Camera Store from long ago.

[Christopher Walrath]

I was three. I have never worked in a camera store before.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sold cameras for E. J. Korvettes the summer after high school gradulation.

Worked at Baker's Photo on Wisconsin Avenue Washington DC part time during college.

Worked for Eastman Kodak in the Hawkeye Building in Rochester NY.

Steve

 

[michaelspearhawkins]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[mathomas]

Looks somewhat like the used section of my local family-owned camera store.

 

[Roger Thoms]

I was born in 1973 and it was 37 years ago not almost 40!

37 years and no more, three years is a long time - a very long time! No where near 40...

So only 3 short years before your 40.

Roger

 

[BirgerA]

I was born in 1973 and it was 37 years ago not almost 40!

37 years and no more, three years is a long time - a very long time! No where near 40...

This brings back the memory of listening to two young girls on the tram once. They where discussing some person, and one of them said 'But he's almost 30'. It then became clear that the person in question was 23, which happened to be my age at the time. I did not feel as if I was almost 30 at the time.

Based on the same logic , I'm now almost 50...

Regards

Birger A.

 

[Marco B]

Oh and 1973 was almost 40 years ago, a lot has happened in that time, but I believe that the basic concept of the metal and glass case, and the steel shelf painted white only date from the 1960's and don't appear to be changing soon so aside from the things displayed, stores have not changed all that much in that time.

Except maybe for the now ubiquitous presence of a digital cash, instead of the stone age mechanical one just visible on the left edge of the image... and the hair dress of the sales employee operating it

 

[Steve Smith]

I was three. I have never worked in a camera store before.

I was nine... and neither have I.


Steve.

 

[Carl V]

It's a good job I don't work in camera stores any more, I go in camera stores now and there's very little that they sell that I recognize because I retired before "The lunatics took over the asylum"

I have the same problem with today's camera stores. I used to work in one from 1985 to 1989 when auto-focus SLR's were still in their infancy. We were a small independent shop, but we couldn't compete with the prices of the major stores such as Jessops, so we tended to specialise in darkroom equipment as well as the full range of chemicals and papers from the likes of Ilford, Paterson, Kodak, etc, which the other stores didn't stock very much of.

The cameras from that era were a joy to demonstrate - I wouldn't have a clue where to begin with the digital equivalents if I was working in one today.

 

[hoffy]

I was born in 1973 and it was 37 years ago not almost 40!

37 years and no more, three years is a long time - a very long time! No where near 40...

I with you perkeleellinen. I was born in 73 as well. I am not 40....and yes, that is a long way away..

Ohh, my back hurts

 

[Hal Reiser]

1973 Blast from the past.

I got my first summer job that year working the film department at the 1272 Broadway Camera Barn store. Oh what a cast of characters we had. Both the customers and the guys working behind the counters.

Hal

 

[benjiboy]

After working in camera stores for twenty three years I give thanks when I turn over in bed at about 9.30 AM every Monday morning that I'm retired and don't have to do it any more.

 

[foc]

Ahhhhhh 1973. That was one year before I got my first SLR, a Praktica Super TL. Having read through the threads above I decided to root out some of my old cameras. I ended up with my Priktica super tl, a Fed 4, a Zorki 4, a Zenit 11, an Olypmus OM4ti............... I could go on!.
Why have I so many cameras? Well I worked in photographic retail since 1977 and always enjoyed cameras of all kinds. Back then they all looked different, a bit like cars, where as now they all look the same (both cameras and cars!)
I now have my own photo retail business for the last 25 years

After working in camera stores for twenty three years I give thanks when I turn over in bed at about 9.30 AM every Monday morning that I'm retired and don't have to do it any more.
__________________
Ben

and after reading Ben's piece I get the same feeling too, but only sometimes.

