Liquidation sale set for June 8-13

After more than a century of preserving memories for local families, Morin's Studio has closed its doors, marking the end of a business that has been woven into the fabric of the community since 1922.

Closing the family business was a difficult decision, says Sue Morin Schoenberg, citing “family health issues and changing times” as the primary reasons for closing the Pine Street business. “Milford is not the town we grew up in. We enjoyed a vital downtown and local businesses provided all the services you might need. Store owners were united in a partnership that, unfortunately, doesn’t exist today.” 

Morin’s Studio & Camera Shop at 14 Pine Street has closed after 104 years in business. It will hold a liquidation sale from June 8-13. Photo credit: Theresa Knapp

 Throughout its 104-year history, Morin's built its reputation on hard work, customer service, and a commitment to quality. Generations of local residents trusted the studio to document life's milestones from weddings and graduations to family portraits and special celebrations.

“We watched generations of local families grow up, and we are sure there isn’t a home in the area that doesn’t have at least one photo from Morin’s,” said Schoenberg. She credits her father, Clarence Morin – who died in 2024 at the age of 98 - for the studio’s success.

“He was the core of our business and his example of fair dealings, and doing your best to provide a good product and customer service, left an impact on all of us and helped guide us for so many years,” said Schoenberg. 

Over the past century, the photography industry itself has changed dramatically. What once required technical expertise in lighting, film, and manual camera controls has become increasingly automated through digital technology and smartphone apps.

"Now everyone is a ‘photographer,’" said Schoenberg. "Results are immediate, and flaws can be corrected with an app. You really can't compare the two."

Among the countless memories accumulated over the years, one story stands out to Schoenberg. While booking her wedding photography, a bride-to-be shared that as a little girl she would walk past Morin's Studio and admire the wedding portraits displayed in the window. The bride told her, "I hoped that someday my wedding picture would be there;" and it was. 

As news of the closure continues to spread, customers are responding with an outpouring of support, sharing messages of gratitude, disbelief, and appreciation for the role the studio played in preserving their family histories.

Schoenberg said the Morin family is most proud of its work ethic and commitment to its customers over the years, and it is the customers they will miss the most. 

“The people who supported us for so many years became the basis of our success. To those customers, the Morins say, "You were more than just customers; you became extended family to us all."