Going Green Since 1951

E A R T H

By most accounts, the term recycling didn’t even make it into the public consciousness until the 1970’s.

But long before the green revolution, in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, entrepreneur and artisan Billy Childress was a proponent of utilizing reclaimed wood, discarded metal, junkyard finds and most any scrap or salvaged materials in the fabrication of picture frames, furniture, buildings and even two homes that he built and designed entirely by himself.

Billy Childress was always looking for ways to fashion the most unexpected materials into works of art. He was a pioneer in finding, finishing, distressing, even sandblasting the most unlikely materials into the most beautiful, hand-crafted works. By the 1960‘s, he had perfected design-forward finishes which seemed perhaps radical then, especially at a time when most picture framing was done in hardware or paint stores.

For years, Billy even reclaimed all sawdust and wood shavings from his large manufacturing operation to use in landscaping. He also designed and built professional greenhouses to grow and propagate plants so seeds, saplings or interesting cuttings could be renewed.

The 60 year-old original metal building that still houses Billy Childress Picture Frames has always been outfitted with fluorescent lights, cement floors, and is paneled entirely inside with reclaimed wood that was destined for the trash heap. From the beginning, Billy’s goal was to save energy, save waste, and yes, in today’s lingo,‘save the planet.’ Even now, every effort is made to reuse, repurpose, and restore materials from glass to matting, picture frame mouldings or discarded frames. Virtually nothing goes to waste. Many scrap items are even donated to local schools for art projects.

In recent years, the Childress family has continued Billy’s green initiatives by undertaking a complete landscaping renovation of their acre site adding drought tolerant sages, crepe myrtles, and native plants. More than 40 crepe myrtles have already been planted and a new garden is currently being created with mass plantings of hardy rose varieties.

Today, many consider the innovations of Billy Childress as decades ahead of their time. His passion for a creating a total green living environment was born from his early years as a farm boy. And Billy’s unending quest to repurpose materials led to his recognition as a legendary artisan with unique originality. His highly stylized creations, including picture frames and other works crafted in wood are now sought after as highly desired collectibles.