Hangups Gallery is a full-service custom picture framing company located at 71st and Pioneers Blvd. Steve Petersen is the owner of Hangups Gallery.
Tell me a little about your business. – Our workshop is equipped to handle a wide variety of framing projects. We have experience in framing Original & Fine Art Reproductions, Certificates, Shadowboxes, Needle Art, Sports Jerseys & Memorabilia, Family Pictures, Wedding Portraits, Military Medals & Awards….you name it, we frame it! We feature over 3000 moulding options and an equally impressive array of matting choices, colors & textures; we truly have something for every style and budget. Specializing in conservation framing techniques and utilizing only the highest quality materials, we can help assure that your prized art or memorabilia will last for generations. In addition to our dedicated following of retail customers, we also cater to interior design professionals and commercial accounts, including hospitals and health facilities, banks, schools, offices, government, art galleries, and many more. We really are a full-service custom frame shop.
How did you get started in the business? – After graduating with a degree in Architecture from UNL and a five year stint as an Air Force Pilot, I was involved in starting a small woodworking business called Wooden Stuff in 1974. The business featured wooden toys, signs, cabinets and furniture. All the items were designed and handcrafted in our own woodworking studio and sold in our retail gift shops. Over the years the gift lines were expanded to include posters and readymade frames. Custom framing was later added and the business eventually transformed into the award-winning gallery and custom frame shop you see today. The name was changed to Hangups Gallery in 1983 to better reflect the nature of our business.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Staying ahead of the ever-changing economy and business climate. Framing techniques and technology have changed considerably over the past 30 years. There are new, improved framing materials that provide better protection to artwork and framed objects. Preservation has become a primary focus with new emphasis on delaying the aging process of framed art.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – While many frame shops have opened and closed over the years, we have been able to remain a major player in the framing business in Lincoln. We have won two national awards for gallery design and have been recognized as a Top 100 Art & Framing Retail business in our industry.
Tell me a little about your family. – I met my wife, Carol in college. She has a degree in Elementary Education. We’ve been happily married for 42 years and have a son and two daughters who are all married to wonderful spouses. They have blessed us with ten grandchildren, ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 20 years old.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Integrity
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – What’s a day off? Seriously, I still enjoy woodworking, construction, and occasionally dabbling in architecture. I am currently overseeing a major construction/remodel of our church. With ten grandkids there is never a shortage of sports events, recitals, school programs or just time hanging out with them.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I play the accordion.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Come see us in person at 7121 Pioneers Blvd, by phone at (402) 486-4066, visit our website at www.hangupsgallery.com, or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hangupsgallery.