Shop History

When Studio 3 first opened in 1965 it opened as a gift shop and art gallery. The brainchild of New York artist and collector, Hilda Rath, it was the first of its kind in the area.

In September of 1978, Mary Holleran purchased Studio 3 from Hilda. Owning a shop may have been new to Mary, but art materials and framing certainly were not. In fact, while in high school, Mary began working as an apprentice at Studio 3. Over the years, Studio 3 evolved and left the art supplies behind. The business expanded to offer museum-quality framing by a team of skilled employees. After 28 years of being the heart and soul of Studio 3, Mary was ready to retire.

June of 2007 marked the sale of Studio 3 to Kyley DiLuigi. Kyley’s love of art and framing led her to pursue her dream of owning a frame shop after graduating from Kutztown University with a degree in Fine Arts. As Studio 3 began to change once again, one thing could be certain, it would always be the place to go for custom framing and quality service.

Hurricane Ida

On September 1, 2021 our shop in the Downingtown Borough was hit hard by Hurricane Ida. Nearly 4ft of flood waters swept through our shop destroying it along with countless homes and businesses in our small town. Forced to evacuate what we could, we moved just up the hill on route 113 not 5 minutes from our previous shop location for over 50 years. Downingtown will always be home to us and we hope to someday be able to return to our beloved location in the borough. Until then it is business as usual in our new location, where we are still happy to provide our customers with quality custom framing and exceptional service.

Our Window Displays

In the 1980’s Studio 3 began a tradition of unique window displays that have been a focal point of the Downingtown Borough for over 30 years. The images that decorate the facade of the shop have been a long standing tradition that we hope to continue for years to come. Rarely repeating, and typically featuring “one that is not like the others” we pride ourselves in coming up with new designs every month. Below are a few of our favorite “vintage” windows, but if you’d like to check out our most recent designs be sure to follow us on Instagram.

Our Shop Dog

Our shop dog, Ammo, has been a fixture at the store since 2008. Ammo loves to greet customers and will do anything for a belly rub. In 2012 Ammo became a certified therapy dog, but his number one job will always be greeting people with a tail wag at Studio 3. Stop by the shop to visit him, and make sure you check out Ammo’s Blog.