About Us

LIONS PRIDE FRAMING AT MESA RIDGE
Lionel and Veronica Bila are the newest tenants at the Markets at Mesa Ridge. Their shop, Lion’s Pride framing is located just behind the 7-11, across the street from Lowe’s. Their mission is to make offices, living rooms, hallways, waiting rooms and walls everywhere more aesthetically pleasing by making valuables more valuable, memorabilia more memorable, collectibles more collectable, and instructional posters interesting.

Lionel was born in David City, Nebraska. He grew up in El Paso, Texas along with his seven siblings. He was a DJ for an oldies station there while he was in high school, which is why he says he still loves the classics, even those from way before his time. After high school Lionel moved to San Antonio where he worked in retail for a couple of years before relocating to Dallas. He remembers Dallas as a very fast paced city. He worked several jobs in restaurants, bartending, waiting and managing retail stores over the next five years. He then returned to El Paso to help out his folks. Lionel, his brother and his sister-in-law knew they didn’t want to settle in El Paso and would occasionally do research on other cities across the country. Colorado Springs ranked high on the list of nice places to live and in 1993 Lionel moved here and worked in the restaurant business for about three years before his dad once again became ill and he moved back to El Paso to help out the family.

Veronica was born in El Paso and grew up just across the border in Juarez, Mexico. She went to secretarial school after high school and worked in a ladies clothing shop. She became the store manager after about a year and stayed with the company for another seven years or so. She later worked as a secretary for a local concrete company for about three years. It was about that time that Veronica met Lionel. The two were married soon after. In 1996 after their daughter Alyssa was born they decided to look for a healthier economy as well as a nice community in which to raise Alyssa. Back to Colorado Springs it was. Veronica decided to be a stay at home mom for a while, but before long the couple was working together for Old America Stores. The job involved travelling around the country opening new retail locations. Old America Stores had their own framing department. At one of the new locations the store didn’t have a framer. Lionel stepped up and learned the trade. The stores manager had worked in framing before and was able to show him the ropes. The rest he learned on his own from on the job training as well as trade magazines and the internet. As it turned out he had quite a knack for it and enjoyed it very much. He liked developing an image of a piece in his mind and then making it come together. The smiles on the customers faces when they saw their keepsake turn into a real piece of art was another great perk.

Veronica and Lionel soon had enough moving around and returned to Colorado Springs, first in Old Colorado City and about a year later settling in Fountain. Lionel stayed with the framing trade and worked at a local frame shop at first. In 2003 the Bila’s decided it was time to combine their retail experience with Lionel’s new found passion and opened Lion’s Pride Framing. They set up a complete framing shop in their garage to get started and as the business grew began scouting retail locations. It was always their intention to stay in Fountain and when Lowe’s announced they were opening on the Mesa, they signed a lease on a site across the street. Lion’s Pride opened for business at 6912 Mesa Ridge Parkway in March of 2006.

Custom framing is a great way to preserve memories. You can immortalize your pictures, certificates, awards, diplomas, children’s artwork, coins and medals. A quality custom framing can run from $50 on up depending on the quality of the frame and the nature of the item to be framed. Some of Lion’s Pride’s satisfied customers include KILO radio, The Eagle, Harmony Homes, Jose Muldoon’s and Ashley Photography. Lion’s Pride also offers original artwork by local artists including blown glass and custom jewelry. They also host “Meet the Artist” nights on weekends where you can see some great local works and chat with their creators.

Veronica and Lionel love the laid back, small town atmosphere that still exists in Fountain despite its rapid growth. They like to keep that kind of atmosphere in their shop as well. They invite you to come in and browse, ask questions or just enjoy the artwork and crafts on display. Stop by Monday through Thursday from 9:30 ­5:30 and Friday and Saturday from 10 ­ 7.

Reprinted with permission from the South Side Business News.