Fotobar store tries to revive affinity for Polaroid

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The first in a chain of Polaroid-branded photo shops opened in Florida Friday, with its backers hoping to reinvigorate the digi­tal world's interest in printed images by capitalizing on an iconic name.

Polaroid Fotobar aims to tap into unprecedented interest in photography with its inaugural 2,000-square-foot store in Delray Beach. The trick will be to coax consumers who snap pictures on cellphones and other devices to move their memories to paper.

"Maybe it's on a smartphone, maybe it's on Instagram, maybe it's on Facebook," said Warren Struhl, the founder and CEO of Fotobar. "But digital is not permanent. Physical is permanent."

In the glistening new store, customers can pay a visit to the bar where "fototenders" will assist in wireless uploads of photos. From there, a visitor can purchase prints made on-site, or order products sporting their images on canvas, metal, bamboo and other materials.

The cheapest item is a $1 print replicating a traditional Polaroid, though the purchase requires a minimum of six. The priciest product is a 7-foot-by-4-foot, 150-pound slab of acrylic with a customer's image on it, for $2,500. All the prints made on-site take the form of original Polaroid photos, with the familiar white border.

Struhl says he has heard time and again that photography's transition to digital has brought "a pain point" for people, who feel a sense of guilt that their images may reside on a hard drive but not behind glass in a frame.

"It makes them sad," he contends. "Most people are afraid they're going to lose that favorite picture, on top of the fact that they wish it was up on a shelf."

Phillip Block of the International Center of Photography said he grew up with Polaroids and is "thrilled that anyone is interested in picturemaking and the physical print." But he said digital cameras have replicated the immediate gratification and emotional impact of watching their Polaroid camera spit out a floppy print.

As customers began to file into the store, among the first to take a seat at the Fotobar was Jami Bloch, 12, who was uploading photos from Facebook and Instagram. She frequently takes photos on her iPhone but never has them printed.

"You can actually like see them," she said of the prints, "it's actually like real."

Besides offering a sleek, sparkling white atmosphere, the store also has a studio that will offer free classes, host parties and allow customers to come in for portraits taken by local photographers. Struhl says he's negotiating at least 10 leases for other Fotobar sites around the country.

Customers can also find refurbished Polaroid cameras selling for $159.95 and eight-packs of film for $29.95.

Struhl insists Fotobar is different, though.