I love, love, love this story so much! It really helps restore my faith in humanity and celebrities and it’s all thanks to Kacey Musgraves.
So if you’re of a certain age, you may remember those little stand alone photo shops where you could go and take your roll of film and get actual pictures on paper in an hour. And, no, I’m not talking about the printer-like kiosk at Walmart, you millenial, you.
I’m talking about an actual itty bitty store that was dedicated to the magic of pictures on paper.
Sometimes they weren’t even a whole store, they were more like your corner snow cone shack or coffee shop.
So anyway, while in Los Angeles, Kacey Musgraves found herself in need of some quick picture development, as one often does. When her sister went looking for someone to fill Kacey’s picture needs, she came across Tom’s One Hour Photo & Lab, a store that harkened back to the good old days when you actually had to work to get film developed. The pair were so taken with Tom and his retro shop and his story that they decided to help him out with business by having him take some beautiful pictures of Kacey and starting an Instagram account for him.
From Instagram:
We were just in LA and needed to find a One Hour Photo place quick. Sandwiched between little bodegas, my sister randomly found this place on Beverly Blvd in Korea Town called Tom’s One Hour Photo & Lab. It’s one of those rare mom-&-pop gems that has lasted thru trends coming and going and weirdly has come back around again without even realizing it. The owner, Tom, was SO adorable. He not only does film developing but (cheap) and nostalgic portrait sessions too. (He gave us digital files and we edited these but he’ll shoot on film if you ask him to.) Pick your favorite background! He made them all himself. ? It’s cash only and he has no internet. He sadly told us his business used to be really busy back in 1991 when he opened but has slowed way down since the digital wave. So, like any good millennials would do we started an appreciation Instagram for him. @tomsonehourphotolab ? Not sure he’ll even see this. Stop by, tell all your friends, and don’t forget to tag. Let’s keep this charming business afloat! #TomsOneHourPhoto
How amazing is this? Since Kacey and her sister took Tom under their far-reaching wing, his Instagram has racked up over 43,000 followers and something tells me he may be getting a lot more business than before.
You know, sometimes things in this world really aren’t all that bad. Thank you, Kacey, for reminding us of that.
