By Clyde Noel

Longtime Los Altos residents Mike and Margot Harrigan will open the first Image Arts Etc. in the Bay Area this Friday. Image Arts Etc. is a new concept in photo processing from film to digital and brings together state-of-the-art digital technology, from portrait studios to framing craftsmanship.

Mike started his high-tech career at Hewlett-Packard’s printer division, in addition to co-founding two startups. After working 30 years in the industry, Mike said he doesn’t want to start another high-tech company. “I wanted to do something small, local and innovative and have the look of high-tech.”

Margot, president of the Los Altos School District’s Board of Trustees, said several years ago they tried to purchase Heintzelman’s Bookstore, but the timing wasn’t right.

When Mike started to search for a business opportunity, he liked the Image Arts program and called the 40 franchise owners in the United States.

The questions he asked had to do with the quality of the product: Is the franchise well run? Is anybody making money on the franchise?

Once his questions were answered, Mike went to work to secure the franchise and the location.

What makes the business unique is that it’s four businesses in one location. The major business is digital photography. Customers can have their prints digitally reproduced on photo paper or canvas, as well as on fabrics, plaques, plates, tiles and mugs.

Image Arts Etc. also does framing. The finished product that hangs on the family room wall or sits on the fireplace mantle is the company’s core business model, and picture frames complete the image.

Business graphics, which utilizes a large format printer, can handle anything five feet wide and 100 feet long on different media. Full-color graphics support for business presentations, personalized premiums and unique promotions are also part of the business.

Finally, Image Arts Etc. provides a digital photo service, which includes scanning snapshots. The store is equipped with standard printers. including dye-sublimation printers, which allow for the high est quality with photo realistic prints.

Image Arts Etc. is a natural progression for Mike, who has a passion for photography and art. He recently performed community work for the high school, providing publicity shots for “Peter Pan” and “The Three Musketeers.” He also created the digital archives for Paint the Town Two of local artists. “Working with the artists gave us good exposure in the city,” he said.

Image Arts is located at 240 Main St., Los Altos. For more information, call 948-0400.