Off the Wall Art & Framing

i can understand why this is the top rated framing location in toronto, from the moment you walk in every inch of the walls are covered in awesome framing. to the point where im not sure that i found two frames that looked the same (i really tried to see… no such luck) this business also supports a couple of local artists which i thought was a really stand up thing to do. they offer some serious custom framing work, to which im not sure that theres a request they couldn’t do? (never asked) i definately cant wait to use this fine establishment in the future, as i have some off sized items that would look wicked in a frame.
***full disclosure*** yes the store owners have two cats, there is some pieces of litter on the ground, which i saw one of the owners clean up right away. YES it smells like cats live in the store, it doesn’t reek of a foul scent at all, and i have one strong nose ***
when you come in or out of this place, make sure no cats get out, and be sure to watch where you step for the same reasons, both cats are super friendly
Great service and great knowledge shown by the workers i dealt with, the place is pretty clean, and only offers street parking.

This place is disgusting. The minute you walk in it smells like Cat Litter. There are 2 cats roaming the place, with a cat scratch-​tower in the middle. It smells awful, enough to make you want to leave immediately. It’s dark, dingy, and dirty. I’ll never step foot in there again.

Great service. Very helpful and knowledgable with choosing a frame for a children’s poster. Done in time specified, good price and I’m very happy with result. Seems very busy any time I went but they’re good at addressing all customers and dealing promptly with queue.

Wow, what an awful experience Off the Wall was!
I received a large poster for my birthday, so I looked at Unilocal for the top-​rated frame shop in our Queen West hood and this was the top pick. Walking in, I had some ideas in mind but was also looking forward to the suggestions.
My husband and I were served by a middle-​aged lady who was not at all friendly and seemed to take offense at hearing our input on the kind of frame and matte combination we were interested in. At one point when I said that I wanted the matte colour to work with other things in our apartment she actually rolled her eyes at me. At another point, she commented to a co-​worker that I hadn’t liked her suggestion in a sarcastic tone, when I was clearly in earshot.
Getting her to show us other colour combinations was liking pulling teeth, with her audibly sighing and being incredibly rude. Worst of all, after all sorts of rigamarole about the matte colour, she suddenly announced that the poster is probably too big for a matte since adding one would mean a custom-​sized pane of glass which would be too expensive. I really wish that she’d told us this at the very beginning, before wasting our time discussing matte colours (not to mention saving us the grief).
When we were almost done, she suggested that we might want to get the poster laminated onto a board instead of putting it behind glass. Honestly, I think this was the most offensive part. My poster is valuable and lamination instantly devalues whatever you put through the process since it can’t be undone. So her suggesting this made her seem unknowledgeable in addition to just plain rude.
In summary, I felt I got so much attitude in this shop and I’m not exactly sure why. All I wanted was to have some input into something that will be hanging on my wall and should go with my décor.
I was telling a friend this story and she interrupted me saying: «Wait, is this Off the Wall? Because another friend went there and it was awful, they framed the wrong side of her piece.» Ouch!

Fantastic framing job. This guy knows his shit, and can make you a great recommendation on what will show your stuff off best.
Fair pricing, particularly for downtown Toronto.
He can have things ready in about a week, 50% deposit is required.

Since moving to an apartment, I decided to turn the living/​dining room area of my apartment into my own art haven.
To fulfill this vision, I began with purchasing my first HUGE painting during my summer trip to Vietnam. However, this painting came without a frame.
On the hunt for a great custom framing store, I came across Off the Wall Art & Framing and never looked back!
When I took our painting into the store, Ross (the owner) worked with me to find the perfect frame for our vibrant Vietnamese painting.
Ross showed me 5 different frames and explained why each of them would work and what type of statement each frame would bring to the painting.
In the end, I selected a deep brown wooden frame, which brought out the browns in the painting and matching the bright blues and greens in the picture.
After two weeks of stretching out our painting to make it flat, my painting was framed and ready for pick up.
I was so happy to see the painting looking beautiful in the frame and I even received compliments from other customers in the store.
Overall, my $ 300 framing experience was worth it. Plus, it may sound expensive BUT framing is not cheap and this was the best deal I could find.
Since my first-​time experience was great, I have decided to order a print to hang over my bed through Off the Wall!

Now I know why artists are starving; They pay through the nose for custom framing.
Yeah, getting borders and some glass for your art is expensive but it’s an investment. And I’m not in college anymore so poster putty ain’t gonna cut it. We had a total of four pieces done: an original canvas on acid-​free matting framed with glass, and matte laminate for three art prints. Wow. They make our humble apartment look like the Louvre. (OK, not quite but much better than my college dorm room.)
Don’t let the old-timer’s biker threads and handlebar ‘stache fool you. He’s been doing this for a while and he knows his art from his elbow. He’ll make good suggestions about frame type and matting without a whiff of pretension or snobbery. And he’s fast too. Bring him your art and you’ll get it back within a week.