordering can be done by mail, phone, e-mail,
fax or directly at their site on the computer. The list of selections in
the catalog is so comprehensive that it is almost impossible to imagine
that it does not include everything a stitcher could possibly need. But
we're assured that such items do exist! Not to worry: anything you may
desire is only "an e-mail away". Chances are it's already in
stock and just not listed or can be procured within a few days.
The Steinbrings have found their own special niche in the marketplace which
enables them to apply their combined talents and skills with fervor. They
are passionate about offering their customers superior products and attentive
service as described in their own "Mission Statement": It is
our goal at Stitchery Source International to provide stitchers with heirloom
quality products in a friendly atmosphere; to establish inventory resources
and source information to give the best possible service available on a
daily basis; to lend support to education and the guilds in order to continue
the legacy of the needleworks."
Stitchery Source International / Rainbow
Picture Framing is located at 13951 SW 140 Street, Miami, Florida 33186
Phone: (800) 893- 1883 OR (305) 253- 7591
e-mail: support@stitcherysource.com
Fax: (305) 235- 7475
Website: http://www.stitcherysource.com
Retail store hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am to 6 pm
Mail order hours: Monday thru Friday 10 am to 6 pm
- STORE FOCUS ARCHIVES
(For
previous month's features)
-
Nettie's
Needlecraft in glamorous Beverly Hills, California...
- Island Needlework, Key West, Florida...
The Summer House
Needleworks, Oley
Valley of Pennsylvania
Evening Star Designs,
mail order specializing in Quilting supplies
Ginger's Needlearts and Framing, Austin, Texas
The Needlewoman East
in Falls
Church, Virginia
Hook-n-Needle
in Fairfield County, CT
The
Needlepointer, Everett,
Washington
Haus
Tirol in Williamsburg, Virginia
Crafty Lady in Macomb, Michigan
It's
A Crewel World in Salem, Massachusetts
Exclamation
Point!in Saratoga Village, California
Thistle
Needleworks in Glastonbury,
Connecticut
