Kacey Musgraves was in town earlier this week for two sold-out nights at the Greek Theatre.
In her downtime, the Grammy-winning country artist
and her sister stumbled into an inconspicuous little photo shop in Koreatown.
On a quest to develop some film, they found a “gem”: a cash-only, mom-and-pop shop with no internet presence
but plenty of handmade backdrops, retro photo sessions and an endearingly
old-school photo lab struggling to survive.
But that’s all changing now.
Musgraves, who
won this year’s Grammy for album of the year
for her acclaimed “Golden Hour,”
created an Instagram account on Wednesday for Tom’s One Hour Photo Studio and Lab. Musgraves and her sister randomly happened upon the small, family-owned business at 4158
Beverly Blvd.
in Koreatown.
The “High Horse”
singer spent some time chatting with the shop’s owner and learned that the once-bustling business, which opened in 1991, had slowed to a crawl since the digital wave. (But as interest in
’90s camera culture surges
, things could be looking up.)
Determined to give it a much-needed boost, Musgraves enlisted
her 1.6 million Instagram followers
and 811,000 Twitter fans
for support.
“Let’s keep this charming business afloat!,” Musgraves wrote on her Instagram. Her efforts are
paying off splendidly. As of Thursday morning, the shop had accrued nearly 28,000
Instagram followers. And a happy and overwhelmed Tom has been flooded with calls and portrait requests.
Musgraves herself posed for a series of dreamy portraits in the studio and shared the images on her Instagram.
🌹Got my portrait made at this AMAZING little place in Korea Town LA called Tom’s One Hour Photo. It hasn’t changed since he opened in ‘91. It’s cash only & has no internet. Said business has gotten so slow since the digital wave 😞 so we made him an insta: @tomsonehourphotolab pic.twitter.com/Y2RPmw1aN7
— K A C E Y M U S G R A V E S (@KaceyMusgraves) August 28, 2019
“Our
country is built on the backbone of these small businesses,” Musgraves told fans at the Santa Fe Opera house Wednesday night, which was captured on Instagram and shared on Tom’s newly minted account.
“My parents are small-business owners, and they have been since I can remember… they’re making ends meet working together, just doing what they can. So I know what it’s like.”
The owner’s son, Nick, is a big fan of Musgraves and
was overwhelmed with gratitude and made sure to express it.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH for visiting and supporting us!!!,” he wrote on Instagram. “…Our family business has been slow since advancements in technology have put one hour photo and retro studio photography on a downward path. But thanks to you and photography aficionados, we are still alive!”
Tom could not be immediately reached for comment, but his old photo shop, sandwiched between a pet store and a computer repair business,
seems poised to survive after all.