TROPICOLOR PRINT STUDIO
LOCAL FAMILY BUSINESS
HAS GROWN AND EVOLVED
WITH THE ART DECO DISTRICT
T
ropicolor is a well-known Miami Beach
community business that has been
established for 30 years. They are
successful because of their ability to stay
ahead of the trends and keep up with the ever
changing technology in their industry. As we
celebrate the “Art of Architecture”, we think of
our friend and sponsor Tropicolor, who makes
art possible with their services.
Tropicolor was established in 1986 by
the Chien brothers, Tom and John. Since
their opening decades ago, they have been
committed to the principle of quality photo
printing.
Tropicolor is a staple on Alton Road. The
booming printing business has been there
since the mid 80s. However, Tropicolor’s
building was built in 1935 and was originally
home to a photo lab. The building has never
know anything but photo printing. In fact,
some of Tropicolor’s best clients have been
visiting 1441 Alton Road for photo services
long before they even established Tropicolor
and have remained loyal customers of
Tropicolor ever since.
In 1986 when Tropicolor moved in to 1441
Alton, they started with a humble black and
white dark room. At this time all the processing
was done manually. However as technology
changed, the Chien brothers were determined
to keep up with the trends. Within a year, they
were printing in color, just in time to be a part
of historic transformation of the South Beach
and the preservation movement.
Soon the one-hour photo prints were all
the rage and with help from their parents, the
Chien brothers transformed Tropicolor into a
one-hour photo lab. Tropicolor’s colorful and
quick photo development services held steady
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ART DECO WEEKEND
John Chien, one of the two brothers who
founded Tropicolor during the early days of the
business. The store’s exterior below in1986.
throughout the 90s in Miami Beach.
“Horowitz colors” and the fashion industry
were a perfect fit for Tropicolor Print Studio.
The new millennium arrived and so did
digital printing. Tropicolor once again changed
with the times. By the year 2000