Ann and Hope
05 September 2014 -- 248/365
Cumberland, Rhode Island
For years, the Ann and Hope outlet was a Rhode Island fixture. The mill complex, built in the late 19th century, is the dark brick structure, and the outlet store was the white brick you see in the background. The interior of the store retained a mill feeling, with creaky wooden floors, and an old textile smell that was characteristic of these "mill outlets" as almost all department stores were called at the time. As a kid, I loved going to this store. I was fascinated by the conveyer system they had to move shopping carts between the first floor and the basement. Naturally, I was always disappointed when they wouldn't let kids ride in the carts while on that conveyer lift. The store went out of business a decade ago, although there's a small subset still open as a garden shop.
Post processing started with a neutral filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, protect highlights, and details. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
Such a great shot that is obviously full of memories for you! How great to be able to come back here after all those years and capture a photo of it! :)
