We talked to: Ryan of Photobooth

We had a great conversation with Ryan Stratton, owner of Photobooth on the 2nd floor of Thornes! See what he had to say about the booth, and what's next for him!

Hi, Ryan! Could you tell us a bit about your business, the Photobooth in Thornes?

In 2021, I was looking for things to do in the pandemic, and I thought it would be cool to go on a road trip to find a machine.  I discovered Photobooth.net, and I was about to go find one, and then I remembered the local Western Mass listserv. I figured I’d write to the group to see if anyone knew of any machines for sale. I didn’t even know about the one on L2 in Thornes at the time, only of the one that had been in Faces. I got in touch with the owner and he was ready to sell after owning it for 13 years. As a tinkerer and dark room person,  it felt like something I really wanted to try, so I purchased it, signed a lease with Thornes, and I’ve had the booth for about three and a half years now.

The routine monthly maintenance of the booth includes changing the chemistry, cleaning tanks, saving old chemicals for disposal, and mixing new ones. Every 2 to 3 days, I have to add water to the tank, and every 2 to 3 months, replace the paper. Then there are the texts and calls to let me know the booth is not working. I’ve tried to date the machine, but there isn’t much information inside as this one has been stripped of that. Some people have said they remember visiting it in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and some say ‘70s and ‘80s. Being that old, mechanical issues are to be expected, but because I’m accustomed to the sounds it makes, I can tell when something is awry pretty quickly. There are just so many quirky things that can happen, and because the main company that supported them, at least in the US, closed around 2005, this is very much a DIY situation.

Thankfully, I’ve met a lot of people all over the world—mainly through Instagram–who own these machines and can offer tips and tricks.  A group of us actually met up last year in London, coming from NYC, Las Vegas, California, Australia, and Sweden for a little convention. They had been meeting pre-pandemic as well, but the gatherings had obviously been on hold for a few years. It’s really great to get the older guard and newcomers together to talk about our machines and experiences. Some people do this full-time, and some just have one or two machines, like I do for now.

One person I know found a booth in a thrift store, which is pretty amazing considering they weigh about 800 pounds. It’s pretty interesting how younger people are “discovering” the booths due to influencers on social media. Emma Chamberlain, a popular influencer, came upon one in Amsterdam, made a TikTok video about it, and attracted lines of visitors down the street for months.

What do you love about Thornes as a location for the booth?

Thornes is just great; it’s such an accessible and welcoming building. I love running down to Cornucopia for a snack and to Share for coffee. There are so many business owners I look forward to seeing, and my neighbors on the 2nd floor appreciate the draw of the booth from the main floor shops. I like that it’s a little bit of a secret, hidden spot—it’s a bit of a surprise for people.

What do you love about having a business in downtown Northampton?

Back in the day, I frequently came up from the suburbs of CT to go to punk shows, so Northampton has always been a special place to me. Initially, I was looking for a machine I could move, but when I saw this one, I knew it had to stay put. I really love being on Main Street—it feels good to be a part of downtown.

Any fun facts you'd like to share about yourself or the business?

My full-time job is in a library, and in my spare time, I am slowly fixing up another machine I found recently. I’m running into some issues, but there’s been progress, and I’m currently in talks with someone about where to put it, so stay tuned!

And finally, what is your favorite winter food/beverage?

I am a little addicted to cold brew, which I drink year ‘round, but it’s also nice to have a hot mocha once in a while. For food, I’d have to say a simple burger.