Photography Studio Moves To Dayton

DAYTON - After five months in Waitsburg, Bee Still Photography could be still no longer.

Bee Still Photography founder Belinda Cook de­cided it was time for a move in her personal life as well as professionally.

Cook was managing several businesses in a re­tail store-sized space and Bee Still's new location is at the front of a 5-acre lot at 101 Poverty Lane off Highway 12.

The studio and Cook's office are set off from the house she and husband Mike Cook recently moved into.

The studio and office space will be completely restored, not rebuilt or re­placed.

"It's small, but it's ours," Cook said.

Once the lot is cleaned up, Cook said she and her husband plan to build a house to replace the one currently on the lot.

"It was overwhelming moving the house and the studio at the same time," Cook said. "But we haven't missed or skipped a beat, we just kept hauling stuff."

Cook said she is excited and has a lot of plans for upcoming changes to the business.

"I have lots of ideas, I'm very excited," Cook said. "We'll see what happens."

Cook said she plans to have her grand opening on Dec. 13, but the time of the event is still to be an­nounced.

At her grand opening, Cook said she plans to have a gallery for people to browse while also show­casing the renovated studio area.

"We want to make (the gallery) a visitor's destina­tion," Cook said.

Cook has also expanded out to the Tri-Cities, and is open for booking from Thursday, Friday and Sat­urday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"I am always flexible for times and always willing to come to (anyone inter­ested)," Cook said.

Sandra Torres, owner of Nothing New Lodging in Waitsburg and Noth­ing New Antiques, where Cook's storefront formerly resided, said she decided in October that she wanted to take the space over again and use it as a lobby for the rooms.

"It's all worked out re­ally well," Torres said.

Torres and her husband Lupe Torres bought the space for Nothing New Lodging in 2004 and two years ago took a break from the business to allow Leroy Cunningham to try his hand at running the lodging. Last May, Torres and her husband took the business back.

"(Cunningham) did a good job," Torres said. "And we were glad to have the time off."

Torres said nobody seemed to have enough hours in the day to run Cook's photography shop, so the move made sense.

"We wish (Cook) well," Torres said.

Cook said Torres and her husband were great and supportive of the move out of the studio in Waits­burg and into Cook's new home.

Cook is still doing event photography and she said the biggest project she is working on right now is glamour shots.

To get in touch with Cook, call 509-337-3006 of find Bee Still Photography on Facebook.