Walter Adams Framing has made custom frames since 1978, and its Fillmore shop at 2019B Fillmore St has been a fixture of Lower Pacific Heights since 1999. It does archival and conservation framing, shadow boxes, custom mirrors, acrylic boxes and photo frames, with a huge selection that runs from modern minimalism to baroque reproductions.
A frame shop with a long story
Walter Adams was founded in September 1978 by Jane Walter and Robert Adams as an upscale home accessories shop at what is now the City Center at Geary and Masonic. In 1982 it moved to Presidio Avenue, and in 1992 Nikita and Susan Van Beek bought it and grew it into a framing business. In 1999 they bought the Frame of Mind shops, including the one at 2019B Fillmore, and brought them under the Walter Adams name. In 2023, veteran framers Lloyd Haddad and Keith Wicker took over, keeping the name and the locations.
Part of the neighborhood
The building at 2019 Fillmore is a contributor to the Upper Fillmore Neighborhood Commercial Historic District. The shop is an active member of the Fillmore Merchants Association, and its owners frame work at no cost for community groups such as Creativity Explored, a collective of neurodivergent artists, and the Art for AIDS fundraiser. The city has named Walter Adams a Legacy Business, recognizing businesses that have operated for 30 years or more.
