KING CITY — After 35 years of photographing hundreds of thousands of people in South County, King City Photo Center and Custom Framing owner Alex Arce will hang up his camera at the end of the month as he enters retirement life.
“As you can see, I’m starting to clear out,” the 62-year-old said, pointing to empty shelves where framed photos of his work once sat at the studio.
Arce, who has owned the Photo Center since 1982, will officially close the business on July 31.
“I’m going to be sad, but I’m also going to be excited,” he said. “It’s a different chapter in my life.”
The Texas native has been interested in photography ever since he was young. He took photos for his high school’s yearbook and developed aspirations of becoming a photojournalist while attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock. There, he became a certified photo lab technician while working for Kodak and won several awards for his photography.
“I’ve always been involved in photography,” Arce said.
One day, while visiting family in California, he met his wife Elizabeth and eventually moved to King City to be with her. He freelanced in South County for a while, taking photos for weddings and portraits, in addition to teaching photography classes at Hartnell College. He also worked at the Photo Center, which was owned by another gentleman at the time.
Arce, then 27, took over the business in 1982, when the previous owner retired. In 1992, he moved the business to its current location at 431 Broadway St., where he created a portrait studio in the back and developed his own print lab. He also made custom frames for customers.
“People ask, ‘Why have you been here so long?’ I love what I do,” he said. “It’s a hobby to me.”
For the past three-and-a-half decades, Arce estimates that he has snapped photos of more than 300,000 people in the community for portraits, weddings, school sports, passports and special events like the Salinas Valley Fair — and he wouldn’t take any of it back.
“I really enjoy photographing people. I have a knack for it,” he said. “I’m going to miss that the most.”
Arce isn’t completely giving up photography. He plans to take on side jobs at home.
“I’m by no means going to stop,” he said.
He will, however, be spending more time with his family. He and his wife have three daughters and three grandsons, with a fourth grandson on the way. Arce said he also hopes to volunteer and give back to the community that has supported him over the past 35 years.
“I don’t think any business can be in business as long as 35 years without support,” he said.
Anyone who would like to wish Arce good luck in his retirement may stop by the Photo Center anytime between now and next Monday.
“I’ve truly loved this community, and the people, well you can’t beat ’em,” Arce said. “It’s a sad thing, but at the same time, I have to move on and allow someone else to come in.”
