The trend for thriving retail stores is to open their business to the Internet by offering online stores. Polaroid, however, has decided to take an opposite approach in 2013. Their online store Fotobar will be opening 10 physical locations across the country this year starting in February with a 2,000-square-foot store in Delray Beach, Fla.
Competing in the digital age, Polaroid still values the entire photography experience including the end result. Unfortunately too many masterpieces are lost in translation, stuck in pixel format and never made into anything tangible. "There are currently around 1.5 billion pictures taken every single day, and that number continues to grow in tandem with the popularity and quality of camera phones," founder and CEO of Fotobar Warren Struhl explained in a statement. "Unfortunately, even the very best of those pictures rarely ever escape the camera phone with which they were taken to be put on display around our homes and offices."
Polaroid’s “experimental stores” seek to offer digital photographers a new way to access and process their prints. By coming into the store, snap-happy customers can connect to their photos without cords or adapters. Pictures are transmitted wirelessly from phones and other smart devices to a bar-top workstations. The ability to upload images from social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and “several others” streamlines the process for hassle-free order in seconds.
Even if the picture wasn’t perfect when it was taken, Polaroid offers their clients a chance to make it better before printing. At the workstations, photos can be edited to fix red-eye or alter the contrast and brightness or a number of filters can be applied to achieve the desired artistic effect.
From there it’s just a matter of selecting the desired format and materials. Pictures can be printed on all sorts of options including acrylic, metal, wood and bamboo with various framing options. Customizations like these are handcrafted and shipped from their manufacturing facility within 72 hours.
Even though these services are available in the online arena, Polaroid hopes to cash in on the complete customer experience that they’ve specifically designer their stores to create. This also includes passionate photo enthusiasts called “Phototenders” to staff the store who are trained to help guide customers through the process.
“Polaroid has always been about much more than just taking pictures,” said Polaroid President and CEO Scott W. Hardy. “Polaroid is about sharing life’s most precious and memorable moments. We have been, and continue to be, about self-expression, creativity and fun. Polaroid Fotobar retail stores represent a perfect modern expression of the values for which we have stood for 75 years. We are very excited about the opening of these stores, and the opportunities they will create for millions of consumers to have classic Polaroid experiences.”
This also means making use of an on-site multi-purpose room called “The Studio” to host classes, private parties and take formal portraits. From experienced employees to museum-quality art made from digital photos, Polaroid wants to make developing memories as engaging as creating them.
Future Polaroid Fotobar locations popping up soon include New York, Las Vegas and Boston. Polaroid plans to disclose additional information about the stores at 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Jan. 8 to 11 in Las Vegas.
Photo courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos
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