Alternative Arts

Highly recommend Alernative Arts. I had an image of a painting that I had seen in a museum and got a canvas print of it. Graham noticed from the image that the sides were a little blurry and advised that he could shave off a quarter of an inch which I was very grateful for. Additionally he was able to get it ready within a day which was awesome!

I've had my custom framing done here for over a decade and their attention to detail and quality is unmatched. Highly recommended for all your framing and printing needs.

I've been coming here for nearly 5 years now to get custom prints and framing done. The service is quick and efficient, and the art always comes out beautifully.

I wanted to have digital reproductions that I just purchased (elsewhere) printed at Alternative Arts. When the website did not allow me to upload my files, I called the owner. He suggested I email them to him. I asked about framing, and told him I needed them by a certain day. He said he did not have any generic frames that were appropriate but that if I wanted black or stainless steel, he could custom frame them by my deadline. I agreed to that and paid him in full over the phone. He told me I could pick them up the Friday, end of day. My deadline was Saturday. I came in Saturday morning. The posters were printed but not cut or framed. I asked if he was going to be able to frame them that morning. He said it would take at least 3 weeks. I reminded him of our discussion. He told me there must have been some misunderstanding. I told him that I clarified the deadline on the phone, and that it was HIS suggestion that I do a simple custom frame in black. He denied this and was inexplicably hostile. At times I had to ask him to back up because he was approaching me too closely - both from a Covid perspective, and because he was clearly becoming aggressive. I told him that I could see that he was clearly in over his head, and that I wanted my money back. He said he would charge me for the prints if I still wanted them. I agreed to that, surprised that he did not offer to refund the entire amount. He told me that he had had to turn down a $500 order because he could not complete it on time and that I should not expect framing to be completed so quickly. I told him that I was not interested in other people's orders, and reminded him that I would have made other arrangements if he had just told me that he could not frame the prints by my deadline. He then took my posters and RIPPED THEM UP! Clearly unhinged, I asked him to give me my money back. He told me he didn't know how much I paid, and to produce a receipt. He said he did not have that in his records!? As I had paid over the phone, I didn't have a receipt. He repeated that he didn't know how much I had paid. I used my phone to look at my credit card statement. When I told him how much I paid, he asked to look at it. I told him I would not show him my credit card statement. He ultimately refunded me. This did not have to happen!!! This business is clearly in over its head. The owner is not fit to interact with the public, especially as stress levels rise around the holidays. This is not the first unfortunate incident I have had with this business, but it is certainly the worst.

They did a fantastic job framing an oddly shaped flag I brought in. It looks amazing! Highly recommend these pros.

I came in late November with two antique prints/maps and only vague ideas about what I wanted, other than not wanting them glued down and needing an acid-free board due to them being hundreds of years old. Graham was able to show me some options that I hadn’t even considered, including mounting them without any of the edges being covered. This was perfect as there were some old notes scribbled in the margins that I wanted to preserve. He also had conservation/museum glass with different levels of UV protection. Since they also had text on the back, Graham offered to scan them for me, which I accepted, and he graciously knocked off the price of the scanning since the framing would be in the end. I noticed he seemed busy since it was about a month before Christmas, but I wasn’t in a hurry and assured him as much; he said I’d have them before Christmas, which was fine with me. What I didn’t realize was that Graham does not have a wide format scanner, which means anything over a certain size has to be sent out for scanning. I found this out when I got a call from a Church’s Chicken at Bloor and Runnymede around December 20 addressing me by name and asking me to come pick up a cardboard painting. When I went to see what they were talking about, I found to my horror that someone had left my prints there! I called Graham immediately and told him, and it became apparent when I talked to him that he had no idea it had happened and it wasn’t actually his fault. We both thought it was likely an honest mistake by one of the scanners. Despite this, he apologized profusely and graciously offered $500 off my order (which was about half price before tax), which I accepted. He has also assured me he will never use that scanning place again. In any case, he said he had my frames ready, so I brought them in for him to finish. Unfortunately I think he was a bit short-staffed and the mounting itself was quite difficult so they weren’t done when I dropped in to check on the 23rd, but he assured me he took his promise to get them to me before Christmas seriously and I would have them Christmas Eve. One of them was ready when I went in and it was absolutely gorgeous, well worth the wait and the craziness I had just been through. He told me he still had to do the glass for the other one, but that he would have it delivered to me that afternoon, and had me give him my address. As promised, around 2:45, someone came to my place with the finished print, before Christmas. I feel that on top of his excellent knowledge of framing, Graham went above and beyond to rectify a situation that was not his fault, and I hope to be back in the future.

On Saturday March 19 I came to Alternative Arts to pick up my framed painting. I had paid in full when the order was placed. Graham, the owner, had told me that the painting would be done in two weeks but when I came it wasn’t done. I went for a walk and came back in twenty minutes. I asked whether the painting was attached with offsets as requested so I could easily replace the painting from the frame. I was told that yes, this was done, but when I felt the cover paper on the back I noticed that the painting was stapled to the frame. I requested the staples be replaced with offsets. The owner told me that the staples could easily be removed by me at home. However, I insisted they be replaced as agreed and I had to wait another 30 minutes for the job to be done. When Graham brought the painting back, he was visibly upset. I asked whether everything was fine. He then lost his temper, approached me aggressively, yelled at me very loudly to leave the store, and calling me names using very abusive language. I left the store quietly. Fifteen minutes after I left, I received the following text from Graham: “Hi Vera it is Graham from alternative arts. I am sorry for my behaviour I could try to explain the stress in my personal and business life but either way that is no excuse I understand if you give a negative review and I will not dispute it.” I appreciate Graham’s response but I am still very disappointed with my treatment at the store. I note in other reviews that this is not the first time that customers are treated disrespectfully.

I came in with very vague details given to me in order to buy a vintage poster print for a friend’s birthday. The owner had a lot of patience with me and helped me find a great quality print of a vintage Polish circus poster. The service was great and I felt very welcomed, I will be coming back in the future. Thanks again.