Todd McMillen was 22 years old with a degree in graphic design and working for Witmark Catalog store in Grand Rapids. “I was on a photo shoot,” he says, “and we were shooting a toaster—and suddenly I said, ‘I can’t photograph toasters the rest of my life.”
He thought about an art gallery but decided a picture framing shop might provide a better income—so he bought one in Traverse City. “I drove up with stars in my eyes and found out I had a competitor on every block. My Grampa gave me fifty dollars out of his wallet to put in the till—and I still have it.”
Today, Todd owns McMillen Custom Framing in Traverse City, one of the few framing shops left. “The store has become about relationships,” he says. “That’s why I’ve survived.”
“My job is about the preservation of art and heirlooms,” he says. “If you just want something on the wall, you can go to Target but if you have an emotional connection with a piece, you come to me.”
When asked to give advice to young entrepreneurs, Todd says, “You have to work hard, beyond nine-to-five, and be a member of your community. It’s true what they say: givers get.”