Elaine "Ace" Gaughf-Smith the founder of Family Jam, passed away on the morning of July 14, 2017. She had been keeping busy. Between teaching yoga, tutoring, running a business, fighting against cancer, and enjoying time with her family and friends she seemed to always be on the go! Jonathan and Ace loved to travel and they did't let the chemo schedule dull their wanderlust. They were both enthusiastic about work and play.

The News in Brunswick, Georgia even did an article about Ace's photo scanning business, Family Jam. Read it below!


Family Jam photo from the News










Chemo buddy
and husband
Jonathan.

                                       

About Family Jam
 Family Jam is owned by Ace Gaughf-Smith.
The business is based out of her husband's law practice, located at
706 G Street, Suite 202, in Brunswick. She may be reached at 264-0165

Family Jam offers photo scanning

Ace Gaughf-Smith opened the plastic bag, pulling out stacks upon stacks of black and white photos.

“That was me when I was in high school. I had hair then,” she said with a laugh.

She still has some hair, of course, but it’s still in the early stages of regrowth following chemotherapy treatments. It’s the former school teacher’s second bout with breast cancer, a fight that she is certainly winning.

But she hasn’t let that slow her down. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Ace is moving full speed ahead, recently launching a new business venture called Family Jam. The concept is very simple — she helps clients organize and scan all of those priceless family photos sitting around in boxes and tucked away in albums.

It was an idea that came about organically from her own experience.

“I had a ton of photos and I would always say that I was going to scan them. I had the equipment and I knew how to do it ... I just never did it,” she said, gesturing to the pile of photos.

“But after Hurricane Matthew came, I finally did it. They are really priceless photos and I didn’t want to send them off because I was afraid that something would happen to them.”

But her plight sparked a idea. She figured if she couldn’t find the time, many others would be facing the same issue. Then there would be others who might not know how to scan images and save them on their computer.

Ace herself has the know-how from her education and family background. But she realizes that isn’t the case for many people.

“My family has always done home videos and things like that. My brother is a big tech geek and knows all about it too,” she said. “I actually ended up going back to school and getting a degree in instructional technology. But my brother still helps me if I have a problem ... he tells me how to fix it.”

Ace has her workflow down to an art. Her clients first call her to go over the process. It begins with sorting the photos, which can prove time consuming but is vital in whittling down what needs to be scanned.

“We talk about it and I can certainly come to their house and help them figure out what to scan and what not to scan if they want,” she said.

From there, the actual scanning begins.

Once the photos are selected, Ace can do the work either at their home or at her office, depending on what they want.

“Some people don’t want the photos to leave the house. So for a surcharge, I can go there and do it all. I’m fully bonded and licensed. They can also just drop them off (at her husband’s office),” she said. “It is really whatever they prefer. I will scan them and get them back within a day or two.”

Ace understands how to scan photos in such a way that they will reproduce with the best possible quality.

“You don’t do it the same way you do documents. It’s a different resolution. If you don’t know that and then try to reprint them, they will come out blurry,” she said.

Ace will also organize the photo files on removable computer storage devices like flash drives. She can also download it onto DVDs.

“If you have a DVD player and a smart TV, you can just load it up and it will play a slideshow on your television,” she said.

Best of all, she will show and explain how to access the files to her clients. That is incredibly valuable to many, especially those who might not be familiar with computer software.

“There are a lot of older people who don’t know how to do it. I mean, people 40 and under grew up with it but a lot of us didn’t so that’s really my target group,” she said.

Of course, Ace is willing to help whomever asks. And for some, it’s not so much a knowledge issue but a lack of either a proper scanner or ample time to do the work.

“There are people who just don’t have the equipment or working equipment. Then there are people who don’t have time. I have friends who own the equipment and they say ‘I could do that — I have the stuff’ but then I ask them ‘have you?,’” she said with a laugh. “But I understand. It’s very time-consuming.”

While Ace always puts her customers first, she does pursue other interests outside of work. She is also a teacher at The Grove, a martial arts and yoga studio located off Hwy. 341 in Brunswick.

“It’s a really nice facility. We have a lot of great teachers out there,” she said.

You can catch Ace’s classes at 10:00 a.m. on Mondays and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.

Family Jam Offers Photo Scanning by Lindsey Adkison The News, Brunswick, GA Jan 15, 2017
Like and Follow Family Jam on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/familyjamphotopreserves/
 Family Jam Facebook link