October 24, 2025
Provided Image/Brian Coll
Coll's Custom Framing and Gallery will be hosting a Bruce Springsteen exhibit titled 'Greetings from Conshohocken, PA' that will feature photographs, memorabilia and concert posters.
Growing up in Conshohocken in the 1980s, Brian Coll remembers hearing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played all over the neighborhood, with owners of the house a couple doors down from where he lived regularly blasting it out their windows.
Coll, 51, is now the owner of Coll's Custom Framing and Gallery on Fayette Street, and he still feels a powerful connection to his community when he hears the Boss.
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In honor of Friday's release of the biopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere," Coll is transforming his shop into a tribute to the Jersey singer, with dozens of photographs, concert posters, an autographed guitar by original members of the E Street Band and more available for purchase.
The exhibit, titled "Greetings from Conshohocken, PA," opens Saturday and was curated over years by connecting with local photographers, art collectors and fellow fans. Coll said his intention is not to sell out the collection but to swap stories with his customers about their shared passion.
"For the next two weeks, we're kind of a little mecca for Springsteen fans," he said. "Having a show like this doesn't do anything for our business. If we have a good show or a bad show, we're not upset. We're just happy anybody comes in to see the stuff and appreciate it in the way that I do."
The collection includes the work of the late Phil Ceccola, who made a name for himself documenting the rock star's early career. Over the years, the local photographer gave Springsteen rides to gigs, let him crash on his couch and even shot the cover of the 1998 "Tracks" album.
"They're incredible photos," Coll said. "It's so great to see that a guy from West Conshohocken ended up traveling the world."
Russ Ceccola, the photographer's brother, plans to make an appearance at Coll's exhibit to tell the stories behind some of his brother's photos. One image, estimated to be taken around 1974, shows Springsteen the photographer's Bridgeport apartment, wearing mismatched shoes while strumming a guitar and playing the harmonica.
In a photo estimated to have been taken around 1974, a young Bruce Springsteen sits in photographer Phil Ceccola's Bridgeport apartment.
Provided Image/Phil Ceccola
"Bruce was [Phil's] muse as a photographer," Russ Ceccola said. "[Springsteen] went from a kid who didn't have money for a hotel room or matching shoes to a multi-millionaire rock star. A lot of the photos, many which nobody has seen, are capturing Bruce in funny moments. I could talk about these photos for hours."
Coll has held similar exhibits at his 324 Fayette St. site dedicated to Springsteen over the years, coinciding with local tour dates, album releases and concert anniversaries. But this week's iteration may be one of the last events of its kind that the shop will host.
"We don't know if it's ever going to happen again," Coll said. "I absolutely love it, I just don't have any more reasons to keep doing it. So many key anniversaries are passing, members of the band slowly start disappearing and you never know when the last concert tour is going to be."
A reception will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the exhibit will continue to be open through Thursday, Nov. 6. Photographers, artists and live musicians will make their way through during its 12-day tenure. The gallery will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Thursdays from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The film, which is in theaters now, stars Emmy-Award winner Jeremy Allen White and follows Springsteen's journey while creating his 1982 album "Nebraska."
