“We are still open,” is the refrain Ross Schira often uses when customers question the recent art supply sale. “We are not closing! We are expanding our framing operation and we need the space for that,” he explained. Ross Schira learned his framing techniques and skills from his father, Bob Schira, the retired owner of For the Love of Art.

“We stopped offering art classes when my father, Bob, retired earlier this summer so that he can concentrate on his own painting. We decided to hold a clearance sale on our art supplies, which will allow us more room for the framing business,” Schira noted.  

He pointed out that he has been working in the shop since his dad relocated For the Love of Art to its present location at 4027 Holland-Sylvania Rd. in 2005. “I began learning the framing business from my dad while I was still in high school. I really enjoy working with people and helping them select mats and frames to best display their art,” Schira offered.

“While I do appreciate all mediums of art, unlike my dad, I am no artist,” he confessed.

According to Schira, the space that once housed all of the retail art supplies will be opened up, providing gallery space for his dad’s paintings along with the artwork of former students and other area artists. “This gallery space will provide a venue for many local artists to exhibit and sell their work,” Schira said. “Artists will see that their art can be on display when they bring in work to be framed. People who stop in to view the artwork on display will see that we also do framing so it works well for all of us. And, this is a way for my dad and me to give back to the many artists in the area who have been loyal customers,” Schira said.

Bob Schira graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and Bowling Green State University with a Masters of Fine Arts. In 1995, he acquired the five-year-old For the Love of Art business, which had been located in a shopping center on McCord Road and Central Avenue.

“My dad taught himself to frame for his own artwork, which was easy as he grew up in a construction family and knows his way around tools. And, as his students learned through the years, he is an excellent teacher and I learned so much from him. Even though he has ‘retired’ he will still be around, at least some of the time.”
For the Love of Art hours remain the same: Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm.