Fotomat was a once widespread retail chain of photo development drive-thru kiosks located in shopping center parking lots. Fotomat Corporation was founded by Preston Fleet in San Diego, California in the 1960s, (the first kiosk was opened in Point Loma, California in 1965), and became a public company in 1971 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1977. At its peak around 1980 there were over 4,000 Fotomats throughout the United States, primarily in suburban areas. Fotomats were distinctive for their pyramid shaped gold-colored roofs and signs with red-lettering. They sold Kodak-brand film and other photography related products and promised one-day photo finishing. They hired young women to work in the small buildings and called them "Fotomates." Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or electronic sensor. ... A drive-through refers to a type of restaurant or part of a restaurant that serves customers in their vehicles. ... a pagoda-like kiosk in Lausanne. ... Preston Mitchell Fleet (1934-1995) (nicknamed Sandy) was the founder of Fotomat. ... San Diego redirects here. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Old Point Loma Lighthouse Jon Sullivan Point Loma is a scenic hill that sits atop San Diego Bay, in California, USA. Point Lomas well known landmark is the Cabrillo National Monument, named after Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Spain, the first European explorer to see San Diego Bay. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ...

Fotomat had both company-owned stores and franchises. This led to lawsuits between Fotomat and its franchisees over territories. Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom[1]) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor authorizes proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, fees and a percentage of sales or profits. ...

In the early 1980s, Fotomat Corporation was acquired by Konischiroku Photo Industry Ltd., which sold it to Konica Photo Imaging in 1986. It was later sold to Viewpoint Corporation in 2002. Konica ) was a Japanese manufacturer of, among other products, film, film cameras, camera accessories, photographic and photo-processing equipment, photocopiers, fax machines and laser printers. ... MetaCreations was a computer software company founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and RTG. John Wilczak, and Mark Zimmer, headed up initial operations before Wilczak and Krause left the company in 1998 and 1999 respectively. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

The company's main product, one-day development, was made obsolete by one-hour photo development. Fotomat's main product has since become the online digital photo software site Fotomat.com.

It is parodied as Fotohut in That '70s Show. That 70s Show, an American television sitcom, centers on the lives of a group of teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin, a fictional suburb of either Kenosha or Green Bay[1] from May 17, 1976 to December 31, 1979. ...

References

• Adaptive reuse: fotomat kiosks, '70s icons, given new life in a variety of ways - Up Front Los Angeles Business Journal, Jan 13, 2003 by Darrell Satzman

• History of Fotomat Corporation (brief)

External links

• Fotomat.com

Former locations (incomplete)

Stores were located in Texas, New Jersey,Iowa Florida, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia... (other states and locations needed)

California

Colorado

Connecticut

• Hartford
• Waterbury

District of Columbia

Delaware

Florida

Iowa

• Council Bluffs (X2)

Ohio

• Columbus
• Grove City

Oregon

Wisconsin

• Milwaukee

New York

• Williston Park

New Jersey

• Madison
• Parsippany, next to RS/Strass Auto Parts store.

Texas

• Dallas
• Garland, on Centerville, near I635

Georgia