A convenient protocol has been developed to fabricate well-defined nanorods of a photochromic molecule N-(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-4-aminopyridine (DBSAP) by a laser ablation method. Reversible and fatigue-resistant optical switching and SHG activity were demonstrated. Interestingly, it was observed that DBSAP nanorods exhibit intermediate photochromic properties compared to solution and solid.