"Why Cover Studio?"
Location.......504 Main Street........Downtown Johnstown
Neighboring Central Park.........Across from Rite Aid
Look for a door situated next to Capri Pizza tucked under a rust-covered red and white awning.
Don't blink, you may miss the doorway leading up to Cover Studio.
You may feel as though you have stepped back in time, or that you are taking a walk through history, however you are stepping into an historic studio that is full of 67 years of photography experience and professional services.
In 1941, Joseph E. Cover, filled with a passion for photography, set out to establish a quality photography studio using his exceptional marketing expertise. Joseph E. Cover Photography began.
We soon settled into our present location of 504 Main Street, and in 1945 Joe photographed the VJ Day parade from the same upstairs windows we look out today. The studio flourished with baby contests, beauty contests, and many other promotional activities. This is when Joe's brothers Jim and Paul joined the studio. We had our own darkrooms, processed our own film, and printed all the photographs right here in our own lab. Since we were one of the very few photography studios in the area, we began bustling with activity, and two daily shifts of employees were not uncommon.
Tragedy struck in 1952 when Joe died suddenly at a very young age. However, Jim and Paul kept the passion of photography alive and continued on with the family business. In 1953 we became incorporated and took on the new name of Cover Studio.
All of Jim and Paul's children worked in the studio at some point during their lives. Today that passion for photography is still running deep through the veins of Jim's youngest son, Park O. Cover. He is now the sole owner of Cover Studio, and a most qualified and sought after photographer.
Park began working at the studio after school starting in 7th grade. After high school he attended the Winona School of Professional Photography in Warsaw, IN. This is where he met and fell in love with his wife, Jane, while she was modeling as a bride for a photo shoot. Thirty two years later she also is working in the family business.
The studio entered the digital age of photography in 2001. Invigorated by the changes and challenges of this new technology, Park and Jane's daughter, Molly, joined the family business full time.
Today our darkrooms quietly sit, full of empty machines now deprived of the chemicals they needed during the days of the film era. Four state-of-the-art computers now do all the negative and film processing.
What does a photographer do with all this old equipment, once so valuable, now worth pennies?
What does a photographer do with a library full of negatives dating back to the 40's, preserving thousands of people's family history?
What does a photographer do with generations of old yearbooks from local schools?
Why has Cover Studio remained on 504 Main Street for 67 years?
Why, to quote a customer, "Climb two mountainous flights of stairs" to be greeted by the friendly family at Cover Studio?
Because...From the moment you reach the top of that mountain, you will be met with service, quality, and expertise comparable to no other. We believe in our past, our experience, how downtown used to be, and all that downtown Johnstown still has to offer. From the moment you reach the top of our stairs you will be greeted with the utmost attention and service. You will be provided with quality, perfectionism, perseverance, courtesy, and professionalism. These are the traits that have been passed on in the blood throughout three generations of the Cover family. We are not happy until every necklace is straight and every shirt wrinkle is gone. From the camera room to the digital darkroom, we take great pride in bestowing upon your family a valuable heirloom. Our photographs are an investment in your family's history that will be treasured for many generations.
Let us help you preserve your family legacy. |
