It’s 9:30 on a Saturday night at the corner of Granby and College Streets.

The booth. (Photo | Thom White)

In two and half hours the photobooth has taken 396 pictures, processed 99 prints and raised $138.98 to help homeless families in Hampton Roads. But with the fanfare from Art Everywhere’s opening night slowly dissipating and the native crowd beginning to crawl, Thom and I decide to shut ‘er down.  As I flick off the soft box and cut the lighting the photobooth’s interior, a young woman wanders over.

“So how many girls flashed the camera tonight?”

“No one, I don’t think. No one actually has the gumption.” She grins. She grabs a guy standing nearby and disappears behind the blue velvet curtain. I turn the lights back on.

I built my “MemoryBooth” a few months ago for a friend’s wedding, modeled on the one my brother built for my own wedding last June. At the time renting a photobooth cost upwards of $2,000 and for the same sum we figured we could just build it ourselves, renting it out and using it for our own parties. On Art Everywhere’s opening night, the photobooth is a perfect excuse to engage anyone walking down Granby Street.

A Danish family, returning from the Tattoo at Scope, is highly approving of Norfolk’s progressive character.

“Norfolk is always this artsy,” I tell them. “Actually, this is a really slow night. Too bad you can’t be here on Tuesday. Tuesdays are huge.”

A photo from the booth.

From a people-watching perspective, the most compelling faces belong to those who hadn’t a clue that Art was Everywhere. I watch 3 drunk guys squinting, jaws open, outside Harry’s BBQ.  “What the fuck, man! What the fuck is going on?!”  They’re confused, almost fearful, of the showcase around them. Their boarded-up reality has been shattered.

Over the course of the night I hang out with two different groups of high schoolers. Each enjoys the photobooth, but spends more time simply listening to music and sitting on the TCC steps. As much as we think of Granby Street as a place for restaurants, bars, and boutique shops, perhaps we’re overlooking it’s most basic draw: it’s a cool place to hang out.

At the center of that coolness, special thanks are due to Tidewater Community College for giving us the power (literally) to make the photobooth run. Without TCC, there would’ve been no lights-camera-action, no music to make people linger, and no donations to ForKids. Our plaza is a downtown treasure, and I hope we can do more events together soon. Thank you for accommodating us.