Binders Art Supplies Celebrates 70th Anniversary

Most businesses don’t make it to seven years, much less 70 years.

Binders Art Supplies and Framing of Buckhead is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and Binders president Howard Krinsky recently shared about the company’s history and the notable milestone.

“My father and uncle, Moe and Joe Krinsky, after a successful run in the bar business (Moe’s & Joe’s Tavern in Virginia Highlands), bought a gift and frame store – Binders Gift & Frame – in 1955,” said Krinsky. “Binders has been around since the early 1900s as we have a few frames that have decals on back with dated years in the 1900s,” adding that a traveling salesmen convinced Moe and Joe to include selling art supplies and the company evolved into Binders Art Supplies & Frames.

Moe and Joe would take on a partner, Paul Finkel, in the mid-1970s. Howard’s brother, Fred, joined the business in the late 1970s along with the late Jay Shapiro, Finkel’s son-in-law. “I was the baby and came in 1982,” Krinsky said. “We were the young bucks, and we were wired to make it grow and we did.” Over the course of 15 years, Binders expanded to 16 stores in Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Arizona.

Howard’s daughter, Hannah, has since joined the operation, marking the third generation of Krinsky’s in the Binders legacy. “My daughter is now helping spearhead our marketing and social efforts. This is huge because she is young and understands that world and how we must fit in,” he said.

Krinsky has seen many changes in the business over the years, most notably, the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in the late 1980s. The computer’s interface was very user-friendly to designers and “all the commercial business literally dried up overnight,” he said. “Afterwards, we pulled back on business with more focus on retail and the fathers all retired and my brother had left to pursue other interests. Jay and I ended up buying the business. Jay unfortunately passed away in 2010, and I have been on my own since.”

Other notable changes include the advent of big box discount stores, the Internet, and the impact of shopping platforms like Amazon. “Our focus has been fine arts with a very knowledgeable staff,” Krinsky said. “We service professional artists along with those learning.”

As far as future plans go, Krinsky is focused on improving the model of “what we do and what we know. In the end, it’s all about being authentic. Customers see us for what and who we are and like that – they see our authenticity when in the store.”

Here’s to 70 years of being authentic. Mazel Tov!

For more information about Binders, please visit www.bindersart.com or call 404-237-6331.