Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Torii Rurup. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Torii, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Like many others, I lost my television production job when the pandemic hit in March 2020. After months of lockdown, tons of free time on my hands and reflecting on my life and career, I decided I never wanted to go back to the toxic work environment that is the entertainment industry. After-all, I had tons of other experience in different industries, and I am the type of person who wants to always learn and try new things.

On a random twist of fate as I was scrolling through good ol’ Instagram, a friend posted that someone she knew was in need of an employee for her custom picture frame shop. That peaked my interest and sounded like it would be laid back, creative, and not to mention would get me out of the house a couple days a week. Armed with a background in retail, a Fashion Design degree, Associate Producing and tons of logistics experience (among many other things), I met with the owner. We hit it off instantly and I started a couple days later. She trained me and taught me everything she knew about frame design and framing which she had been doing her whole life. I absolutely loved it. It was an innovative, relaxed, and fun environment. After a few months, the owner gave me free rein to run the shop by myself. I handled every single thing from the clients and designing, to the filing, merchandising and cleaning. This very quickly went from a job I worked three days a week, to a true passion that I 100% wanted to continue to pursue.

Fast forward to a year and a half later, the owner was so impressed with what I had done with the shop in such a short period of time, that she asked if I wanted to purchase the shop to have as my own. She was getting ready to move across the country and it was time for her to move on to her next chapter. She had been waiting to sell it to the right woman who would love it and nurture it as much as she did!

Talk about taking a HUGE financial risk and diving into major unknown territory. Sure, I had been running the shop on my own, but EVERYTHING was essentially the owners responsibility at the end of the day! There was no question about me wanting to officially take over. I mean, what was the worst that could happen?? But let’s be real, there are so many moving parts to owning, managing and maintaining a business. And I would find that all out for myself soon enough!

In September of 2021, I acquired a loan for the down payment, signed away my life with the purchase agreement, and I became an official business owner! I started my own corporation, changed the business name and have been operating as the sole owner ever since. It has been the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done for myself. In the two years I’ve taken over, I have overcome so many unexpected hurdles and expenses including having to move shop locations!! There were times I wanted to give up and so many times I asked myself “what the hell did I do!?.” In the end, everything ALWAYS worked itself out. Even when it felt like it wasn’t going to, I chose to stay positive and make magic happen. I often have to make quick, logical decisions. Now, I feel like I can take on anything. The risk of diving head first into being a business owner has definitely been worth the reward. I am beyond proud of the space I’ve created, the lessons I’ve learned, the clients I’ve gotten to work with, and how I am able to handle stress with grace and ease. My shop has only continued to grow and it truly has become my whole heart and soul. I feel like every job, every twist and turn life threw at me definitely prepared and led to be a small business owner. I always have and always will advocate for anyone to take a risk. I would rather try and fail, then not try at all!

Torii, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Having moved to Los Angeles over 15 years ago, you can bet that I have done almost everything under the sun. I initially came out here to go to FIDM where I got my degree in Fashion Design. From Wardrobe styling, to designing a clothing collection, to having a side hustle where I made up-cycled clothing and home decor from vintage finds. After a while in fashion, I decided I wanted to make a change and was in the production world on and off for 10 years. I have always been creating, learning something new and curious about so many different subjects! I realized I wanted to be in a career that fed my creativity, but also challenged me so ending up owning a frame shop is the best of both of those worlds! I continue to learn and be the best at my craft.

With that said, The Picture Framing Co. is a premier full service custom picture framing showroom! We have over 10,000 frame samples, hundreds of matting choices and limitless original ideas. We pride ourself on offering innovative designs, expert execution and superior customer service! There is no project too big or too small that we can’t do. From fine art collectors, to art galleries, to your child’s first drawing, we take pride and care offering first class service in everything we do. It’s important to me to offer solutions when it comes to a client’s budget. From high end, to low end, we got you covered.

One of the things that makes us stand out from our competitors is that we are fully woman owned and operated! In an industry that is mainly male dominated, it’s definitely crucial for me to work with and highlight other women artists and entrepreneurs. Our customer service is unmatched and we take pride in making sure our clients are 100% happy with their purchase and letting them know their precious pieces are in the best hands. We don’t want to be another framer, we want to be THE framer.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

For me, the most effective strategy for growing clientele is networking, networking, networking! Word of mouth is usually, hands down, the best way for someone to hear about my business. Online marketing is very much important and having that presence is crucial. However, the more I go to events, art openings, business mixers, I will ALWAYS meet someone who is in need of having something framed. From there, they will refer me and so on and so forth! I made it a point to get involved with my community like the Chamber of Commerce and other designers in my immediate area. I’ve gotten to know many of my business neighbors and have even partnered with a few of them! They promote me and vice versa. All it takes is one person to spread the word, but it’s ideal you go out and do the ground work. I’ve realized people like putting faces to names and they like to see what you represent. Being personable and genuine has taken me a long way.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I think people are visual creatures, especially in this day and age. Social media is imperative for businesses to have, especially to get new clients. However, I firmly believe that you shouldn’t necessarily follow what’s trending. I mean, I’m sure you’ve seen so many different videos with either the same song or same dialogue over and over. It gets so redundant after a while and you just want to skip to the next thing. People are drawn to originality. I think my social media stands out because I am not doing what everyone else is doing and I’m styling pictures in different way from other framers. I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback with my posts and just how I design it all in general. My advice is to fully stay true to who you are and think outside the box.

Contact Info:

• Website: thepictureframingco.com
• Instagram: pictureframingco_weho
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-picture-framing-co-west-hollywood-7

Image Credits
My personal image is by: Scarlett Kapella