VERO BEACH — At its new location less than a month, Lighthouse Art and Framing feels fresh, and spacious.
Its new owner, Barry Shapiro, 59, has a vision of making the business part of Vero’s artistic community.
So while the 3,000-square-foot space is replete with an extensive frame selection and top-of-the-line art supplies, it doesn’t stop there.
Shapiro has created a small gallery space to display local artists’ work as well as a classroom for workshops and lectures.
“We’ll bring in artists to talk about their work and manufacturing reps to talk about products,” says Shapiro.
He wants to create an arts center on the corner of 14th Avenue and 19th Street, not just another retail store.
While Lighthouse is primarily about the visual arts, Shapiro wants to bring in authors to talk about books and as well to be involved with all the arts including dance, theater, and music.
“My vision is not to be just a store. I want this to be an essential part of the community,” says Shapiro.
Shapiro lives on the river in Sebastian with his wife, Patricia. The couple moved here from Manhattan six years ago, partly in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Shapiro admits he didn’t fully appreciate how artistic Vero Beach is until he bought Lighthouse Art from Margie Childers a year ago. Its location at that time was 879 17th Street.
Shapiro says he rarely came to Vero except to get his own artwork framed by Childers.
A graduate of Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn where he studied painting and printmaking, Shapiro knew nothing about the Vero Beach Museum of Art or what he calls “the great, thriving undercurrent of art in this community.”
Along with the museum, Shapiro lists the Vero Beach Artists’ Guild, the photo club and myriad galleries and artists as part of that community.
Just across 14th Ave. is Tropic Art and Frame, owned by Dawn and Lee Orre. What someone else might see as competition, Shapiro sees as friendly support.
“I’m happy that Tropic Art and Frame is across the street. They’re great people,” he says. “The more things we can bring, the better it will be for the economy of the neighborhood.
“Our competition is with the big box stores and the internet who undercut us,” says Shapiro.
Shapiro has on staff a design consultant, Tammy Torres, as well as two framers.
Shapiro says he regularly works with several interior designers. He recently worked with Rossway, Moore, Taylor, and Swan, the law firm on Miracle Mile, framing more than 35 pieces.
Most of his customers, though, are individuals.
Shapiro finds that today, people understand that displaying art is just as important as furniture and flooring.
He says they are much more willing to spend hours selecting molding than they used to be. And what people are choosing to frame is changing too.
“It’s not just photos, prints and paintings,” says Shapiro. “We’re framing some great mementos, putting them in shadow boxes.”
One customer recently brought in a matchbox from Windows on the World, the restaurant on the 107th floor of One World Trade Center, destroyed on 9/11.
“We suspended it in black matt with museum glass on two sides,” says Shapiro. “It sits on a table and you can see it from both sides.”
Shapiro and his staff have customized the shadow box to frame an autographed flag from a Persian Gulf battle ship.
“We use 100 percent acid-free matting, and conservation glass that provides 99 percent UV protection,” says Shapiro.
Last March, he attended the West Coast Art and Frame Show’s annual convention in Las Vegas, the largest industry show in the country.
“I took four solid days of classes in framing technique and art preservation,” says Shapiro.