Clear Bags Saved My Business
I got my first camera for Christmas at age 12. I took pictures all spring and summer! That summer, I entered 2 photos into the County Fair, and I won Best in Show in the Student Division! I was hooked, and I haven't put my camera down since photographing everything from flowers and gardens to real estate and architecture, landscapes and waterscapes, animals and birds.
Combining a love for outdoor photography with my interior design background, I founded Images Everything Photography almost 20 years ago. A mentor once told me to “look ahead” of your image — meaning, see the entire scene before choosing the composition. I live by that to this day. But this article is not about looking ahead, rather it's about looking back and acknowledging what saved my business through the pandemic when others were losing space in galleries and art shops.
For about eight years now, I have been making photo notecards, as I found that customers really liked buying small art. I needed a way to protect and display my work. Clear Bags were getting glowing reviews from other professionals selling their work, so like them, I started using Frame Destination’s Crystal Clear Bags.
Crystal Clear Bags are perfect for print and photo display and storage. These museum quality bags are acid-free and lignin-free to protect your photographs or artwork during storage and display. The crystal clear transparency doesn't effect viewing, meaning you can keep your art safe even when it's framed and hanging. They also feature a peel-away adhesive strip on the bag - not the flap - so that your artwork will not get stuck to the adhesive when being inserted or removed. They are a great replacement or substitute for shrink-wrapping and are accommodating when I want to protect or ship larger size artwork like matted prints. They are available in over 25 sizes.
During the COVID pandemic these bags literally saved my business. At the time COVID hit, I was selling my work in several different shops. Presto Flowers, in Hopatcong, NJ is one that has been selling my cards since 2015, and the owner, Sam, has a beautiful shop filled with goodies. She and her assistant Chuck are extremely talented florists. In all of the shops, of course, were customers going in and out, day after day. There was some concern that exposed art or decor products would be handled/touched often, possibly spreading the virus or that some products would be removed temporarily from the stores. Having the clear bags on my cards enabled the stores to continue to display and sell them without concern.
Additionally during this time, in some cases, the shops could only set up outside and hold sidewalk sales exposing the products and art to the outdoors, but I felt reassured my work was not in jeopardy of being damaged. The bags offered protection from the outdoor elements like dust flying around. Taking a cue from the shops, during this time, I even sold my work from my own front porch!
Once the pandemic started easing, I participated in a few craft shows again, as I had done for many years. I felt comfortable offering my protected products, and my customers appreciated that they were in the Clear Bags, as well. Thanks to Frame Destination, I’m entering my 18th year of business, even after a rough two years during a global pandemic!
Along with the notecards and matted prints, I enjoy creating home decor and crafts with my photos. The Clear Bags are great for presenting and shipping those items too. I plan to expand soon by offering my art through my own website, but currently it can be purchased online through Fine Art America.
About the Author
Learn more about the author and see more of her work in our Artie’s Eight Artist Spotlight featuring Cheryl Williver.
Last updated February 26, 2022