Golden Triangle Tampa still preserving memories after 70 years: ‘Digital is waterproof'
TAMPA, Fla. - An iconic Tampa photo company may have closed its flagship store, but it is changing with the times and still keeping memories alive.
Kelly Winterling takes pictures from the past into the future. She can bring a faded photo back to life, even colorizing it.
The memory can be made even more vivid than on the day the original photo was taken, even if it's a century old.
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"We really help families preserve everything from 8-millimeter film to slides, printed photos, VHS tapes, and camcorder tapes," Winterling shared.
Sam Sellers, Sr. founded Golden Triangle in 1953, and his son, Sam Sellers, Jr. carried it on for years
Her photo business is even a preserved memory. It's called Golden Triangle, which once had seven locations in the Bay Area.
"A lot of people will remember the one-hour photo craze. They were in it and rumor is they started it," explained Winterling.
Sam Sellers, Sr. founded it in 1953, and his son, Sam Sellers, Jr., carried it on for years. They were all about cameras, and they made a lot of friends.
Sam Sellers, Sr. took photos of wrestler Dusty Rhodes when he was in town.
"When Dusty Rhodes was really big, when wrestlers came to town, Sam got to take their photos over the years," said Winterling.
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Most of us thought cameras, as we knew them, would be around forever, until cell phones and digital cameras came along and changed the world of taking photos.
Golden Triangle's flagship store on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa finally closed in 2022.
Golden Triangle Tampa closed its flagship store in 2022.
However, Winterling, a long-time employee, saw a future in preserving and enhancing people's memories from the past and making them indestructible.
"I like the slogan ‘Digital Is Waterproof,’" stated Winterling. "And it's fire-proof too."
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Digital is something we never knew when Golden Triangle was developing our film in an hour, but what's developed now makes those old photos and memories more vivid than ever.
Golden Triangle Tampa now does business by appointment.
It's located at Co-Work Tampa in the Garcia & Vega Cigar Factory at 3104 N. Armenia Avenue.
Click here for more information.
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