Farewell, Rowe Photo: A quintessential Rochester story

Dear D&C Subscribers --

All eras come to an end, and so it has been with the age of film cameras in Rochester.

The longtime headquarters of Eastman Kodak, Greater Rochester now bids farewell to a business that has been an important part of the Kodak ecosystem locally.

As reporter Patrick Harney writes about the closure of Rowe Photo:

"The closure of Rowe signals a major change in Rochester's business landscape, with the store being one of the original retailers of Kodak cameras and film,

'We were Kodak dealers maybe forever,' (owner Dick) Rowe said, adding that one of his family's former stores in Greece's Buckman Plaza did beta testing on new photo paper and development chemicals for Kodak."

Harney's story is rich in detail, just as Rochester is rich in film lore.

"While Rowe had a reputation for selling cameras and developing photos, customers could also purchase a bicycle at the store when it first opened up on Main Street back in 1898 according to Rowe's recollection."

'My grandfather wasn't sure the photo business would survive. It was just getting started. He needed to feed his family.'"

The D&C was there in 1898 when Rowe Photo opened, and we're here now as it exits stage left. Much has changed, and chronicling that change is a big part of our mission for you, our loyal subscribers.

Each week, usually on Sunday evenings, we'll email you highlights of our reporting and videography created exclusively for our subscribers. And we'll share with you some "behind-the-scenes" tidbits on how such journalism comes to be.

Below are some other stories written only for our subscribers you may have missed this month.

Thank you for your continuing support of local news in Rochester. We’re greatly appreciative.

Sincerely,

Michael Kilian

Executive Editor

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: D&C: Your Week in Rochester newsletter for subscribers