Anyone who trades a retail goldmine in Rochester for an empty building in Lyle must be … on to something.

That’s what Mary Witt did in November 2008.

After nine successful years in Rochester, she moved her business to Lyle.

Mary Winn was born at Blooming Prairie. Her parents farmed. She was the only girl in a family of four boys.

She and her husband, Ivan Witt, have five children: three daughters and two sons. (The couple’s second-oldest daughter is deceased after a traffic accident in March 2008.)

“Being the only girl in a family of four boys meant that I grew up very quickly, because it mean that I was responsible for everything, the cooking and the cleaning, at home,” she said. “I was the only female sibling, so, in those days, I did everything around the house.”

She met her husband, Ivan Witt of Dodge Center, shortly before graduating Blooming Prairie High School.

The couple married, lived in Dodge Center for a year and then moved to the Austin area. Except for a 10-year-long hiatus to California, they have lived outside of Lyle since.

At a “very young age,” Witt said she took a lot of pride in decorating her family’s home.

When she became an adult, her penchant for interior design resulted in people seeking her out to decorate their homes.

When she opened a Fastframe Gallery franchise in Rochester, the demand for her interior design skills grew.

But, so did her interest in framing, which prompted her to acquire a Fastframe Gallery franchise in Rochester.

Fastframe Gallery is the world’s largest owner/operated framing business in the world, the company boasts.

Business was good.

Clients, doctors, lawyers, the rich and famous, came to her for specialized framing assignments.

Her husband, Ivan, had his independent contracting and excavating businesses to occupy his time and attentions.

His wife did frames.

The only problem, really, was the commute from the Witts’ rural Lyle farmhome to a storefront two blocks from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

“I was in Rochester six days a week,” Witt recalled. “ Driving 600 to 700 miles week.”

The arrival of more grandchildren also touched Witt’s heart. “I just thought I wanted to be closer to them” she said.

The couple acquired the former Helen Velonis Ministries Headquarters building along main street (U.S. Highway 218) in Lyle.

A daughter, Cathie Reeve, wife of Dr. Mark, an Austin chiropractor, joined forces with her mother and opened the Silver Pear Gift Shoppe in the same building where Witt has her Fastframe Gallery business.

The city of Lyle saw a long-standing empty building turn into the home of the mother’s and daughter’s businesses, making Lyle a destination for custom framing shoppers and consumers interested in elegant gift choices.

“I’ve not regretted it for a moment,” Witt said of her decision to leave Rochester and re-open her framing business in Lyle.

Witt’s rule of thumb is simple: “When my customers come in, I look at the art work they bring in. That’s what I design around.”

According to Witt, choosing the right frame is a matter of the art work itself: The frame should attract the viewer to the work of art; not detract from it.

Also important is the room where art is hung. Today, more art is hung in great rooms visited frequently by many people opposed to formal dining rooms.

If the art work is in a room where many pairs of eyes will examine it often, the frame also better be easy on the eye.

For instance, Witt said the glass will be an important choice; particularly if it offers UV protection.

“I like to create a bond with my customers,” she said.

Witt also praises the Fastframe Gallery company with providing her with the necessary support to remain a viable business.

“All my efforts and energies go into the preservation and beautification of art works,” she said.

However, she reserves more praise for her friends … er … customers.

“They are always my number one priority,” she said. “They only will be strangers once when they walk in.”

“After that, they are friends,” she said.

Fastframe Gallery is located a 315 First Street in Lyle.

For more information, call 438-1242 or Fax 325-9991 or e-mail fast frame335@10l.com or go online to www.fast frame.com