Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lucia Rollow. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lucia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?
When I first built the darkroom I funded it via Kickstarter that was mostly donations from family and friends. As we grew I ran a number of other fundraisers over the years and our audience broadened into our customer base. In my experience the most important thing in any transaction is clarity. Everyone involved must know exactly what they are receiving in return for their contribution. If that is a financial contribution to a fundraiser or as an investment partner is not as important as simply outlining the terms from the jump.
Lucia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started working in the darkroom in middle school and was immediately addicted. The experience is like nothing else. In 2005 I moved to NYC to study at the the School of Visual Arts and worked a number of different types of industry jobs but consistently returned to the darkroom as the place I wanted to be. After graduation I lost access to the school facilities and was looking for a solution but all the options I found were inconveniently accessible or out of my price range. I knew there was a burgeoning art community in Bushwick and I thought there might be a few other people in the same position.
I started the Bushwick Community Darkroom as a resource to offer hourly b&w darkroom rental and intro classes to folks who were curious. As we grew we expanded our offerings and now accept mail in & drop off film developing orders as well as access to DIY facilities. Over the last year we have expanded via the United Film Lab Network to offer our members access to other facilities, resources and opportunities around the world.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I feel like I’ve been pivoting since the pandemic started and I’m still trying to find the right path to turn down. Prior to the pandemic our business model was based almost entirely on on bringing people into the building and putting a bunch of people together in rather small spaces in the darkroom or classroom. When the pandemic hit and we were no longer allowed to have people in the building our business became almost entirely mail in & drop off film developing. We established a contactless drop off & pick up system and were able to float through the pandemic.
We moved out of the warehouse we had been in for 8 years last December and have been on the hunt for a new space essentially since. That’s a whole different kind of pivot. Especially since its become clear over the last year we have returned to a society wherein we can have 5-10 people together in a room without people being uncomfortable.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When we moved out of the warehouse last December I was under the impression we had a new space ready to go a few blocks away. Weeks before our move in date the new landlord decided he did not want to rent us the space after all and backed out. This came completely out of the blue and caught me completely off guard. I had no other plan at the time.
All of my equipment was in storage so I have just left it there while hunting for a new space. Over the last few months I have been in communication with a space I was thinking about moving into 10 years ago and it looks like we might be signing a new lease before the end of the year. It may have been a more circuitous route than I anticipated but I think we’re going to land where we belong.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bushwickcommunitydarkroom.com
- Instagram: bushwickdkrm
- Facebook: facebook.com/bushwickcommunitydarkroom
- Twitter: bushwickdkrm
Image Credits
image credits: Lucia Rollow