Jean Stryker
Originally from Paducah, KY, Jean Stryker, owner of BlackBird Frame & Art, studied philosophy and fine art at Vanderbilt before spending a decade in Boston working for a financial company. She later pursued a medical career, earning a degree from Duke and working as a physician assistant in general surgery before transitioning into neurosurgery. After a few years away from work, Jean rediscovered her passion for painting and first encountered BlackBird through framing her own art.
When it came time for Stryker to re-enter the workforce, rather than undergo the long and arduous process of re-activating her medical license, she took a job as a custom framing specialist at a big-box store. “Then a job opened up at BlackBird,” she says, “which was wonderful.” She worked at the store for three years before purchasing it about three years ago. “One of the main reasons I became the owner of BlackBird was to keep the team together,” she says. “I love my employees.”
BlackBird Frame & Art is located at 365 Merrimon Avenue, one mile north of downtown Asheville, next to Homegrown restaurant. For more information, call the store at 828.225.3117 or visit BlackBirdFrame.com. The store can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.
