another photo store closing here...

R

Rob

Guest
A couple months ago my favorite and closest E6 lab
stopped processing E6 to concentrate on other things
such as digital printing, etc. Saturday I went to one of
my favorite photo stores and they are closing the end
of the month. Sorry to see them go. Digital, internet sales,
Ebay and the owners retiring are the cause.
1/2 price on most everything..
I got a Vivitar 283 carry pouch for 50 cents, a case for
my Isolette for 50 cents, 2 soft releases for 50cents each,
a tiny head and flash bracket for my macro flash bracket
project, huge can of dust off $3...They still have a nice
Olympus 35DC with new seals and hood,caps for $40...
Quietest camera I ever heard..still debating getting it...'
This year there was a huge FUJI film warehouse near me
and it closed. Around the corner from there was an AGFA
building and its now vacant too...Hope I will not have to
learn how to make my own film someday.
Rob
 
Re: another photo store closing here...

Rob said:
Hope I will not have to learn how to make my own film someday.
Rob
Click to expand...
No chance. It will get more expensive, but it will be there. :)
 
Sign of the times, indeed. Not necessarily a bad thing that these shops are closing as new shops come back in their place, but if you happen to need these shops it's sour grapes. To be honest, I couldn't care much about most shops here in Holland. They're extremely over-priced for even th smallest items, have usually very limited camera/ lens/ tripod/ etc selection, and are mostly more interested in selling you new and/or expensive gear than giving after-sales service. Also, they buy your second-hand gear for peanuts and put it up for sale for boom prices. Ever seen a ordinary FED-2 offered for 190 euros? Here in Holland you can. Call me cynical but with the advant of eBay and online camera shops I've been better off in the wallet and in the gear choices.
 
I agree with Remy. Hell, i've payed 12 euros for a plain and simple Leica nipple! The new minolta dynax 7D dslr with the kit lens costs 1999 euros in the shops here! And, indeed, they want to earn way too much on second-hand stuff.
They have their costs, i understand that, but the price difference is in most cases way far from reasonable.
 
Also, once i've seen a sympathic second-hand teleconverter in a shop here, for the minolta dynax af system. Reasonably priced. It turned out that it does not work well, the af is lost on the way no matter what lens you are using it with. So they told me, okay, they will take it off the shelves and send it for repair.
A month or two later i've seen the very same item on the shelf, same price. Wow, i said, they really repaired it! Tried it out - it failed exactly in the same way. Oh, they said again, we will have to send it for repair!
It's gone since; i wonder if they finally fooled someone into buying it.
 
My other favorite camera shop here has been in business for
the last 92 years! They have a small shop but their business
is booming. They have a better formula for what works.
They even hired another person recently.
They sell used stuff on consignment, use Ebay a lot, cater to
students from the photo schools and anticipate what they
need, they are flexible on prices, they carry a lot of older gear
that people want too. They offer good film processing too.
They even have twice a year a camera show where they set up
tables in the parking lot and invite anyone with something to
sell to setup under their tents for a small charge. Brings lots
of business in. During that event they have the owner of a big
camera repair place there doing free cleanings and shutter
checks of cameras too. They have lots of medium format gear
and digital too. Good tripod selection and digital stuff too.
They have accounts with the state, school systems and various
police departments to supply cameras and film, etc which is
a big business...A table full of odd lens caps,straps, parts, and
filters they have is a great place to find small items too.
They sponsor workshops on lighting and other things too.
I bet they will stay around for a while.
 
My favorite Minilab closed last year. There's a fast food restaurant now :-(
 
I don't like to see brick and mortar type stores closing as I prefer to handle a product before buying it. Rob it is nice to hear that some can remain open and competative in the current market place. I think you can get scammed on the internet just the same as at a real store only at a real store you might detect a fault before buying and not have the hassle of trying to post something back.

Bob
 
I agree with Bob that it can be nice to go to a bricks & mortar store to try something. There are two stores here in the Boston area that are very good and appear to be doing OK, Newtonville Camera and E.P. Levine and I shop at both as well as use the internet.

