San Art Framing and Supply, A Craftsman's Workshop

, on Seventh between Sterling and Park Places, is one of the few remaining craftsman's workshops in the neighborhood. Like any business that's been around for a while, it's full of history.

The building was constructed in 1917, but was significantly altered in 1932 when the Durfey Mansion next door was demolished and again in 1960 when Brownstone Billiards was built downstairs. The first tenant in the space sold heaters and boilers, then it was an electronics store, and the most recent tenant was a bodega (some of its shelves are still in use, along with an old Pepsi-Cola bottle opener by the front door). When it was converted into a bodega the storefront next door was incorporated, and remnants of the second entryway are still visible. 

Harry San first opened San Art in the brownstone next door, at 15 Seventh Avenue, in the early 1970s, selling custom frames and art supplies. After he passed away in 1984, two of his longtime employees, Bob Sardel and Mary Robertson, took over the business and moved it into its current location. 

In 2004 the business' current owner, Rainer, took over. He and his team of four craftsmen still build custom frames by hand, to order, at very reasonable prices. Rainer will sit down with you and help design your ideal frame, then they'll construct it using tools that date back to the shop's earliest days. All the cutting, joining, and finishing is done on-location by a team of trained professionals, and frames range from very inexpensive to high end. 

"We still do it the old fashioned way," said Rainer. "The saw in the front window was my grandfather's, and we still use it for all our straight cuts. The space isn't really designed to accommodate heavy power tools, and we have no need for that anyway."

Park Slope used to be home to plenty of craftsmen's workshops, but they're a dwindling commodity these days.

"It's sad, but that's the nature of expensive real estate," said Rainer, who lives in the neighborhood. "If you're paying $10,000 per month in rent, you're not going to be running a craft-oriented shop. They're still around, they've just drifted out of the neighborhood." 

And as for that faded sign? It's original, and it's not going anywhere.

"We've had numerous offers to have the sign repainted," said Rainer. "I like it just the way it is."