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Joe Camera Coffee House and Film Lab
Unusual blend of film and photo brews success in Alma.
“Gather together with thankful hearts and good things happen over coffee,” says a printed sign in Joe Camera Coffee House and Film Lab in Alma.
Photography supplies and one-hour film processing may draw customers into Joe Camera, but they often sit down and order a rich coffee drink, a tea or a frosty drink and a cinnamon roll and sit down to listen to a story, tell a story or meet a friend in the community. Joe Camera is unique...and just the kind of place to make it happen.
Diversified Interest, Unified Front
Bringing disparate interests together is nothing new for the Torreys. Joseph and Dusti met while in college at UNK, where she was studying horticulture and he was into marketing, art history and sociology.
After graduation, they returned to Joseph’s hometown of Alma, near Harlan County Reservoir in south central Nebraska. There they found a dilapidated store front on the main street and decided on an entrepreneurial life together. After more than a year of pounding, scraping, painting and cleaning – doing the work themselves – they opened their doors for business in November, 2003.
To hold body and soul together during the renovation, Dusti, who had cultivated skills in graphic design and computer animation, worked for the University of Nebraska from home, while Joseph worked for a professional film lab in Lincoln.
Though the period required a lot of hard work and sacrifice, today Alma can boast a state-of-the-art film lab in addition to a very pleasant coffee house with historic brick walls, rich jewel-toned paint, memorable landscape photos and comfortable seating that calls to mind favorite coffee houses in cities like Minneapolis or San Francisco.
Attracting Amateurs and Pros
Joseph did his homework before electing to open for business in Alma.
“Our research showed us we would be the only photo lab from Kearney to Hays, Kansas, and from McCook to Hastings,” said Joseph. “And we’re one of only a very few, if any, coffee houses with a photo lab.”
Today Joseph handles film and digital media from professional photographers as well as hobby photographers in the region, and recently purchased equipment enabling Joe Camera to print up to 24” x 48” poster-sized prints from film, slides or digital media.
While Joseph works in the lab, Dusti continues to work with graphic art and computer animation, and invents new drinks for the coffee bar, including her latest favorites, Strawberry or Raspberry Lemonade Freezies.
For the future, the Torreys plan to remodel the back room of their building for large party groups, live music and as local hangout for the youth. They also hope to build a licensed kitchen and serve biscotti, fresh rolls, cookies and other freshly baked items.
Advantages of Starting a Business in a Small Town
Joseph and Dusti thought Alma would work for their business because its a tourist driven economy, yet the local citizens are also supportive. They knew the Harlan County terrain of rivers, lakes, canyons, cliffs and fields would attract photographers.
“Word-of-mouth advertising works well in small towns and is cost effective,” Torrey says. But most of all he says people of the area appreciate the fact that they chose Alma as a place to live and own a business.
“Alma, Nebraskans are friendly, down-to-earth people who look out for each other,” Torrey says. “And they’re very loyal to the local businesses.
Who To Contact...
Joe Camera
Joseph and Dusti Torrey
308.928.9060
jltorrey@joecamera.biz or dustirae@joecamera.biz
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