A staple of the Warrenton business community is taking a step back to reimagine its business model in trying economic times.
McClanahan Camera, which has operated since 1961, will be “pausing” the business as it exists on Feb. 20 and “exploring a way to come back as a smaller entity,” general manager Cindy Ellis told FauquierNow.
“Cost of doing business has risen greatly with tariffs so we will need to reimagine our business model,” she wrote in an email.
The business provides a wide range of services from color film development and photo restoration to custom framing, passport photos and private lessons. Ellis said the business will still offer some services during the pause but will be open by appointment only.
Robert “Pooch” McClanahan, Ellis’ father, opened the shop in 1961 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He operated it for decades with his wife, Bridget, and the shop evolved over time with photography technology. Bridget McClanahan died in 2023.
Ellis, who briefly left the area to pursue nursing, returned to Warrenton to start her family. A temporary role with her parents’ business eventually turned into a career.
“Their work ethic, their attention to detail, and their ability to see the future of the photography business has shaped me and made the business into what it is today,” Ellis said of her parents in 2023.
The business is in a building at 306 Lee Highway with a storied history in the town dating back nearly a century. Constructed in 1937, it was first the Swanee Tavern before operating as Rockwood Hall, a place to dance and drink, for nearly two decades.
