If you’ve ever wondered why our local framing business changed its name five years ago, then please keep reading. The current owner, David Gustafsson, gives the answer. He explains to editor Jaap Vogel how a business like his can be successful in a relatively small rural town like the Mountain.

“When my then-boss, Rod Schulte, decided to retire from his business, Fine Art and Framing, I was due to lose my job. Instead of that, I took over the business and continued my work as owner of Viking Framer. I chose that name because of my Swedish heritage.” 

“It was a steep learning curve. I’m a picture framer by trade and have become a very experienced professional (nearly 30 years experience). That’s the interesting and joyful part of the work and something I really enjoy. The hardest part is the bureaucracy I now have to deal with as a business owner, like accounting and tax. The back end is the hardest part of the business: you never realise how difficult and important it is.” 

“Over the past five years, I’ve included more services in the business. We invested in quality printers and scanners to reproduce artworks at a high standard; we work with artists to create their exhibitions in galleries. We also recently started holding exhibitions here in our own gallery. Almost all the exhibited work is done by local artists. I love our arts community, especially because the Mountain is very blessed, having many diverse artists as residents, even though I have to admit that I am at times puzzled by the ‘politics’ in the field.

“My work comes from the surrounding area: the Gold Coast and Brisbane. It’s pretty easy to serve those markets from Tamborine Mountain. I cannot even think about moving the business to the Coast. The Mountain is a great place for a business like mine. Its community and feel suits bespoke cottage industries like mine.”