About
In July of 2014, Colonial Photo and Hobby (CPH) celebrated 60 years of service in the Central Florida community. In July of 1954, Don Rausch and his wife Bobbie opened the doors of Colonial Photo & Hobby in the general vicinity of where it stands today. We started with $3,000 in seed money and spent the funds on our first supply of cameras and film, hobbies and store fixtures. Sales at first were slow but steady, and we started to grow. In 1958 we moved to 643 N. Mills and expanded at the same time. We made the move from our old store to the new one in a single weekend. Great customers and employees helped to push merchandise across the street in boxes. As we continued to grow, our need for space grew right along with us. A few years later, we made another weekend move to 636 N. Mills Avenue. This location was next door to our current place of business. Twelve years of steady growth went by and we began once again to look for new space. Our Realtor approached us and wanted to know if we were interested in the property next door. This was the PUBLIX SUPER MARKET property that was for sale.
