The air is thick with stinky chemicals. Machines embedded in walls thrum and gurgle and occasionally spit out a photograph or a strip of film. But today, the air will clear, the machines will churn no more and Lexington will be without a custom film lab. For Vern Ramnes and Mary Rezny, the couple who have run The Film Lab at 204 West Third Street, it's time to move on.
'Our independence is July Fourth and we're having a party on Friday the 13th. What do you think about that?' Rezny said with a laugh, talking about the farewell celebration for The Film Lab.
For the pair, the end is one that they've seen coming for some time.
'It's a sad but true story,' Ramnes said. 'We're going out of business. But we're not being forced out. It's our own decision.'
With the advent of digital photography, demand for a custom photo lab has been steadily declining.
'We were fine until digital started eating us up,' Rezny said. 'We thought we'd keep on, downsizing as digital came on, becoming more of a niche business.'
The Film Lab had eight employees 12 years ago, the highest number in its 25 years of operation. In recent years, Ramnes and Rezny have run it by themselves.
'It's mom and pop, literally,' Ramnes said.
The choice to close comes mostly because of fewer clients and more problems keeping the store running. Many of the developing machines are not only costly to use, but also difficult to repair. For some, it's impossible to find replacement parts.
'Always the worst part is maintaining the equipment,' Ramnes said. 'It becomes a true frustration.'
With the closure of The Film Lab, anyone needing custom film processing will have to send away for it. The nearest custom lab now is Robin Imaging Services in Cincinnati. Digital photography is also putting the pinch on some area retailers. Kroger stores are pulling film processing because of a drop in demand, offering instead a send-out processing service. Wal-Mart stores, however, have no plans to cut back on in-store processing.
Ramnes and Rezny have no plans to bow out of the photography business. Their next move will be to the Old Tarr distillery at 899 Manchester Street in August. From there Rezny plans to keep shooting some of her traditional black and white, archival and art photography.
'I can still shoot traditional black and white (film),' Rezny said. 'I'll just be sending it off like everyone else.'
In the meantime, Ramnes and Rezny are going to make up for one of the other pitfalls of owning your own business. Yesterday afternoon, they left for the mountains of North Carolina, their first vacation in nine years.
'It's probably true with any small business that you're there 24/7. You get very little time off,' Rezny said. 'We're going to rest up and come back and start moving.'
Though they're leaving the photo-developing business behind, they're taking plenty of good memories with them.
'Some of the best people have traded with us and worked with us,' Ramnes said. 'It's bittersweet. I'm going to miss a lot of our old clients because you get close to people after 25 years.'
provided by Kentucky.com
'Our independence is July Fourth and we're having a party on Friday the 13th. What do you think about that?' Rezny said with a laugh, talking about the farewell celebration for The Film Lab.
For the pair, the end is one that they've seen coming for some time.
'It's a sad but true story,' Ramnes said. 'We're going out of business. But we're not being forced out. It's our own decision.'
With the advent of digital photography, demand for a custom photo lab has been steadily declining.
'We were fine until digital started eating us up,' Rezny said. 'We thought we'd keep on, downsizing as digital came on, becoming more of a niche business.'
The Film Lab had eight employees 12 years ago, the highest number in its 25 years of operation. In recent years, Ramnes and Rezny have run it by themselves.
'It's mom and pop, literally,' Ramnes said.
The choice to close comes mostly because of fewer clients and more problems keeping the store running. Many of the developing machines are not only costly to use, but also difficult to repair. For some, it's impossible to find replacement parts.
'Always the worst part is maintaining the equipment,' Ramnes said. 'It becomes a true frustration.'
With the closure of The Film Lab, anyone needing custom film processing will have to send away for it. The nearest custom lab now is Robin Imaging Services in Cincinnati. Digital photography is also putting the pinch on some area retailers. Kroger stores are pulling film processing because of a drop in demand, offering instead a send-out processing service. Wal-Mart stores, however, have no plans to cut back on in-store processing.
Ramnes and Rezny have no plans to bow out of the photography business. Their next move will be to the Old Tarr distillery at 899 Manchester Street in August. From there Rezny plans to keep shooting some of her traditional black and white, archival and art photography.
'I can still shoot traditional black and white (film),' Rezny said. 'I'll just be sending it off like everyone else.'
In the meantime, Ramnes and Rezny are going to make up for one of the other pitfalls of owning your own business. Yesterday afternoon, they left for the mountains of North Carolina, their first vacation in nine years.
'It's probably true with any small business that you're there 24/7. You get very little time off,' Rezny said. 'We're going to rest up and come back and start moving.'
Though they're leaving the photo-developing business behind, they're taking plenty of good memories with them.
'Some of the best people have traded with us and worked with us,' Ramnes said. 'It's bittersweet. I'm going to miss a lot of our old clients because you get close to people after 25 years.'
provided by Kentucky.com
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