Pictured: Stephanie Csornok
Here’s a common quandary for many families: what do you do with that tote of family photos, negatives, picture albums and home movies? Taking these treasures to the curb would be tragic. After all, boxes like this are where family history lives — both the stories that can inspire future generations and reminders of beautiful, well-lived lives.
As founder and owner of Digital Downsizing, Stephanie Csornok, reminds people, “Every day counts. The clock’s ticking, especially on video. VHS, for instance, will degrade about 10 to 20 percent every 10 years.”
Stephanie started Digital Downsizing when she was tasked with preserving her own family’s genealogy. “I actually found photos from my parents’ honeymoon. My mom got emotional when she saw those,” Stephanie said. “They’ve been sitting in a box forever, and, you know, stuff like that doesn’t deserve to sit in a box.”
As Stephanie worked to preserve the memories and history of her own family, it occurred to her that no one in the Black Hills was providing this kind of full service restoration and preservation of photos, video and audio. So, in 2017, Stephanie started offering her services to the public, and the response has been remarkable. From audio recordings on vinyl, to 8 and 16 millimeter film, Stephanie is able to restore and digitize practically any media format.
But she does emphasize that once a reel or a photo degrades to a certain point, there’s very little that can be done to restore it, and it could be potentially lost forever. “That’s why, if you’re thinking about doing this, don’t delay. Do it now!”
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Rapid City, SD 57702