BY CAROL ROEHM
DANVILLE — Four months might not seem like a long time to some, but it seemed like forever for photographer Bruce Huff.
Huff’s photography studio on the far north end of the Dale Building sustained damage in a March fire in downtown Danville.
On Thursday night, customers, friends and family got to see the new and improved studio at 103 N. Vermilion St., during an open house.
Huff reopened his business Thursday, and he said he couldn’t be happier.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s great to be back.
“It’s been four months, but it felt like a long time.”
Huff said he is especially thrilled with the way the renovations to his studio turned out. Pete Blackmon owns the Dale Building.
“We removed the drop ceiling to show off the antique tin ceiling, and we restored the original hardwood floors,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”
Dana Schaumburg, director of Downtown Danville Inc., shared Huff’s enthusiasm about the renovations.
“It’s a really amazing transformation,” she said.
“He was able to bring out some of the original features of the building and make the space even better.
“Even though it came about during some not so great circumstances, it’s a change that will serve him well in the future.
“Now he has a great working environment that’s freshly redone.”
Schaumburg said Huff was able to replace his signage with help from DDI’s façade program, which is available to any downtown business.
“We provided him with matching funds for his signage,” she said.
Huff said he was able to salvage some of the old backdrops teens favored for their senior portraits, and he’s added a few new backdrops.
“The rusty tin barn siding, that’s popular with the kids,” he said of one of the old favorites.
Now he has added a newly created old brick wall backdrop to his studio offerings.
“It’s a rough and rugged-looking wall,” he said.
“A lot of things are new, and we’re implementing different changes,” Huff said.
But one thing hasn’t changed — his love for downtown.
“I knew that we would be back,” he said. “This is a fantastic spot.
“I believe in downtown,” Huff said. “This is where I wanted my studio to be.”
STUDIO HOURS
Bruce Huff Photography, 103 N. Vermilion St., reopened Thursday. The studio hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and by appointment. Weekend appointments also are available. The phone number is 431-1054.
