Charlie Lenzo announces the closing of Lenzo Studio, which his father opened in 1947
NEWCOMERSTOWN − More than 120 family members, friends, and former employees gathered at Christ Methodist Church’s River of Life on April 13 to celebrate the retirement of Charles “Charlie” Lenzo, master photographer at Lenzo Studio Inc.
It was also the 75th anniversary of the business. Charlie's dad, Carl, purchased Bright Studio in 1947 and renamed it the Lenzo Studio.
People attending the festivity were treated to displays relating to Lenzo Studio such as photographs, fact boards, distinctions and more. Charlie said it was a nice event with so many people in attendance and to formally announce the closing of Lenzo Studio, due to his retirement in June 2023.
Charlie is a 1974 graduate of Newcomerstown High School and a 1978 graduate of Ohio University earning a bachelor of fine arts degree. In 1996, he received a master of photography degree from Professional Photographers of America and was a member of the Professional Photographers of Ohio and Professional Photographers of America. In addition, he is a former village council member, former president of the Professional Men’s Club, and past president of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Community Improvement Corporation.
“My love of photography began as a youngster. I spent a lot of time with my father at the studio. I started by sweeping, mopping floors, washing the front windows, putting displays together, and restocking shelves with merchandise. As I got older, I moved into the darkroom where I was taught how to process film and do black and white printing. I also assisted dad with weddings, family portraits, and newspaper photography. I have six siblings and as school and sports permitted, we all worked for my dad over the years,” Charlie said.
Charlie’s sister Karen added, “We were a close-knit family, and there was a lot of love and togetherness. I remember while working alongside my siblings and Dad, we all took the time to gather at home for lunchtime. We always had a wonderful time together and still do,” added Karen, Charlie's sister.
"It did not become a reality as my permanent occupation until after moving to Dayton and beginning a career as an architectural photographer," Charlie said. However, my heart kept telling me to go back home and work for my dad again. Then one day, I got a phone call from my mom asking if I could come home and take over the family business as my dad was having some health issues. As of 1982, I became the owner and operator of Lenzo Studio and in 1985, incorporated the business as Lenzo Studio, Inc.
"My dad started out in 1947 by not only taking pictures, but also added many types of items for sale at the studio including hobby shop games and crafts, transistor radios, records and record players, tape players, binoculars, televisions, and other comparable items. In 1951, he began providing school portraits in the Newcomerstown School system. I further enhanced the school photography to include five school districts which also led to taking pictures for school sports, dances, dance studios, yearbooks and then on to wedding photography and more.
"Even though I enjoyed every photography shoot, one highlight was photographing a wedding at West Pointe Academy. Another was photographing Ohio State football games for the Jeffersonian newspaper,” Charlie added.
Over the years that Charlie has owned the business, he employed 28 individuals with many being friends, teachers, family members, and students. Cindy Collins of Newcomerstown taught school at NHS. for several years before being employed by Lenzo Studio, Inc. She headed up the sales portion of the business for 26 years. “I had the best role because Charlie made my job easy, as his work was easy to sell”, Cindy said.
Ray Booth, retired editor of the Newcomerstown News and Daily Jeffersonian, also attended the party and said, “Charlie is a great example of a community-minded individual. Most people know he’s an award-winning photographer, but a lot of his community efforts were behind the scenes, from the pictures he took at local sporting events to creating unforgettable images in senior portraits or weddings. Newcomerstown and the surrounding area are better places because of Charlie and his family.”
Nathan Mayse, a teacher in the Newcomerstown District, worked for Charlie as time allowed for 10 years echoed the compliments of others stating, “Charlie was the best. My job was to focus on building the packages and making sure everything was correct. It was a very detail-oriented task, but one that never felt stressful. I think it was because of the work environment Charlie provided for us.”
"In retirement, I plan on spending time with my wife, Gale, traveling to places across the United States, photographing landscapes and wildlife. Also, I am extremely excited to be able to spend more time with my children and grandchildren," Charlie said.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Lenzo Studio closing as photographer and owner retires
