“Well, I framed a brick from the book depository once,” muses Cindy Gummer, owner of Enchanted Galleries. “I was a little concerned about how they got it…but it was a creative project, and that’s what I live for.”
One look around Gummer’s business tells the same story – hockey jerseys framed with torn tickets and scarred sticks…vintage photos matted with vintage lace…wedding portraits nestled up next to dried flowers from a bridal bouquet.
“Have fun with it, let us use our imaginations,” she says. “That’s what makes it all worth doing. We spend too much time at work to do it without being challenged.”Gummer’s airy, art-stuffed niche in Preston Center has been a familiar neighborhood player over the past several years. In addition to providing a first-rate resource for existing posters and prints – there’s a bookcase full of reference books to order from – Enchanted Galleries is gaining a reputation for showcasing everyday mementos in grand or whimsical fashion, as well as having a restrained and fitting approach to fine art.
“I’m particularly intrigued with local artists,” says Gummer, who does her best to accommodate many struggling painters’ pocketbooks. “Cost depends on so many factors, but I can pretty much help anyone find a way to do their project in a creative way that fits their budget. I want to educate people that they don’t have to be intimidated by coming into a gallery to have something framed right. I’m not getting rich, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing – being and working with people.
“On the other hand, if someone wants to spend the money for a hand-finished frame from Italy and a hand-wrapped silk mat…we can handle that too.”
Aside from doing business at the gallery, some in the neighborhood may recognize Gummer’s front door because they’ve been to many civic functions there.
“I’m on the boards of Wipe Out Kids Cancer, the Dallas Visual Arts Center, Old City Park…and we’ve done everything with the Dallas Summer Musicals,” Gummer says. “I like to reach out to a lot of people, and there are great ways to get involved in the community. And this is a wonderful space for a party. We also donate art to charity auctions and school fund-raising events. I think it’s important to contribute and to be visible.”
In fact, the store itself is kind of like one big framed piece of art with a two-story window that spans the entire store frontage.
“Sometimes I’ll drive past real slow to see what catches my eye, and maybe move things around because of that. It works,” Gummer says.
“I had a man stuck in traffic out there on Preston Road call me from his car phone and buy a piece on the spot.”
Bet she could also have done a great job of framing his old, worn driving gloves with a photo of his oldest son behind the wheel of his first car. Just a thought.
