The history of Aaron Brothers is as colorful as the artwork its frames have surrounded over the years. Founded in the early 1940s by two brothers as different as night and day, the company has long been an expert in framing techniques and styles. With more than 160 stores, Aaron Brothers plans to become the nationally recognized authority providing decorating ideas and solutions for art, framing, and displaying memorabilia. Almore and Len Aaron joined the Armed Forces during World War II. One brother was stationed at Hal Roach Studios with Commanding Officer Ronald Reagan, and the other brother took charge of a photo lab in Anchorage, Alaska. After their discharge from the service, they returned to Hollywood, California and opened a photography studio. Noticing that most of their customers' photos ended up gathering dust in drawers, the brothers began selling photo frames. In 1946, Aaron Brothers opened its first frame shop in Hollywood. The store quickly attracted show business personalities and grew to include 16 more stores in the late 1950s and 1960s. As the "framer to the stars", Aaron Brothers' custom framing service was born. Al and Len were determined that the busines should be fun and adventurous. Art supplies were added in 1969, and by the 1970s, the stores were pioneers in mass marketing quality prints and paintings. As trends have come and gone, store inventory has included macrame, decoupage, batik, pottery and candle-making supplies. Aaron Brothers became an institution with its "One Cent Frame Sale", which offers customers a second frame at one cent with the purchase of a frame of the same or greater value. The company has seen many frame fashions over the years, from the small sedate frames of the 1940s to the gaudy, rustic wood styles of the 1960s, to the popular pewter, bamboo and distressed frames of today. And while customers no longer toot a bicyle horn to summon help in the store, Aaron Brothers offers an array of products and services that span from small tabletop and photo frames to open wood frames for artwork, to services that include custom framing and matting for a variety of uses. Aaron Brothers has brought fashionable and affordable frames to the masses in addition to educating consumers about the best ways to display and preserve artwork and photographs.
The Art League at the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union St., Alexandria; 703-683-2323; www.theartleague.org) offers the area's most comprehensive program of instruction in jewelry making. Various classes teach students to work with gold, silver, copper, stones, gems, beads, and such alternative materials as Lucite; topics include soldering, metal texturing, simple stone-setting, finishing, wax-model casting, enameling, and tools and their uses. Most classes are suitable for beginners. Courses cost $220 for nine weekly three-hour classes or five weeks of five-hour classes. The exception is Jewelry With Gems, an introduction to basic stone-setting for pearls, cabochons, and faceted stones; the $290 cost covers nine weeks of four-hour classes, and previous metal-working experience is required. All-day workshops on such topics as photo-etched jewelry, tool making, repoussé, and enameling cost $80 to $325. Class and workshop schedules and registration forms are available in person, by phone, and on the Web site.
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