My corner-shop crush

Despite its generic, less-than-hip name, the very cool Make A Frame inspires me a little more each time I pay them a visit.

Our local frame shop occupies a storefront that pretty much blends in with the laundry mats and Middle Eastern food shops that crowd that part of the block, so it's always sort of a surprise to walk in and be hit over the head with the cool stuff that's inside. The walls are crammed with interesting mirrors, weird old maps, and bad-ass posters that the Urban Outfitters down the street will probably be replicating and selling to the rest of the nation in a year or so.

It's all due to the three or four guys who work there--each and every one has impeccable taste. They all seem to be super artsy, and I'm sure it helps that they have access to tons of frames that I've never seen anywhere else (check out the ornate lacquer frames from Roma in one of the photos below; in person, they ooze super-slick sexiness.)

Best of all, Make A Frame will make a frame for just about anything--and I am constantly scanning the store for new ideas. My latest favorite find? A framed floppy disk.

I'm filing away this smart little idea for later, as it would be a totally clever gift for a techie like my dad or my brother. Plus, I'm even thinking about treating myself. How fun would it be to frame my thesis paper--currently collecting dust in a never-to-be-accessed-again 100MB Zip disk--and hang it in my office?

Sigh, Make A Frame. You sure do make-a-me smile. 180 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn