Our Story

Not everyone asks how we got started, and that's okay. Most people come here thinking about their own story, not ours.

But if you're curious, The Frame Gallery has been a family business for three generations. It's changed shape along the way, the way good things do - passed down, reimagined, and carried forward by the people who cared enough to keep it going.

If you'd like to know how we got here, we're happy to share.

Founded in 1927 by Ben and Anna Pankratz, the Pankratz Paint and Wallpaper Company began as a local shop in Gresham, Oregon. In 1941, the business expanded its services to include picture framing, making it the first generation of what would become a family tradition.

Ben Jr. grew up working alongside his parents, learning how to mill wood and craft custom frames, an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for woodworking. After leaving to pursue a degree in engineering in the mid-1960s, Ben Jr. went on to build a successful career in engineering before returning to his roots.

In the late 1980s, blending his engineering background with the hands-on skills he learned in his family's shop, Ben Jr. opened his own picture framing business in California. With access to modern tools and technologies that hadn't been available to his father in the 1940s, he set out to carry forward the family's commitment to craftsmanship - now elevated by precision methods and contemporary techniques.

After college and a successful stint working with a publisher of graphic novels, many of which would later be adapted into blockbuster films, Alisa joined her parents at The Frame Gallery in 1992. Following the example of her father, who had reimagined his parents' business through the lens of engineering and craftsmanship, Alisa brought her own perspective to the third generation of the gallery.

In 1994, Alisa purchased the business from her parents, allowing her father to retire shortly after. Just as he had shifted the focus of his father's shop, Alisa helped reshape The Frame Gallery around her own experiences in fine art sales, publishing, and design - expanding its reach and refining its focus to meet the needs of collectors, interior designers, local artists, and more sophisticated clients.

Anna Pankratz, who founded the original family business alongside her husband Ben Sr. in 1927, lived long enough to visit the gallery both under her son's ownership and later under her granddaughter's care. It's easy to imagine the quiet pride and comfort that may have brought to her in her later years - seeing the work she began carried forward, generation after generation.

"If you're near Agoura Hills, we invite you to visit our gallery in person. Here, you can consult with us directly about custom framing, whether you're preserving a treasured photograph, reframing a well-loved piece, or starting fresh with something new. Our team is here to help guide you through choices in materials, style, and presentation so that each piece is framed with care and intention.

If you’re visiting us online, you can browse our curated selection of original artwork through our Online Gallery. Each piece is available for direct purchase and ready to ship. We’ve organized the work by category to make discovery easy, and every listing includes background information on the artist and the piece itself.

Wherever you start—online or in person, our goal is the same: to help you find and frame the art that belongs on your wall, and to make the process as thoughtful and seamless as possible.”