{"id":188102,"date":"2025-08-30T23:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T23:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/188102\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T23:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T23:01:11","slug":"made-in-tarrant-fort-worth-frame-shop-covers-39-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/188102\/","title":{"rendered":"Made in Tarrant: Fort Worth frame shop covers 39 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A hometown frame, gift and art gallery shop known to Fort Worthians has endured for generations on the city\u2019s west side for about 39 years.<\/p>\n

Marty & Pat\u2019s Frame Shoppe & Art Gallery, 5025 Camp Bowie Blvd., remains popular with customers after the retirement of founders Pat and Marty Cipolla six years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The business, which has earned national awards in framing and matting, also offers an art gallery, a gift shop with works by local artists and photography services. Its framers are certified by the Professional Picture Framers Association.<\/p>\n

Kari Breen, a Fort Worth-area pet photographer, has taken the reins as its new owner. If you visit this Bricks hub spot, expect to see two shop dogs \u2014 Maggie Mae and Ivy.<\/p>\n

Contact information:<\/p>\n

Address: 5025 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth<\/p>\n

Phone: 817-738-7328<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/martyandpats.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The interview has been edited for length, grammar and clarity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eric Garcia:<\/strong> So tell me about your shop. What services do you provide?<\/p>\n

Kari Breen:<\/strong> Besides the custom framing, we do custom mirrors. We work with a lot of designers. We do canvases, shadow boxes, a lot of silk scarfs, jerseys, paintings, anything you can think of. The lobby is all local art. We have a silk scarf artist. We have acrylic and oil painters. We have watercolor artists. We have a woodworker who does cutting boards and bowls. We have some jewelry and a lot of greeting cards. It\u2019s all local art, which is fun. Pictures and frames and art all go very well together.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>How did you develop connections with local artists?<\/p>\n

Breen: <\/strong>It\u2019s a natural connection. People bring art in to be framed, so it\u2019s kind of a natural synergy. I, personally, am the pet photographer in town. I do a lot of stock photography, doing street photography when I travel. I like to photograph the local street dogs if I\u2019m in Greece or Italy. Marty & Pat\u2019s used to sell my stuff.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>I saw your photography at karibreen.com<\/a>. It looks like a fun job.<\/p>\n

Breen:<\/strong> Yes, it definitely is. I\u2019ve been the pet photographer for a little over 20 years. I\u2019m on the board of Saving Hope Foundation. For every portrait session I sell, I give a photo session to the Saving Hope dogs. If a dog is in need of an adoption photo, they come here into the shop. Instead of a sad shelter photo to get them adopted, they get a quick portrait done and it helps them get adopted easier because people can see the warm and fuzzy side of them. We\u2019re very animal friendly.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>Was it important for you to keep the original name of the shop?<\/p>\n

Breen:<\/strong> One hundred percent. Marty & Pat\u2019s, to me, is iconic in Fort Worth. They\u2019ve been on the Bricks for 39 years this summer. I\u2019ve always been very grateful for the foundation they\u2019ve built. The team all remained, even though Marty and Pat wanted to retire. I was very grateful that the team wanted to stay, and I just wanted to honor the legacy and foundation that they built. I wanted to keep that since it is part of Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>Your store seems to stay pretty busy.<\/p>\n

Breen:<\/strong> We are, we feel very blessed. There\u2019s several frame shops on the Bricks, and it\u2019s a fun art district. We have a good friendship and help each other out. We\u2019re very fortunate that Fort Worth understands the difference with custom framing. We have a lot of repeat clients. They\u2019re like family.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>Since the business has operated for 39 years, is that helpful with repeat customers?<\/p>\n

Breen: <\/strong>We frame for a lot of people. As their family has grown, we frame their children\u2019s portraits, and then we end up framing those children\u2019s bridal portraits. Then those brides bring in their children\u2019s portraits. We end up having all the generations come in here. We might have grandma and mom standing here with the new baby. We get to watch them all grow, and it\u2019s very fun. Fort Worth supports its own. We try to give back to the community a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>As Fort Worth keeps growing, what are your hopes for the business?<\/p>\n

Breen: <\/strong>That\u2019s a good question. \u2026 A lot of the same. We really love the direction it\u2019s going. We hope to continue to take care of the people we already have. We get to meet new people every day. We\u2019ve definitely seen the increase (in business), that\u2019s for sure. We try to provide the same quality that we\u2019ve always had.<\/p>\n

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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