After finding piles of portraits in an abandoned studio, man finds a way to get them to rightful families


All he was supposed to do was go into an abandoned photo studio and measure the space, but when architect Brian Bononi entered the room, he knew he couldn't walk away from the stacks of family portraits set to be tossed in the trash.
Bononi thought about how long it took the families in the pictures to get ready for their photo shoot, and the logistics in getting everyone to the studio on time. "My heart sank every time I looked at the pile," Bononi told The Washington Post. "I knew that those photos meant a lot to the people who were in them and that they'd be gone forever if I didn't do something."
The Portrait Innovations studio in Kansas City, Missouri, abruptly closed after the nationwide chain went bankrupt, blindsiding customers. Bononi decided he would do whatever he could to get the portraits left behind in the studio to the right families, before they were thrown away by the space's next occupant. His family helped him transfer the portraits from the studio to their house, and they began calling people whose names and numbers were attached to the portraits.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So far, the Bononi family has been able to contact 63 customers by phone. They are still trying to find the owners of unmarked portraits, and have taken photos and posted them on Facebook. Lisa and Nickolas Ruffcorn were longtime Portrait Innovations clients, taking their three daughters in every year for pictures. Lisa had a canvas print made from their last session, and when she went to pick it up, was devastated to find the studio shuttered. "We're so grateful to Brian and his family for caring enough to get the pictures out of the closed store and taking the time and energy to find the affected families," she told the Post. "We figured we'd never get them." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump tariffs place trucking industry in the crosshairs
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the White House barrels ahead with its massive tariff project, American truckers are feeling the heat from a global trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US