Retro Photo Community Darkroom

Preserving 111 Years of History: A Personal Update from Michael DellaCroce 

To all my friends, family and the incredible film community,

When I acquired the historic Alton E. Bowers (1916) & Bowers Photo (1956) camera shop at 135 N. 5th Street a little over 5 years ago in mid 2021, I knew I wasn't just buying a business. I was taking responsibility for a piece of Pennsylvania history. Since 1916, through the rise of traditional to digital photography and the closing of legacy camera shops across the USA, this physical camera shop has stood unbroken lineage as the oldest operating camera shop in PA.

My mission has always been to ensure this landmark and business doesn't just survive the film revival but leads it. 

Today, I'm incredibly proud to share that we are in the final stages of our biggest project yet. This October we are officially opening a fully renovated, state-of-the-art Community Darkroom directly above the camera shop. We will have on site the needed film, paper and chemistry as well as the traditional darkroom tools to navigate the space with ease.

This space isn't just about processing film; it's about community and education. We've built a dedicated academy where the next generation of film photographers can experience the tactile, rewarding process traditional black-and-white developing, professional printing and modern high-resolution scanning. 

Breathing new life into this historic second floor has been my labor of love. I cannot wait to open the doors next month and share the magic of film photography from start to finish.

And Lastly.....

Thank you to everyone who has supported, Retro Photo Reading, and the preservation of analog photography. 

Keep an eye on our instagram (@retrophoto_reading) over the next several weeks as we announce our soft opening of the darkroom!

See you in the darkroom!

Michael DellaCroce

Owner, Retro Photo Reading

Keeping PA's Photographic History Alive Since 1915

We are creating a sign up sheet to the community darkroom contact us via email

retrophotoreading@gmail.com