When was the last time you held a cherished memory in your own hands?
Step inside one of just 200 analog photo booths left in the country, pull the curtains shut, and smile - make a memory that will last forever.
In today's digital world, where most photos disappear into phone galleries or get lost in the cloud, this hidden gem inside the old Niagara Frontier Food Terminal offers a truly genuine experience.
Michael Mitri’s passion for photography paved the way for his company, BuffaLoveBus, to provide this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I started with my photo booth business nine years ago, running it out of a Volkswagen hippie van, 1973 Volkswagen bus,” said Mitri. “I had really been a Volkswagen enthusiast all my life… and then I got a passion for photography, so I just combined the two passions together, and I turned a Volkswagen into a photo booth.”
That passion eventually led him to stumble upon a rare vintage photo booth, tucked away for decades inside Frizzy’s, a local Buffalo bar on Allen Street.
“I was on Facebook Marketplace when I found the analog photo booth,” he recalled. “I think I kind of got lucky because I found out that people from all over the country inquired about buying it.”
He set out to fully restore the booth, making it the only working analog photo booth in Western New York.
Once in his studio, the booth became the centerpiece of what Mitri now calls the Analog Photo Booth experience.
“I begin by giving people a little bit of a history lesson about the building that the photo booth is in…Then I bring it to a history of the photo booth itself. Then I talk about how the photo booth works, a little behind the scenes of the machine itself and the camera and the flash and the chemistry. Then guests take their photo.”
Unlike the common photo booths we see today, the BuffaLoveBus experience offers quiet, privacy and time to make the moment your own.
“Guests have a chance to bring props. They can hang up different backdrops and really enjoy the experience and take their time when they take their photo,” the owner explained.
After the photos are taken, Mitri takes the extra step to personalize the photos even further.
“I scan the photo for them, and then I AirDrop every individual photo to their phone, and I also print out individual photos as 4x6 copies of all their photos,” he shares.
He’s even offering special add-ons: “I’ve been stretching it a little bit more by adding two different add-ons to the experience, where people can buy little mini photos of their photo strips, something cute to have. And then opposite of that, I’m offering extra large photo strips…It’s really wall art, something unique.”
The result is an experience that blends nostalgia with artistry. Each session is relaxed, personal and a great reminder to live in the present. Mitri reminds us that each photo is unique and tells a story.
For Mitri, that’s the beauty of the booth - its honesty. Unlike digital photos that can be deleted or edited, analog photo booths give people something real, a moment frozen in time.
So stop by! You can find Mitri at @buffalovebus on Instagram and TikTok - he would love to have you!
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
