Self-expression, artistic confidence and unique style make up the fuel that feeds the Mile End fire, and there’s one store that has played its part in the action for over two decades. Frame and Canvas sits on Bernard Street and has offered custom framing for a generation, run by Angela Desvaux and her husband Gilles Castilloux.
“This place has been a frame store for over 20 years,” says Angela, standing in her store surrounded by neatly arranged wooden frame samples. “We’re both musicians, and in 2008 we lived upstairs above the store. The owner was a friendly Greek man called Costa, and one day we told him that if he ever wanted to sell the store that he should let us know as we’d be interested in taking it over.” Later on that year, Costa took them up on their offer. Having never worked in framing before, it was a strange decision for the couple, but after a three-month apprenticeship with Costa, followed by intensive courses at the West Coast Art & Frame Convention in Las Vegas, they were ready to take on this new challenge.
Today, they are still living above the store, only now with their four-year-old son, and framing has become both a livelihood and a passion. “It’s funny how you grow to really love something,” remarks Angela, who now enjoys spending her spare time researching the latest framing styles and trends. “Costa still comes to visit. He’s really happy that it’s still a frame store, and he feels as though he passed on his livelihood and gave life to our family. And in a way, it’s true. He really did.”
