Where This Stationery Master Gets Framed in Midtown

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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

Image via One Stop Framing Shop

This Mother's Day, if you decide to buy the woman who birthed you a "Thanks For Being The Best F***ing Mom Ever" card, you'll have Ted Harrington to thank. He's the man behind Terrapin Stationers, which uses an old-school engraving method to produce unique, high-quality stationery. As of this week, his paper goods are stocked at Bookmarc in the West Village.

I manage some custom framing projects for Marc Jacobs. At one time there were frame shops on every single block—but that was a different era. Now, I only use One Stop Framing Shop on West 36th Street.

Shah (as the owner is called) has been a Garment Center resident for decades. He does all of the work upstairs in an amazing little workshop and he's still making frames the old-fashioned way. Tucked in behind Chef Yu off Eighth Avenue, the store is clean but worn and not at all fancy—just like me.

What's important is that he knows what he is doing. He is a craftsman. One day he is working on black and white prints for retail stores and then the next day he is working on priceless art and shadow boxes. But most importantly, he has helped me do the impossible on many occasions. I could go on and on about Shah but he is currently framing a signed print that Mikael Kennedy just made for me. I left it on the counter and walked out. He's the man.

· Terrapin Stationers [Etsy]
· Terrapin Stationers [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]

One Stop Framing Shop

269 West 36th Street New York, NY