“I just have to get my Marilyn Monroe poster framed…..TODAY! It will complete my room,” my daughter exclaimed as she bolted down the stairs of our new home.

We had just moved to Kirkland in July 2011 and while the rest of the house was ceiling-high with boxes, my daughter’s room looked like a page out of Architectural Digest.

Admittedly, she does have amazing taste and a flair for interior design. Combine that with the urgency to completely set up her room within mere hours of waving goodbye to the moving van, and I was on a mission to find a frame shop.

In order to indulge my passion of shopping local in whatever city I find myself, I had some serious research to do.

Would there be a frame shop within my driving comfort zone in my new city that did not involve traveling on the yet unfamiliar and daunting Seattle-area freeways? What luck! Just 1 mile away via surface streets from my house, there is, tucked away on the west side of Houghton Center, a gem of a frame shop!

U-Frame-It, Kirkland, is the place to go for all of your framing needs. Ethan Satterfield, owner, has been with the U-Frame-It Company in the Seattle area for 14 years.

In 2009, he scraped together his life savings to purchase the franchise located at 10601 N.E. 68th St. As a passionate artist and experienced framer, U-Frame-It’s unique philosophy of combining hands-on client participation with the support of an in-house professional, fulfilled Ethan’s dream job and career.

Ethan and his faithful Pembroke Welsh Corgi companion, Smurf, are always on hand to greet each client. And while Smurf would love for you to throw his ball from the moment you enter the shop, he knows when it is time to get down to business!

Ethan is very creative, artistic and has a keen attention to detail. He takes the time to listen and work closely with the client to ensure that the finished product is exactly what the client had in mind.

Ethan is a craftsman and says, “There is always a way to do something and do it right.”

Ethan’s shop is creatively cluttered and well lit with a large workspace open to all. He has framed everything from bones and antlers to oversized tapestries, antique paintings and football jerseys.

He carries an extensive selection of frames and mats as well as access to catalogs for special orders. As the client, you have a choice – you can participate in the framing process or Ethan will be more than happy to frame your piece for you.

There is a nominal fee per piece for those who want to come in and use Ethan’s space to do their own framing.

His turn-around time goal is usually one week, although he will do his best to accommodate any situation including framing in about an hour for standard-sized pieces. His prices are very reasonable in comparison to the time devoted to each project.

When it is time to frame your treasure, go see Ethan at U-Frame-It.

Check out his website at uframeitkirkland.com and print out the 20 percent off coupon! He can be reached at (425) 828-6686. His store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Oh … and an extra added bonus – parking is plentiful and free!

Kirkland resident Victoria Martin welcomes reader feedback at martin.victoria917@gmail.com.