Huntsville’s photo game is about to be next level.
At the end of the week, not one, but two interactive selfie businesses will be up and running. The first question you might have: What is an interactive selfie business? I wasn’t exactly sure myself, so I headed over to A Complete Vibe Museum and Snapshot Huntsville to find out.
A Complete Vibe
NOTE: As of August 17, A Complete Vibe has announced that it is permanently closed.
My first visit was to A Complete Vibe Museum on Sparkman Drive. The building stands alone in front of GameStop and Hibbet Sports, and used to be a bridal studio. The owner of A Complete Vibe, Cheri, hosted myself and some friends to experience her newly opened “interactive selfie museum.” Cheri’s selfie museum has tons of different vibes that will generate creativity, happiness, and imagination. She encourages you to come and catch tons of social media worthy pictures, videos and boomerangs.
As soon as our group walked in everyone’s heads were turning, taking in the detailed and exciting backgrounds that we could saw. As a late 80s baby, it was hard to not get insanely excited about the Mario & Luigi themed room, as wells as the 90s Vibe room. Isa, who just turned 4, was clearly in wonderment. When asked where she wanted to start, she pointed right at the large jungle themed room. Isa and her parents, Kelsey and Ted, got thrown right into a photo shoot as I started taking pictures of them with each animal, trees and royal jungle thrown. We spent the next hour running from background to background, posing with 19 different themes and props.
Cheri originally bought the old bridal shop to be an event space. After learning about some large hurdles she would face with legal requirements of an event space, and COVID-19, she wasn’t sure if she was going to ever get the chance to start a business. Luckily, a day of brainstorming with a friend had her coming up with the idea to have a location that photographers could come take awesome pictures of clients, which turned into a place where everyone can come in and take awesome pictures. She already had a lot of the items she used for backgrounds (they were going to be decorations for parties), she just needed to figure out how to bring everything together.
Impressively, for 9 months Cheri ripped up pink tiles, laid new flooring, painted over pink walls, put up drywall and decorated everything. A Complete Vibe Museum is a true labor of love for Cheri, and you can tell from the moment you enter the building.
Patrons must book online to purchase tickets, and the price is by the hour. Groups and individuals can also rent out the space, whether it’s for a professional photo shoot, or a birthday. Follow A Complete Vibe Museum on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Snapshot Huntsville
In a different part of town, around the same time, two friends were cooking up the idea of starting an interactive selfie studio. After experiencing a selfie studio in Kentucky, Andre Love-Hosea brought the idea to close friend Torrance Sellers, and it took off from there. Andre and Torrance were quick to tell me they each have different tastes, one being “cheap” and the other being “bougie.” From what I can tell, the differences balance them out, and they decided on a great location in Parkway Place Mall. The space is filled with 15+ different areas that you can take pictures with and have fun.
For my Snapshot Huntsville experience, I brought three different friends, and it was fun seeing Tia, Kim, and Steven experience an interactive selfie museum for the first time. Something about all the props and backgrounds turn adults into big kids almost immediately. My favorite space is the laundry room, because there are two bubble guns you can fight your arch-nemesis with. The affirmation wall was the overall group favorite, and we left some great quotes for y’all to read!
Andre and Torrance are dedicated to not only having a thriving business, they want to give back to the community. Both mentioned wanting to support Madison County charities, starting off with ones that benefit artists in the area. They will also be supporting local artists with their “Huntsville Wall,” which will feature different murals throughout the year. The mural that will debut on their opening day (Saturday, July 17) is by Korteze Scales. Both owners are excited to swap out different backgrounds as holidays come and go, and keeping the experience fresh for guests.
Patrons must book online to purchase tickets, and the price is by the hour. Groups and individuals can also rent out the space. Follow Snapshot Huntsville on Facebook and Instagram.
Discounts
A Complete Vibe Museum is offering a discount code for We Are Huntsville readers. Use code “WEAREHSV” at checkout.
Snapshot Huntsville has a 20% off code for their Grand Opening (Saturday, July 17) for the first 100 tickets purchased. Use code “GRAND” at checkout.
I loved visiting both locations and speaking with incredibly passionate entrepreneurs. Each owner wants to give back to the community, and provide spaces for people to have fun and smile. A Complete Vibe Museum and Snapshot Huntsville have very different backgrounds, so make sure you visit both and support local businesses!
Ashley Polesak has spent the last 10 years living her best life in Huntsville, Alabama. She loves to explore all of the things that Huntsville and the surrounding areas have to offer and is a big proponent for scouting out local experiences. Ashley lives and breathes the outdoors and recreation opportunities in the area, you are very likely to run into her at a park or on a hiking trail. If she has her two rescue dogs with her, Oba and Twyla, please excuse their over-excitement, they are currently being trained and it’s a work in progress! If she had to describe herself in television characters she would choose 1/4 Eleanor Shellstrop, 1/4 Leslie Knope, 1/4 April Ludgate and 1/4 Margaery Tyrell.
Thank you so very much Ashley for visiting A Complete Vibe Museum! I absolutely enjoyed having you and your guest come out and get some great pictures. Have an amazing weekend