To film, or not to film? Lakeland Lab opening a St. Pete location

Take a picture, it’ll last longer.

Lakeland Film Lab, which recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its flagship store (in Lakeland), is opening a St. Petersburg location this summer, at 2821 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District.

Like the Lakeland location, St. Pete’s shop will offer film processing and scanning services as well as a diverse selection of film – the current inventory includes 17 different types of 35 mm film and 10 varieties of 120 film.  The Grand Central location will have classes and community events, and will expand its offerings to include a community darkroom and camera rentals.

Nick Buttrey, who owns the company with his wife Elizabeth, explained the decision to expand into Pinellas County:

The St. Pete location will have a branded photo booth (like this one in Lakeland) where customers can stop in and snap pictures.

“St. Pete is just a very different vibe, and we felt like it really matched the energy of Lakeland, but we also saw that there’s something missing,” Buttrey said. “We had a lot of customers, surprisingly from St. Pete, so we knew that what we were doing in Lakeland is something that people in St. Pete were wanting.”

In a world that is becoming increasingly tech-dependent, a store dedicated to the analog art of film photography may seem archaic, but worldwide trends prove otherwise — wholesale film sales increased by 126% from 2020 to 2026. Buttrey believes that the “felt experience” of film is what’s fueling the renewed interest in the craft.

“Film photography has been around for a long time,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll ever go away. As we approach this age of AI, I think there’s going to be a stronger need for something that’s real.

“And I think that’s film photography, because you have a very physical medium where you can look at — you can take a look at the negative, and you can see for a fact that it was real, and I think that’s important.”

The storefront in St. Pete fills a void in the film development market in the city. While Zebra-Color on Central offers some film services, Lakeland Films will be the only full-service lab exclusively dedicated to film photography.

The self-proclaimed “everyday film lab for the everyday shooter,” Lakeland Film Lab’s mission to make photography more accessible for the community.

“The main goal from the beginning was just to keep film processing prices as low as possible, so we don’t price people out of this hobby and this passion that we all share for film photography,” explained Buttrey.

“I just felt like the prices were continuing to rise, and if the goal is to get more people to shoot film and to keep film photography alive, I felt like we were just pricing people out of wanting to continue to shoot film or even just get started shooting.”

The store is designed to provide a place for people to gather and talk shop. There will be seating and a rotating cast of beverage pop-ups throughout the year, and the shop will have the colorful aesthetic of its popular Lakeland location.

“I want it to be a spot where somebody can come in, they can learn about film photography, they can ask questions,” said Buttrey. “They can buy film or buy a camera, sit down, get a drink, load their camera and kind of just hang around.”

Despite expanding into St. Pete, Lakeland Film Lab is adamant about keeping its name as a testament to its roots.

“We’re proud of where we started. I love the city, I’ve given a lot to the city, and I’ve learned a lot from the city. With opening in St. Pete, [we’re] bringing that identity with us, so that’s why we’re not changing the name. Lakeland is the brand.”

Lakeland Film Lab’s Instagram at @LakelandFilmLab. Opening date announcement coming soon.