Our Google Business Profile gets more impressions than our website. It really helps with overall performance.
Willis Aybar
Owner & Creative Director
Willis Aybar is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Brooklyn. He likes to say he brought some New York hustle with him when he moved to Baltimore. “I didn’t have a foundation of a formal education,” he says, “but I knew that if I wanted more, I had to become more.” An experienced photographer, Willis dreamed big but didn’t think he could afford to open his own studio space. Then a YouTube video on event spaces sparked the idea for something more. In 2021, Willis opened Studio 87 in Baltimore’s Dundalk neighborhood, a combined photo studio, creative use space, and event space available for rent by the public. Having optimized Google Business Profiles to help his real estate photography clients, Willis knew he wanted to do the same for his new venture. Today, Studio 87’s Google Business Profile has 105 five-star reviews and about 10,000 impressions per month, and Willis responds to each and every review. “The reviews are a true testament to the service that we’re providing to our customers,” Willis says.
Willis also uses Google Workspace to stay organized, especially helpful as he runs his two photography businesses independent from Studio 87. Growing steadily, Studio 87 had over 100 bookings in 2022, from baby showers and wedding receptions to art shows, community workshops, and many photo sessions. To keep building personal connections, Willis recently joined the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, where he hopes to help other local businesses thrive. In 2022, he received the Chamber’s New Business of the Year award. But, most of all, he looks forward to celebrating with his customers. “Folks say that spaces hold energy,” Willis says, “and I believe that to be true. There’s so many happy moments and milestones happening at Studio 87 that it just retains a lot of that love, and I think that’s the most gratifying piece.”