The Tampa Photo and Art Supply Co. was started by the eldest Burgert brother, Will, in 1903 on Lafayette St (now Kennedy Blvd.). As the name states, they sold supplies for the art community and the ever-growing demand for photographic supplies. The popularity of cameras, film, and paper grew as technology developed and the public could take their own photos. The Burgert Brothers studio also bought their supplies here, and at one point, almost all of the Burgert family worked for the supply company. Also notable is Will's wife, Leona, who managed the store in a world of mostly male executives. Records indicate she got the store when she divorced Burgert and went on to sell it to Henry Cox, who bought the entire Burgert collection and resold it to the Hillsborough County Library.

The business moved to this building in 1932 and changed its name to Tampa Art Supply Co. It switched back to Tampa Photo Supply in 1947 when Cox and Robert Weekly bought it from the now-remarried Leona (Burgert) Price.  Cox took over the store when Weekly died in 1969. Before it closed in 1975, it was also known as Henry’s Cameras. That same year, Adams City Hatters moved in. The Kotler Group has now demolished the building, which recently purchased the block to build the 55-story condominium, One Tampa.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved