VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After decades of capturing vacation memories at the Oceanfront, Memory Lane Old Time Photos is preparing to close its doors for good at the end of the month.
"I gave it everything I had," Joey Funaro, owner of Memory Lane Old Time Photos, said.
Funaro, who took over the business in 2017, described the shop as a longtime Oceanfront landmark known for its costumes and old-time photographs. Since opening in the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of visitors have posed for photos inside the store.
“I saw the enjoyment. I saw the memories that we built,” Funaro said.
Funaro said several challenges contributed to the decision to close, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rising rent costs, renovations to the shop and violence at the Oceanfront that he believes has driven away customers and employees.
“I’m having difficulty hiring high school and younger kids down here because their parents don’t want them to come work with the danger down here, and I don’t blame them,” Funaro said. “Not only is everything doubling, but I’m losing opportunity by not hiring enough people.”
Funaro said that after the pandemic, business had never felt the same
Because of those factors, Funaro said he decided to shut down the business and sell off its cameras, sets and costumes to another old-time photo shop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
“I’m having to dump all of the costumes and merchandise that I spent my life savings on, and I’m not getting what I paid for them,” Funaro said.
Despite the closure, Funaro said he is proud of the memories the business created for Oceanfront visitors over the years.
“I’m fulfilled because every time somebody tells me they’re sad we’re closing, I know we did the right thing,” Funaro said. “It’s just the circumstances around us. Anytime you buy a business, you'd better think of everything.”
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