Owner of The North Yorkshire Gallery, Laurie Smithies, made the decision to bring production of his high end local prints in house. The testimonial below from Laurie describes how we have helped his business adapt and thrive making the most of our product range.
How Perspex Distribution Helped The North Yorkshire Gallery Adapt and Thrive
At The North Yorkshire Gallery in Whitby, we specialise in capturing and producing high-quality Yorkshire photography and Yorkshire framed prints that showcase the beauty of the region. Like many creative businesses, the challenges of recent years — from the cost of living crisis to inflation following COVID — forced us to rethink how we operated.
We used to buy in our frames, but as costs continued to rise, it became uneconomical to do so. We didn’t want to compromise on quality or increase our prices beyond reach, so we made the decision to begin manufacturing our own frames. This allowed us to keep offering beautifully framed panoramic prints and Yorkshire framed prints at a great price, while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.
The Challenge: Finding a Reliable, Safe Glazing Option
One of the biggest challenges we faced was sourcing glass fronts for the wide range of frame sizes we produce. Because we post framed Yorkshire photography all over the world, glass simply isn’t practical — it can easily break, and isn’t covered by insurance during shipping. That’s where Perspex Distribution Ltd came in.
Perspex Distribution were fantastic in helping us find the perfect Perspex® acrylic alternative. They supplied us with the exact sizes we needed for each frame and were incredibly helpful in working out the most economical number of cuts to minimise waste. Their advice and precision have allowed us to keep our pricing competitive while continuing to offer Yorkshire framed prints and framed landscape photography that are safe to ship anywhere in the world. They even deliver directly to us, making the process seamless.
Exploring New Products: PALBOARD
While exploring Perspex Distribution’s other materials, we came across PALBOARD — and it’s been a game-changer for us. PALBOARD prints beautifully on our flatbed UV printer, producing vibrant, high-quality results. It’s a modern, stylish foam board with a black core that gives a premium look and feel, while being lightweight and easy to hang.
Perspex Distribution cuts PALBOARD to the sizes we need, allowing us to create a variety of products. We use it for our floating foam board prints, and also in smaller sizes for a ‘pick and mix’ range of Yorkshire photography, where customers can build their own collage of Yorkshire scenes — a unique feature in our Whitby gallery that’s become incredibly popular.
A Partnership That Supports Creativity
Working with Perspex Distribution has made a huge difference to what we can achieve as a gallery. Their expert advice, quality products, and efficient service have allowed us to adapt, innovate, and keep producing Yorkshire photography and Yorkshire framed prints at an accessible price.
Thanks to their support, we’ve been able to continue sharing the beauty of Yorkshire through our framed prints and landscape photography, reaching customers all over the world.
To view the fantastic range of local prints from The North Yorkshire Gallery visit www.thenorthyorkshiregallery.co.uk.