Last year I bought a tripod and ballhead and it was invaluable to go to both stores and try out a lot of tripod/ballhead combinations with my own camera. I dithered over the choice for two months and eventually bought a tripod from one of the stores and the ballhead from eBay.
 
Yep, the times are a changing,. Digital capture, the big box retailers and the internet have taken their toll on traditional downtown photographic retailer..

I still make it a habit of buying my paper and photo chemicals locally, but due to the expansion of counter space needed for digital capture and printing products, the pickings are getting to be pretty slim with regards to traditional chemistry. My favorite photo store now only sells Kodak photo chemicals and the last time I checked, stocked neither X-tol or Microdol X.

I believe the big killer with regards to the sales of traditional photo-chemistry locally was when university stopped offering courses that included darkroom instruction.

For now, there is still one camera south part of town that still stock a good assortment of photo-chemistry.
 
Yes Andrew, but they are moving next week. Rent apparently went up beyond what D-76 sales will support.

I'm starting to take the survivalist approach and stock up on things. I still have about a dozen rolls of Pan-X left...

-Paul
 
If memory serves me, KEH is somewhere around Atlanta. I hope they aren't closing. I haven't bought from them, but I sure have read about a lot of people who have - and they seem very satisfied.
 
KEh is in Atlanta they did not close, it was a smaller walk in
type store. KEH is strictly internet sales, no browsing even
for us locals...We can pickup items there.
 
Whoah Paul! The Camera Co-op is the last store with a full-line of darkroom supplies in Austin. It looks like another boutique store will be opening up on South Congress. Just what we need more of.

I gave them a call and was told they will be moving over to South Lamar across from Matt's El Rancho. Knock on wood and hope for the best.

With regards to Precision which is by my house, their remaining darkroom supplies are squeezed into the rear corner inches away from the bathroom door in the rear corner of the store.

The University Co-op, which once had an impressive stock of darkroom supplies, now has a few basic supplies that they stock in their basement. All the staff who were knowledgeable in photography have departed. The clerk in charge looks to be about 20 years of age and will order supplies from Kodak if you make it seem to be a departmental request from U.T. Austin.
 
Local Bozo - Rant!

Local Bozo - Rant!

None of the local photo shops (I can't call them Camera Stores) has developed E-6 in the 5 years I've lived here. The Ritz/Kits used to be overnight, but two years ago started sending them across country and took two weeks (sigh).
Last weekend I needed prints quickly, stopped at Kits and told them "Glossy, with Borders". The kid looked high or hungover so I repeated it twice. Of course they came back an hour later - MATTE, WITHOUT Borders.
They've seen the last of my business!
I now send my good stuff to a pro-lab in Salem, OR and hurry-up don't care stuff to Walmart.
I'll buy all gear from friends here, KEH or B&H Photo in NY.
:(
 
More local ranting

More local ranting

The Ritz owned Wolf Camera Stores here in Austin don't stock 120 film.
 
Ritz came too Austin, Texas about 1984 when they bought out a camera store in bankruptcy. I don't think they ever carried 120 film. All they were ever interested in selling was processing and P&S cameras. They do have one local retail outlet where all of their local unwanted merchandise seems to go for final sale. Good buys on accessories there.

Since 1976 I have been to 3 Going-out-of-business sales at the University Co-Op. They go back and forth between a reasonably full service photo store and a film kiosk. Again, great deals whenever they change their business strategy.

In Austin there are 3 stores that sell 120 and 220 film. You have to drive 100 miles to find another. I make it a point to reserach and hunt out camera stroes whenever I am traveling. We might collectively put together a list of stores around the country.A couple of the really good ones don't even have web addresses.

-Paul
 
Doug,
Thanks for the link, GOOD prices. I'll have to try them, do they have mailers?

Solinar,
the one here didn't even have 35mm Velvia until I bugged them. Then they were charging $11 a roll for it! No customer service + turn-style employees makes for loss of biusiness to serious photographers.
 
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