Our Staff

Debbie Smith

Owner & President | Certified Picture Framer

Born in Bellefonte, PA, Debbie has been singing for audiences since age 2. With a lifelong love of music, she graduated Magna Cum Laude in Theater and Communications from Temple University. While in college, Debbie held the lead in many shows and was awarded the Charlotte Cushman Award for Excellence in Performance and the Statecrafters Award for performing. She also studied in London for a semester and sang with the Hammersmith Opera Company. Debbie sang in ‘dive bars’ in New York with sets of Jazz and Musical Theater while supporting herself working for Hicks and Greist Advertising.

In 1987, Debbie’s Dad, Sig, asked her to return to Harrisburg to help him find a permanent home for the Smith’s framing business. Debbie found an 1870s Victorian home in New Cumberland which Sig, Debbie, and Debbie’s mom, Polly, restored to better than its original glory. The business then became Smith Custom Framing and Victorian Galleries, serving customers in that location until Polly and Sig retired from the business in 1998 to travel and enjoy life. Soon after selling the building, however, Sig was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Debbie relocated The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing to its present location and continues to serve customers with the highest quality and professionalism in the industry.

Debbie still loves to perform on stage—acting, singing, and dancing. Her favorite roles include Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde, and her tour de force role of Vivian Bearing in WIT! In both shows she dies on stage … maybe that is her barometer for favorites? Debbie performs the National Anthem for sporting events and graduations, is a troubadour for weddings, and gets to vote for the Oscars since she is a member of SAG/Aftra, the union that represents professional film and TV actors.

Debbie is happy to call Central PA her home. She lives in Camp Hill with her boyfriend, Rick Stevens, and two cats, Simon and Mikado. She is grateful every day for her friends, customers, and staff members who lift her and her business to new levels, and that her life is abundant, exciting, and fulfilling in so many ways. The legacy that her Mom and Dad began continues and grows.

Nancy Riggs

Manager/Lead Framer

Nancy was born and raised in Arlington, VA. She rowed crew on the Potomac River for Yorktown High School and Potomac Boat Club. She also worked as a bicycle messenger in Washington D.C.

Nancy learned the art of sewing from her mother. Over the years she has made much of her own clothing as well as doing some high-end dress making for clients in Washington D.C. She studied commercial design at Northern Virginia Community College, then went into an apprenticeship program for carpentry where she worked for Case Design and Remodeling in Washington D.C.

Eventually, Nancy found her passion in picture framing. She worked for many years as a custom framer at the well-known Mickelson’s Gallery in Washington D.C.

Several years after moving to Pennsylvania, she found her way to The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing. Her range of skills from carpentry to sewing to design combine perfectly in the realm of custom framing. She thrives on change and enjoys the challenge of learning and mastering anything new.

Elaine Gleason

Framer/Designer

Elaine received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Millersville University and has won multiple awards for her oil paintings. Her art degree led her to a position with a conservation group at the Pennsylvania State Capitol where she preserved and replicated all of the decorative surfaces including glazing, stenciling, and gilding. She also worked in various galleries and frame shops before finally finding her place here at The Smith Gallery. She enjoys meeting and working with all the clients and especially loves seeing the plethora of artwork they bring in to frame. She lives locally and enjoys traveling and working in her ever-changing garden.

Mariah Cook

Framer/Designer

Mariah began her life in Galion, Ohio before a cross-country move to Houston, Texas. In high school, she started working in artistic fields by becoming a face painter at the Kemah Boardwalk. When it came time for higher education, she decided to focus on art therapy at St. John’s University in New York City. While in college, she met her husband and together they settled in Central PA.

After becoming a resident of the Keystone State, Mariah was quickly promoted to the Framing Manager for the Camp Hill location of Michaels. She discovered a love for framing and enjoys every part of the process, from design and creation to getting to share the joy when the customer sees their precious artwork and memories beautifully preserved.

When not framing or taking care of her daughter, Mariah pursues her embroidery and painting. She was awarded First Prize in Watercolors by the Harrisburg Art Association during their Student Showcase in 2016.

Mallory Shelley

Framer/Designer

Mallory was raised in Central PA, now residing in the Borough of Mechanicsburg. She is a local artist that has found her calling working at The Smith Gallery & Fine Custom Framing.

Mallory specializes in figurative drawing and acrylic painting, but always curious to learn new techniques and experiment with assorted mediums. She is mostly self taught, however, she studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY for a year. Observing the work of Salvador Dalí, Claes Oldenburg, and M.C. Escher are what inspire her think outside of the box.

Mallory volunteers at the Susquehanna Art Museum assisting with exhibition installation. Art world aside, Mallory has a dedicated family (partner and 2 children) and pug to love. She enjoys playing puzzle/board games, Onewheeling, researching Mid-Century Modern design, and spending time outdoors!

Polly Smith

Former Owner | Needlework Expert

Polly Smith (Debbie’s Mom) was born to dairy farmers in upstate New York. Early on, she demonstrated a great interest, love, and talent for music. She started playing piano at an early age under the loving teaching of her Aunt Mary. She was admitted into Ithaca College, where she received her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance. Her love, however, was for the piano and for teaching. She completed her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Fredonia State Teachers College where she met the love of her life, Sig Smith (also co-founder of Smith’s Custom Framing, and Debbie’s dad). They were married in 1961 and had two children, Debbie and Todd.

Polly and Sig had a wonderful marriage for almost 40 years until Sig’s death in 1999. It left a hole in everyone’s lives—especially Polly’s—but she continued to share her teaching with many. Polly still continues to teach piano and voice at her private studio and feels she contributes to developing the love of music and enhances the lives of her students.

Polly lives in New Cumberland and can be heard playing beautiful piano music at Gallery openings and for customers who are lucky enough to be there when she plays. Many people have thought it was music from the Sonos system, but if they were to look in The Drake Gallery, Polly would be playing.

Luckily, Polly continues to lace needlework for customers and is always ready to lend a hand, share her talent, and beam her most contagious smile. She loves to help and is willing to do whatever it takes to continue to make the business successful.