Framer's farewell

A fixture on Main Street for more than 25 years will likely close its doors sometime in the fall. S. Gregg Gallery, where Steve Gregg has built a business on framing, original art, prints and antique maps, will move to support a new career for his wife, Diane.

The Greggs met as students at Southeast Missouri State University. While Steve Gregg built his business to cover two storefronts and become owner of the building at 112 N. Main St., Diane Gregg made her career in education in the Jackson and Charleston, Mo., public schools.

With the completion of a doctoral degree Aug. 4, Diane Gregg will be taking a job at Georgia College and Southern University in Milledgeville, Ga., Steve Gregg said. He's looking to sell the building and, if possible, the business.

"Either the business will be sold or it will close," he said. "It works well as an owner-manager to operate, but not an absentee owner or landlord."

Gregg has set a tentative date of Oct. 1 to shutter the Cape Girardeau gallery.

The pride of the business, where Gregg shows his creativity, is in his framing. He sees success in repeat business, including the children of customers. "I am starting to see the second generation of families I have done work for," he said.

Gregg has framed almost every original art work hanging in the gallery, with no two frames using the same materials unless the artist has made a pair of works similar in style and content. Most of the original artwork is from artists outside the area and carries a retail price ranging from $300 to $5,000, with most in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.

"My job, first of all, is to make sure the artist's work is seen," Gregg said. "I am secondary to the artist."

The business today is about half art sales and half framing jobs, he said. "One thing I decided was quality and not quantity. I have made a living at this, but I have not gotten rich."

Gregg, a native of Dexter, Mo., began his career over Christmas break from Southeast in 1973, working for a company in his hometown. "I worked two years, 70 hours a week, for $1.75 an hour."

He moved to an art gallery in Cape Girardeau operated by two doctors in 1976. Four years later, after the physicians tired of their business, Gregg bought it. "The first year I owned the business, it cut my income in half."

Gregg has prided himself on offering a product that is different from the standard fare. A simple job can take two or three weeks while he waits for inspiration. "I've had pieces I have looked at for a year," he said.

One particularly intriguing problem was posed by someone who brought in a signed Michael Jordan jersey, Gregg said. The owner wanted a framing job that would allow either, or both, sides to be displayed, depending upon the placement.

The solution, he said, was to create a Plexiglas body form, drill holes through the bottom to sew the jersey in place and then suspend it in a double-sided frame, Gregg said.

While he'll regret leaving, Gregg said he sees it as a duty to support his wife, who at times was the mainstay of the family income while the business was growing.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126