Frames and Things — a Gonzales tradition

For over 16 years, Frames and Things has been providing quality custom picture framing for Gonzales County.

Elgin and Pat Heinemeyer and Terry and Royce Towns Jr. have been partners in the business from the very beginning, and they have built a reputation as one of the finest framing businesses in south central Texas.

“I retired after serving the United States Postal Service for 31 ½ years,” said Elgin Heinemeyer. “Royce had retired from being an inspector with US Department of Agriculture after working there for 35 years. We didn’t just want to sit around after we retired, and we were both into wood working, so we looked around and bought Jan Wurst’s old business, Finishing Touch.”

Shortly after making the decision to purchase Jan’s business, Elgin’s wife Pat (who passed away four years ago) and Royce’s wife Terry jumped into the business.

“I was a 4th grade elementary math teacher,” Terry Towns said. “I worked in the shop the summer they bought the business and was hooked. I threw caution to the wind, took a leap of faith, and jumped in with both feet.”

After working out of the old office location of Finishing Touch, the Towns and Heinemeyers bought their current building at 1308 St. Louis Street in Gonzales. They spent a lot of time and money in renovating their current building, and finally moved in 15 years ago. They have been there ever since.

What makes Frames and Things unique is their attention to detail and their devotion to quality.

“We are very conscientious about our work product,” said Terry Towns. “If it is not up to our standard of quality, we won’t send it out of here. We’ll eat the cost to make it right.”

“I think that kind of care and our friendliness to our customers helps set us apart,” said Elgin. “I think it’s hometown charm, personal attention, and attention to detail that makes us unique to the business and helps us make Gonzales a great place to want to visit and do business in.”

Elgin says that one of the great reasons to do business in Gonzales is the partnerships and relationships that exist to make the community a better place to live.

“We were having some issues with our roof, so we applied to GEDC for a grant,” Elgin said. “We filled out an application and they helped us out with a grant. That’s fantastic from a retail standpoint. It really helped us out.”

While framing of all sorts is the hallmark of Frames and Things, the business has expanded into trophies, plaques and engraving in recent years.

“We will try and accommodate almost any request,” said Terry Towns. “I think there has only been one time in all the years that someone brought us something that we couldn’t do. We have framed everything from an old-fashioned pair of chaps to bridal bouquets and everything in between. You bring it, and we’ll frame it or engrave it.”