Colberts Corner Creativity on Framing Family Business for 38 Years

Special to PN

By Sue Colbert

“It was only supposed to be for five years!” laughs matriarch Mary Colbert when reminiscing about the beginning of Colbert Custom Framing & Art Printing.

Thirty-eight years later, the business is still going strong, now run by her granddaughter, third-generation owner, Stephanie Colbert Randall, who recently celebrated the grand opening of a spacious new studio in north Naperville.

In 1987, Tom Colbert was looking for something to bridge the gap between his retirement from a successful retail management career and full retirement, when he and his wife, Mary, bought into a do-it-yourself and custom framing franchise called Framin’ Place. While Tom went to work to build out the store front in Naperville Plaza, Mary headed to Houston with 15-year-old son Matt