Stores

The Looking Glass in Berkeley is
walking distance away. They have
traditional chemicals and photo paper
for my wet darkroom. I use Artcraft
or Photographer's Formulary for the
exotic stuff. Film from Freestyle or B&H,
eBay for gear.
 
Where are some camera stores left in GTA, Ontario. I like Halton Camera Exchange and Burlington camera for film gear. Burlington Camera has a lot of darkroom supplies.
Halton Camera Exchange has very good printer (person).
Toronto has hipsta hub - Downtown Camera, with some film users, they could make little crowd on some days. Vistek is long time establishment. Adon Camera and so on.
I have purchased items, used their services.
Burlington camera have used film gear with prices lower than on the net.
 
I go to camera stores when I get the chance to travel to the bigger cities in the Pac NW where they're located. A couple of them have good websites - some don't. I try to order from the ones that do when they have something I want.
 
Bill Pierce said:
... So, how are you buying gear these days? Is there a store in your neighborhood that you can recommend? Are there distant stores and sites that have given you good results in this internet age? ...
Click to expand...
Tony Rose at Popflash.photo has always taken care of me. And he's close enough that I can pay him a visit if necessary. What Tony doesn't provide (such as film) I get at B&H - never an issue there either.

Bill Pierce said:
... And, sadly, have you had experiences that have made you avoid certain long distance providers?
Click to expand...
No, but there is a camera store near me I avoid like the plague. It's doors have remained open in spite of the store operator's rude and obnoxious behavior. I won't name the store, but it shouldn't be hard to figure it out.
 
Hunt's in Providence was a great store when I lived in RI, with knowledgeable staff and good prices that probably reflected the purchasing power of a chain. That was eleven years ago, and now it's B&H or Camera Quest, since there is nothing local. Most of my purchases lately have been used, from ebay, and the service and quality from Japanese sellers is consistently remarkable. US sellers, not so good; I don't know whether this is coincidence or reflective of some aspect of Japanese culture vs. American.
 
I'm near Tamarkin, which is a great shop. But on expensive purchases I can't see paying Chicago's 10.25% sales tax. On Leica gear - new and used - it can be substantial. I don't usually need pre-sales support; I research and shop online. No tax, no shipping, and generous return policies. My first stop is usually Leica Store Miami and I've got other favorites bookmarked.

John
 
I do most of my shopping at “Camera-Ohnuki” in Yokohama. It’s a great little shop with outstanding service. They have a good selection of used film cameras and lenses as well as new and used digital stuff too!

The other place I occasionally shop is Yodobashi Camera. It’s a large chain and I normally only visit the two closest to me in Kamiooka and Yokohama; I rarely visit the more popular one in Shinjuku.

I don’t buy anything on the internet.

All the best,
Mike
 
Marshall's Camera
202 East Lake Avenue
Auburndale, FL 33823

Started by Marshall, Sr. in 1980. He passed away a few years back and his son Arlen took over. They have everything you can think of for photography except computers. Lots and lots of used equipment, cases of lenses for all mounts. Good used prices with a guaranty. Also lots of "old, new stock" items. Worth the trip just to dig around and find a gem. I Never leave empty handed.

An then take your gear out and look at Auburndale. Nice downtown and a park, part of the downtown renovation projects in Florida. Nice shop also has really good ice cream. Used to take my daughter to the park and shoot with the new gear back in the good old days.

http://marshallscamera.com
 
The Camera Bar in downtown Hartford, CT. Family owned and operated, well-staffed and helpful. They do developing and printing in-house (not slides, unfortunately), including medium format. Good selection of used stuff also, including Leica, of which they have been a longtime dealer. Mainly Nikon/Canon/Olympus and Fuji is what they sell new. I try and steer people there rather than to the NY stores, which aren't far away, since the prices are surprisingly competitive.
 
There's Glazer's Camera, in Seattle. They've been around for a long time and my experience with them has been very good. www.glazerscamera.com

I live on the other side of the mountains, but I've been there once to buy accessories and film. I have also ordered film, lenses, etc from them online. I prefer to buy film from them, so that it will travel the shortest distance to my freezer.

- Murray
 
Now that internet merchants charge local sales tax in my area, the playing field has been leveled with local stores, and the winner is the one offering better service.

