Kacey Musgraves was in town earlier this week for two sold-out nights in the Greek theater. In her downtime, the Grammy-winning country artist and her sister staggered an inconspicuous little photo shop in Koreatown.
Looking for a movie, they found a & # 39; gem & # 39 ;: a store with only mom and pop without internet, but with lots of handmade backgrounds, retro photo sessions and an endearing old-fashioned photo lab struggling to survive.
But that is all changing now.
Musgraves, who won the Grammy this year for album of the year for her acclaimed & # 39; Golden Hour & # 39; created an Instagram account on Wednesday for Tom & # 39; s One Hour Photo Studio and Lab. Musgraves and her sister happened to encounter the small family business in 4158 Beverly Blvd. in Koreatown.
The "High Horse" singer spent some time with the store's owner and heard that the once busy company, which opened in 1991, had slowed down since the digital wave slowed down. (But because the interest in camera culture increases enormously in the 90s, things can surprise you.)
Determined to give it a much needed boost, Musgraves hired its 1.6 million Instagram followers and 811,000 Twitter fans for support.
"Let's keep this charming company afloat!" Wrote Musgraves on her Instagram. Her efforts are bearing fruit. From Thursday morning the store had built up nearly 28,000 Instagram followers. And a happy and overwhelmed Tom is flooded with phone calls and portrait requests.
Musgraves posed for a series of dreamy portraits in the studio and shared the images on her Instagram.
🌹 Got my portrait in this AWESOME place in LA, Korea Town, called Tom & # 39; s One Hour Photo. It hasn't changed since it opened in '91. It is only cash and has no internet. The company has become so slow since the digital wave 😞 so we made it 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 beaten account. "My parents are small business owners, and since I can remember … they make ends meet by working together, just doing what they can. So I know what it is like."
The son of the owner, Nick, is a big fan of Musgraves and was overwhelmed by gratitude and made sure he expressed it.
"THANK YOU for visiting and supporting us !!!", he wrote on Instagram. “… Our family business has been slow since technological progress has brought an hour of photo and retro studio photography on a downward path. But thanks to you and photography enthusiasts, we are still alive! "
Tom could not be reached immediately for comment, but his old photo shop, sandwiched between a pet shop and a computer repair company, seems ready to survive.
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