For years, Walter’s Boot & Shoe Repair has been located just steps from our studio. And for more years than we’ve been in existence, they’ve been firmly planted in the Downtown Rogers community, repairing shoes and leather goods. To walk into the shop these days is equal parts intrigue and nostalgia. The shop has been somewhat updated since the original owner, Carl Walter retired years ago. These days, his nephew Aaron, his wife Kim, their son Cody, and a talented hat maker named Clara work in the shop. And while you can finally use credit cards to pay for your repairs or purchases, many of the original details were thoughtfully left or repurposed in the shop. Most of the machines are original to the shop, some dating back to the late 40’s. And yet they still work as good as when they were new, thanks to Aaron’s knowledge and care. Awhile back, we had the opportunity to hang out in the shop with the purpose of creating some photo and video content. And today on the blog, we’re excited to share a bit of both. Please enjoy this All American story of history and craftsmanship.

Hello and welcome to the last blog post of 2021. Traditionally, we have shared our favorite images from the past year. Of course, we have a lot of favorites and so our posts have pretty much been a photodump smorgasbord from the past year. This year, challenged ourselves to find and share 21 photos from the past year, along with a short blurb or story behind each one. So without further adieu, here they are. Enjoy.

Philip & Jared / Novo Studio

Say hello to Mavis Wine Company, a brand new and already-popular business in Downtown Rogers. Owners Jeffery and Meghan opened up the small wine shop / bodega / eating establishment recently, after moving from Los Angeles. Coming from the film industry, the two decided they needed new experiences and a somewhat slower pace of life.

We recently interviewed them for a Go Downtown Rogers social media feature and we are also sharing the photos, along with the interview here on the blog. It’s a good read and their space photographs extremely well. But if you don’t make a trip down here to try their delicious food and wine in person, you will TRULY be missing out.

(Click to read more)

Say hello to our next door neighbors, the hardworking architects and construction workers that are currently renovating “The Opera House”. Built in the late 1800’s, this gem-of-a-building occupies the corner block of…

How do you compile a decade’s worth of images and stories into a single blog post? If you ever figure it out, please let me know. In the meantime, this a best attempt at highlighting some of the ongoing clients, fun jobs and unique ingredients that have compiled the last 10 years of Novo Studio.

Enjoy.

6 years ago when I first started this series, Carl Walter was the first person I featured and he will forever be the toughest act to follow. I would try to sum up my experience in talking with him if I could. But you just can’t summarize a 3 hour long conversation filled with humble beginnings and war stories and everything in between, so here’s a link to go back and read it for yourself.

Fast forward to today, where Aaron and Kim Walter have

Almost directly across the street from the studio is The Rusty Chair, an eclectic store filled with cool vintage finds, unique decor and…well…to be quite honest, stuff you never thought you’d see. Take for example the…

A heartfelt thank you to all of my friends and clients who made 2017 such a memorable year. This blog post contains some of my favorite commercial and lifestyle images from 2017. I couldn't pick just a few favorites, so there's a lot. Send me your medical bills for injuries related to excessive scrolling and Have a Happy New Year. 

Say hello to the Honeycomb Kitchen Shop. A newer establishment in the Downtown Rogers, area, Honeycomb is everything you will love about a boutique kitchen shop with a few added bonuses...

I must confess, with a fair amount of embarrassment, that visiting, photographing and writing about this wonderful next door neighbor of mine has been on my to-do list for quite sometime. Sure, we see each other in the comings and goings of everyday downtown life. When my kids were born, Myra (one of the owners) showed up at my studio with some gifts. And there happens to be a sign on my door that instructs personnel to deliver my packages next door when I am not present to accept and sign for them. To that end, you could say that I visit the bookshop next door quite a bit. But I’ve made a bad habit of never stopping long enough slow down, take it all in and enjoy the cozy atmosphere and the wide selection of books at my almost-immediate disposal. And that is a shame, because I love books.

New Year, New Restaurant. From the same two geniuses who brought you The Rail Pizza Company, meet The Parkside Public: A Burger Company. The new restaurant is opening in downtown Rogers early 2015. We were fortunate enough to get a tour of the space and a sampling of the food. Both are without a doubt, awesome. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect. 

