Self-centered: Indianapolis woman launches a selfie museum in Castleton

0

As someone who loves to travel, Chesia Torrence has visited many big cities and noticed that Indianapolis was missing one of her favorite attractions: a selfie museum.

Torrence, who owns The Silver Centre Event Hall in Indianapolis, said she conducted a pop-up selfie museum at her event center in April 2021 to gauge interest.

“It went so great (that) when it was time to close it, we wanted to find a permanent location,” said Torrence, who lives in Indianapolis.

Torrence opened The Selfie Centre at 6020 E. 82nd St., Suite 1501, in Castleton Square Mall in December 2021.
The Selfie Centre feature social media-friendly sets in which guests pay for one hour of time and then take selfies in the sets. Customers are provided with a Bluetooth ring light for optimal photo lighting.

“I got the idea because I do a lot of traveling for fun with my children, and there are selfie museums everywhere. It’s all super trendy. They are all attached to a mall or in a mall or shopping center,” Torrence said. “I saw a need and filled a need. You take as many selfies as you can in an hour. It’s great for networking or holiday parties.”

During her travels, Torrence saw two selfie museums in Las Vegas, two in Texas, three in Georgia and one in Florida.

“They’re just absolutely everywhere,” Torrence said. “We didn’t have one in (Indianapolis).”

The Selfie Centre in Castleton has 26 sets, which Torrence designs. They include two Valentine’s Day-themed sets; a bathtub; a “Dirty Money” set; and a Forbes magazine set, among others. The Selfie Centre is open for private shoots only on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; noon to 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Entry is $20 per person on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $28 per person Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“I wanted to keep it at that price point because when I was in Vegas or California, those are $48 for one hour and Indy will never go for that,” Torrence said.

Torrence said designing the sets aligns with her skill set.

“I’m naturally creative as an event designer and have been doing events for 23 years, so I have a full notebook of ideas,” Torrence said. “I had to hone (in) on which ones others will enjoy the most. The bathtub is always popular at all of the museums. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel too much as it relates to selfie museums, but I wanted to put my own spin on the sets we do have.”

Torrence said her business continues to grow.

“We have been getting a lot of walk-ups where people are saying, ‘What is this?’” Torrence said. “When the weather breaks, things are going to be great.”

Selfie Centre employee Maddy White, 18, enjoys her unique work.

“It’s very fun and eventful,” White said. “Anytime we are in here, I get to interact with all the customers. I get to learn about people and see fun new styles.”

White said her favorite set is a circle dome with neon lights, or the On Air booth that is decorated with record albums.

For more, visit theselfiecentre.net.

Future growth

The Selfie Centre owner Chesia Torrence said she will assess how business is doing in the next six months and launch a second selfie museum at either Clay Terrace Mall in Carmel or the Greenwood mall.

“My dream goal is, if this goes well, maybe after a second location, I want to have a mobile selfie museum and get an 18-foot trailer to bring to parties,” Torrence said. “It won’t be 26 sets, but it could be six to seven sets.”
Torrence said she has another goal of establishing a selfie-themed AirBnB for sleepovers in Indianapolis.


Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Share.

Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact