There are stars who get paid a lot of money to be the spokesperson for a brand.
And then there’s Kacey Musgraves.
When Musgraves was in Los Angeles last week for a couple of shows at the Greek Theatre, she took a short detour to a place that had no website, no social media presence, and only a handful of (all positive) reviews on Yelp. And suddenly, she became a Social Media Influencer purely out of the goodness of her heart. That’s the kind of publicity money just can’t buy.
Musgraves waltzed right in, spent some time there, took a lot of pictures of the picturing taking, said very nice things about the place, and now, Tom’s One-Hour Photo is back in business. The 28-year-old, cash-only shop was just what Musgraves was looking for, and once she found it, she apparently wanted to share her find with all of her fans and followers.
“We were just in LA and needed to find d a One Hour Photo place quick. Sandwiched between little bodegas, my sister randomly found this place on Beverly Blvd in Korea Town called Tom’s One Hour Photo & Lab. It’s one of those rare mom-&-pop gems that has lasted thru trends coming and going and weirdly has come back around again without even realizing it. The owner, Tom, was SO adorable. He not only does film developing but (cheap) and nostalgic portrait sessions too. (He gave us digital files and we edited these but he’ll shoot on film if you ask him to.) Pick your favorite background! He made them all himself,” she wrote along with her gallery of photos and videos.
“It’s cash only and he has no internet. He sadly told us his business used to be really busy back in 1991 when he opened but has slowed way down since the digital wave. So, like any good millennials would do we started an appreciation Instagram for him.”
In the three days since Musgraves started that Instagram appreciation page for the shop, it has amassed roughly 42,000 followers.
“Not sure he’ll even see this. Stop by, tell all your friends, and don’t forget to tag,” she said, adding the encouraging, “Let’s keep this charming business afloat!”
Meanwhile, the Greek Theatre posted their own galleries of Musgraves’ two-night stay, and they are breathtaking.