For years, Kelly Miller of Millcreek Software had his company office just around the corner from our studio here in downtown Rogers. That was until a newly renovated building came up for sale and Kelly jumped at the chance to purchase. He now shares this beautiful, historic building with Doc4 Design and Field Agent, a company Kelly helped found and now serves as the Chief Technology Officer. With plans to launch a new website, Kelly invited us to create some images of the new space and also, collaboration between team members. Here's a few of our favorite images. Enjoy. 

We wanted take a moment to sincerely thank our intern Alex for all his hard work and dedication this summer. Alex, who’s last name has such an impossible spelling that we given up trying to include it with his first name, photographed a number of weddings with us during April, May and June. He traveled with us out of state for a few of those weddings and he was with us when all the chaos with #thethomastwins started. He quietly sat in the back of our Subaru while I drove like a maniac in the middle of the night to rush my wife to the hospital and he helped calm an irate police officer down and save me from, what I presume would’ve been a hefty speeding ticket upon our arrival in Ft. Smith. His friendly, yet sarcastic personality was a great addition to our summer schedule as were his incredible images. And his relentless work ethic will undoubtedly carry him far in photography and in life.

Meet Victoria. She makes the best bread around here and she makes it from scratch everyday. She owns a little restaurant across the street and a little bit to the left of our studio space. We like her and her restaurant so much that we've slowly been working out a plan to help narrow her focus of food offerings and rebrand her establishment with her bread as the spotlight. We've had a few meetings with her to talk through details and during those meetings, I've snapped a few photos with my iPhone; partly for inspiration in moving forward with the new vision and partly because I just can't help myself. Enjoy :)

If I had to pick one word to sum up the year, I don't know what it would be. I suppose you can't pick just one word to sum up anything. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  And this blog post, with it's "20+" images would mathematically be more words than I would care to list out here. But hopefully, these images in some small way, begin to describe how much fun we've had being creative in 2013 (and quite possibly, late 2012). We're truly thankful for this last year and we're very excited for the next. Onward and Enjoy. 

Meet Austin Hobbs, a freelance Graphic Designer, an ultra-creative and all around good guy. I've known Austin since college and for the past few years, he's worked in the design industry at Resource Design and then, Saatchi & Saatchi X. Throughout his career though, he's always dabbled in freelance work and now, he's switching over to that full time. 

Awhile back, we started a series on the blog entitled "Meet Our Neighbors" and in fact, Austin is not only our new neighbor, we're very excited to announce...

Let me begin this feature with a heartfelt thank you. The idea to "meet our neighbors" started as a personal endeavor, partly to get to know the other people and businesses around our studio and partly to hone my writing skills. But an even bigger reason why we're doing this is because we find value in taking the time to offer deeper glimpses into ordinary lives. In this fast-paced day and age, we oftentimes skim the surfaces of each other when in truth, the really interesting stuff lies further down. Little did I realize the inspiration that would flare up or the stories that would unfold as a result. Just two features in and I'm already receiving more encouraging words and warm compliments than I ever expected. I would be foolish to think however that these have anything to do with pretty pictures or carefully formed words. Instead, I believe that these "deeper glimpses" resonate with readers because they reinforce the fact that we are all just people and we all have attached to us, a unique set of circumstances and experiences. These in turn, mold us and shape us and give us the unique life in which we live. Many thanks to the people who have agreed to take time out of their busy lives and schedules to share with me and a great many thanks to all the people who have read and responded so kindly.

And now without further adieu, I'm going introduce you to some Opticians :)

It’s almost impossible to truly define Brick Street Botanical as a business. Although they sell flowers, they’re technically not a flower shop. They sell plants too, but they are not a nursery. They even sell antiques but alas, they aren’t an antique shop either. The best description of Brick Street Botanical is that like us, they’re a creative business. But instead of using computers and cameras, they use flowers, plants and a combination of found antiques and salvaged materials to create beautiful and organic works of art. 

Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts where we’ll introduce you to the people who live and work around our studio. This project came about in part because of the diverse businesses and people surrounding our small studio space. As a creative company, we are also interested in creating personal projects that challenge us and allow us to grow as creative story tellers and artistic visionaries. Every month, we’ll focus on a different downtown Rogers business. This month, we chatted it up with Carl Walter, a 91 year old shoe repairman who works a few doors down from our space. As you can imagine, he’s quite the character. We hope you enjoy his story and the photos that follow.