I periodically check into the flagship store of Mike's Camera in Boulder Colorado, and for mainstream items, prices are generally competitive. Most recent purchase of note was my Sony A7R4. You can definitely be waited upon like in the old days, with the staff bringing out item after item for you to peruse. But I generally have done all of my own pondering and agonizing long before ever setting foot in the store, and my own visits are pretty focused.

For old parts cameras and camera parts, there's The Camera Trader an hour's drive away in Englewood, but since he has an eBay store, I just have him mail stuff. I should ask him whether he had some connection with the old National Camera + Camera Craftsman magazine.

For other items not readily available locally:
+ Robert's Camera, definitely a welcome new presence
- KEH seems to have declined a bit IMO
- eBay, still a biggie, but I've become more of a seller not a buyer there. High UK shipping prices, but shopping in the ex Iron Curtain can be a pretty good deal.
- Amazon: Who knows when they will actually ship items anymore
=Adorama, B&H: Still pretty solid in my book
 
While doing this exercise, it is shocking how many brick & mortar stores/chains have shuttered and how quickly they are forgotten.
 
I wanted to give a mention to Ara Gechijian of New England Photo in downtown Arlington, Massachusetts. As a young man, I used to visit his store often and have purchased used equipment from him in the past and have taken my film there to be sent out for processing. He is still operating the store in the building his parents purchased over 75 years ago. He had quite an extensive used Leica gear collection. Not sure he still has it. He also ran full page ads for gear (especially for Nikon) in the Boston Globe and supplied equipment to the Boston Globe newspaper photographers.

https://acmi.tv/arlington-businesses/
"Ara Gechijian, owner of New England Photo and other commercial spaces in his building, sells all kinds of professional camera equipment. The store – which he inherited from his parents, Armenian immigrants who purchased the building more than 70 years ago – could also be a museum. Among pictures of his family, who passed along a tradition and a passion for everything photographic, and vignettes of his sports car collection, Gechijian displays unique camera devices, heritage of a time when film was mainstream. New England Photo, one of the last stores in the area that still develop film, is now mainly a destination for collectors and camera aficionados. Gechijian knows a lot about Arlington Center’s history and has seen at least a hundred stores open and close their doors over the years. He attributed this to rentals prices that have gone so high they do not allow small mom-and-pop businesses to survive long, as well as the increasing mix of restaurants, that compete for the same audience."

Watch the first minute of this video of him and the wonderful cameras in the background. https://youtu.be/stkorZgh9R0

If you are in the Boston/Cambridge area, please visit his store. He is right on the Harvard 77 Bus Line that leaves from Harvard Sq. Cambridge. His hours may be reduced so you should call first.
 
raydm6 said:
While doing this exercise, it is shocking how many brick & mortar stores/chains have shuttered and how quickly they are forgotten.
Click to expand...

This is so true. Elizabeth Street in Melbourne has been home to a range of camera shops, including a Camera House which disappeared in the late 2000s. I didn't even remember it until I saw your comment here. There may have been another which escapes me right now.

Due to rent increases, Camera Lane moved out of the city and into the suburbs, where they have parking space and nearby cafes and a train station. Camera Exchange also moved out of the city, and are now in an industrial complex with lots of parking and floorspace.
 
Peter Michael also closed on Elizabeth Street Melbourne.
Don't know what is going to happen to the fantastic museum upstairs.
Such a shame.
We still have a couple of stores in Sydney. After retiring, my wife thought I was spending too much time at home. So I started working for foto Riesel in kent St.
Unfortunately after 4 owners it closed too and is now only on line.
I also worked for Scott at Mainline servicing enlargers in schools and universities.
At one time I had 80 schools on my books doing B&W photography.
Covid has put a stop to that.
The camera market has not operated for almost 2 years now for the same reason.
I have had sales from my garage as I am downsizing.
Cheers
Philip
Philip
 
I used to buy film, paper and chemicals from Dorn's in Red Bank (closed in 2004) and cameras, lenses and such from Fishkin Bros. in Perth Amboy (also closed in 2004). I tried several of the big camera stores in Manhattan but found them too impersonal. I've only bought online since then - Freestyle, B&H, Red River, Tamarkin, Igor's and eBay in no particular order.
 
The Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania still has one camera store, Dan's Camera. Good service, friendly and always busy. They run classes and offer framing and custom printing. Used to have them process my B&W and slides, no more since it takes too long now and is too expensive. I use Dwayne's for that. Good product and fast service.
 
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