By Alex Paul
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Monday, April 6, 2009 12:00 am
Paul Rentz pictures retirement from making the calls at Rush Hour Photo
For nearly a quarter-century, Paul Rentz kept Rush Hour Photo growing steadily by reinventing its mix of services.
Starting this week, Rentz, 59, will tackle yet another adventure - retirement.
A Michigan native, Rentz plans to "kick back for a couple weeks and then figure out what I'm going to do." He will undoubtedly spend more time enjoying photography, especially of mid-valley birds.
Rentz said the hardest part of closing up shop is thinking about the connections he has shared with families by printing photos of their weddings, births, birthdays, graduations and other special events. His eyes tear up when he talks about the memories those interactions have given him.
"It's been absolutely amazing," Rentz said, estimating that millions of photos have been processed at his shop. "I have made a lot of friends in the last 24 years."
Rentz didn't plan to be a small-business owner. He spent 15 years working with emotionally handicapped children, which is what brought him and his wife, Lori, to Oregon. He worked at the Children's Farm Home for a short time and then commuted to Toledo for four years.
In 1985, his friend Jeff Hale suggested the two look into a new business opportunity called one-hour photo developing. Hale had seen the process advertised in an airline in-flight magazine during a business trip.
They purchased their first film developing machine from a manufacturer called Copal, which was eventually acquired by the international company Agfa.
Even as the men were remodeling the 750-square-foot octagonal building on the corner of Northwest Third Street and Harrison Boulevard - which previously had been a bank, a handbag shop and a fried chicken restaurant - people tried to drop off film. Their first steady customers were real estate agents, appraisers and lawyers, some of whom relocated their offices closer to the shop. They appreciated being able to drop off film at the drive-up window in the morning and pick it up on their way home, Rentz said.
Rentz bought out his friend's share of the business in the mid-1990s.
In 1991, Rush Hour Photo became the first U.S. West cellular retailer in Benton County.
"At the time, there were only 35 customers in all of Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties," Rentz said of the company that would become Verizon Wireless.
Although some might think it odd for a photo store to sell cellular phone service, Rentz said he saw it as an opportunity. It didn't take up much space in the shop, and his regular customers might appreciate being in contact even when they were out of the office.
"The first month, we didn't sell anything," Rentz said. "The next month, we sold one phone."
From wet labs that developed film, Rush Hour Photo transitioned into the digital era. Rentz was invited by Hewlett-Packard to review the HP Photosmart Studio system that would allow customers to not only print their own photos, but also create photo books, calendars and posters and save their photos onto CDs, including a preview book.
Rush Hour got the first lab on the market.
Fred and Kathy Lowther have been regular Rush Hour Photo customers for years.
"No one else's prints are as good," Fred Lowther said. "We come to Rush Hour because they take the time to fix our photos."
Manager Aileen Anderson has worked for Rentz for more than 15 years.
"We have watched each other's kids grow up," Anderson said. "Paul is laid-back and always willing to help other people. I couldn't have asked for a better person to work for."
The camera and photo processing portion of the business is closing.
The cellular portion of the business has been purchased by Phones Plus, which has eight other stores in Oregon and Idaho. After remodeling, the store is expected to reopen in May.
The public is invited to drop by the shop from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday to share memories and enjoy refreshments, Rentz said.
Alex Paul can be contacted at alex.paul@lee.net or by calling 758-9526.