by Rifqi, 11, and Joshua, 11
“If you think I only frame photos, you’re wrong!”
Mdm Kelly Poh, 50, is the owner of Chosen Picture Framer & Gifts, a shop at Taman Jurong Shopping Centre. She shared that people usually frame photos and certificates but there are also many other things like handicrafts, diamond art (made using fake diamonds), jerseys, football boots, rugby balls and many others.
Mdm Poh shared with us that 30 years ago, there were around 200 framing shops. But now, there are less than 50.
Before she was a framer, she worked many different jobs - at a factory, fast food outlets, video tape rental store, and even a badminton racket store.
“Actually, I wasn’t interested in framing at all. But I had to help my husband. Through helping him, I learnt the skills along the way. So even though he is no longer around, I took over his shop and can manage alone now,” Mdm Poh said.
Mdm Poh explained that one skill needed to do a job like hers is to have artistic sense, like matching colours with the theme of the picture or other items that people would want to frame, like jerseys. Some handicraft skill is also needed. “If you don’t even know how to hold a hammer, then it’s difficult lah,” she laughs.
One thing that many people may not know is that buying a frame is like buying durian, Mdm Poh said. “So if you were to ask ‘How much ah?’, a durian seller would ask if you want D24 or Mao Shan Wang, because they have different prices. It’s the same for frames.”
Even though Mdm Poh did not really choose to be a framer, she still enjoys her job and encounters interesting and even weird items that customers want to frame. “There was one time a customer asked me to frame a dried fish fin for someone’s 21st birthday. I had to ask ‘Are you sure?’ because it smelled like salted fish!”
Another time, she shared that she framed a huge mushroom, and after framing, it was as big as an umbrella.
“I feel a sense of fulfilment and I enjoy seeing customers happy and appreciative of the frame after a job is completed,” she said.
Comments