By Susan Manning

Staff writer

It’s hard to find a person or a business who has not been affected by the Covid pandemic. But for Ashland small business owner Don Gordon, life got particularly challenging when he was diagnosed with cancer—just as businesses were opening again.

Thanks to successful cancer treatments, Gordon has been able to re-open the shop on a part-time basis starting this past summer.

Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself

A: We’ve been here since 1989, my wife Janet and me. We have about five shows a year with the Framingham Artists Guild, the Franklin Artists Association Thursday. We have a holiday show and a few in between Intermezzo shows. We’ve been doing a lot of custom framing. We have a gift shop with Boyds Bears and limited editions and prints. And we kind of just cater to the neighborhood artists and the local guilds. 

Q: When did things get off track for you and your store?

A: When COVID-19, it shut us down for six months, which was kind of a devastating time for everybody. And then when we opened up, I think in September of 2020, when things eased up, unfortunately at the end of March 2021, I was diagnosed with cancer. Leukemia.

I was rushed to the hospital and of course, the gallery was closed because I’m the one that does all the work. My wife has a regular job. And you know, I returned to the gallery when I got out of the treatment and everything was in remission. I didn’t want to close the gallery because I love doing what I’m doing and I love working with the people and seeing final products, you know, all framed. It’s what I want to do. So I came back on a part-time basis, the middle of June. 

I’m only here 9 to noon Monday through Friday because I still don’t want to stress myself out. 

Q: Has business recovered? Are your customers returning?

  A: We’re hearing from a lot of my customers who have seen the flags out front and stopped in to wish me well—to find out what happened. Our customer base is great. We’ve had generations of people use our services. I’ve had customers come in when they’re pregnant and now they’re pregnant with their own kids, so they continue to return to me. 

Q: How do people in the area know  your business so well?

A: We cater to local original artists from the local MetroWest area and have some great artists and we exhibit their work. We love it.

We’ve had very good open houses. Of course, we haven’t had an open house with COVID-19, and then we haven’t had an open house in 2021 because of me being sick. We were closed from the 24th of March through June.

Q: What’s going on at the shop currently?

A: Right now we have a great exhibit on display, with work from 11 different artists on display in the upper gallery.

We have about 45 to 50 pieces in the upper gallery. And in the lower gallery, we probably have 100 pieces shrink-wrapped and some framed. And then we have in the gift shop, probably a couple of hundred of posters. And then  about 50 limited edition framed pieces.

The current exhibit will run through the end of February. When we get into March, then we’ll probably have like the Framingham Artists Guild. And then Franklin Artists Guild—we work with them too, and they have an exhibit here. 

Q: Where do your artists hail from?  

A: We have a lot from MetroWest and artists from Hopedale. Lisa Bailey from Franklin has been an exhibitor here for about 20 years. They’re they’re some of my steadfast exhibitors. I have Pearl McCarthy from Natick. I also have some artists from Framingham, Ashland, and Holliston.  

Q: How did you come to own the shop?  

A: I got out of Boston College with a degree in marketing and I went to work for Bradlees. I worked there for 20 years and then I decided I’d rather have my own business. 

Q: What keeps you coming back?

 A: I love what I’m doing because I meet some great people in my life and I love to see the expressions on their faces when they pick up the work I have done.

I think I make an impact. I have such a repeat customers, that I’ve been around, it’s just fun to watch the generations come through here.

And I can’t forget that it’s just been such an important time for small businesses, trying to stay open and trying to survive and with COVID. I had the leukemia on top of that, but I’m still here. I’m surviving.

Premier Image is open weekdays, from 9 AM to noon. The shop is located at 290 Eliot St., Ashland. To reach the store, call 508-881-4730.