 

[benjiboy]

Ahhhhhh 1973. That was one year before I got my first SLR, a Praktica Super TL. Having read through the threads above I decided to root out some of my old cameras. I ended up with my Priktica super tl, a Fed 4, a Zorki 4, a Zenit 11, an Olypmus OM4ti............... I could go on!.
Why have I so many cameras? Well I worked in photographic retail since 1977 and always enjoyed cameras of all kinds. Back then they all looked different, a bit like cars, where as now they all look the same (both cameras and cars!)
I now have my own photo retail business for the last 25 years



and after reading Ben's piece I get the same feeling too, but only sometimes.

The job would have been great foc if it wasn't for the customers.
P.S The Praktica Super TL was my first SLR too.

 

[alistair.o]

After working in camera stores for twenty three years I give thanks when I turn over in bed at about 9.30 AM every Monday morning that I'm retired and don't have to do it any more.

Ha Ha! Warming to your task here Ben - don't hold back with the anecdotes.

 

[foc]

Well I agree with Ben, the customers can be very trying and wreck your head sometimes.

Maybe there is another thread here, anecdotes about "those" customers. I often think that you could write a book about it! Now there's a challange.

By the way Ben the Praktica super tl was a great little camera, especially for those of us that didn't have the budget for an expensive big brand camera.

 

[ishutteratthethought]

1973 in History


January 3 George Steinbrenner III buys Yankees from CBS for $12 million

January 5 Netherlands recognizes East Germany

January 6 "Schoolhouse Rock," premieres on ABC-TV with Multiplication Rock

January 8 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 21 for Moon landing

January 11 American League adopts designated hitter rule

January 11 Trial of Watergate burglars begins in Washington D.C.

January 14 Grateful Dead bass player, Phil Lesh, busted on drugs in California

January 16 NBC presents 440th and final showing of "Bonanza"

January 18 John Cleese's final episode on "Monty Python's Flying Circus," on BBC

January 22 George Foreman TKOs Joe Frazier in 2 for heavyweight boxing title

January 30 KISS plays their 1st show (Coventry Club in Queens New York)

February 2 "Midnight Special" rock music show debuts on NBC-TV

February 3 Dr. Hook's "Cover of "Rolling Stone"" enters Top 40 and peaks at #6

February 3 President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law

February 5 Comic strip "Hagar The Horrible" debuted

February 27 Members of American Indian Movement begin occupation of Wounded Knee

March 8 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

March 17 St. Patrick Day marchers carry 14 coffins commemorating Bloody Sunday

April 14 Acting FBI director L Patrick Gray resigns after admitting he destroyed evidence in the Watergate scandal

April 30 Nixon announces resignation of Haldeman, Ehrlichman

May 14 Skylab launched, 1st Space Station

May 25 George Harrison releases "Give Me Love" in the United Kingdom

July 5 "Live and Let Die," James Bond film premieres

August 17 Willie Mays hits 660th and last home run (off Don Gullett of Cincinnati)

August 18 Gene Krupa, drummer, plays for final time with Benny Goodman Quartet

September 8 Hank Aaron sets record of most home runs in 1 league (709)

September 22 Henry Kissinger, sworn in as Secretary of State

October 19 Ringo releases "Photograph"

October 23 Nixon agrees to turn over White House tape recordings to Judge Sirica

October 26 President Nixon released 1st White House tapes on Watergate scandal

November 16 John Lennon releases "Mind Games" album

November 16 President Nixon authorizes construction of Alaskan pipeline

November 16 Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit

November 25 Maximum speed limit cut to 55 MPH as an energy conservation measure

November 26 Nixon's personal sec, Rose Mary Woods, tells a federal court she accidentally caused part of 18 -minute gap in a key Watergate tape

December 7 Wings release "Band on the Run"

These are just a fraction of the headlines
Ripped from here: http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1973.html

 

[foc]

You forgot October 20 My birthday!!

 

[bblhed]

I was born in 1973 and it was 37 years ago not almost 40!

37 years and no more, three years is a long time - a very long time! No where near 40...

Sorry to tell you this, but you are a lot closer to 40 than 18, it's not that bad really.

 

[photoncatcher]

Man, those were the days. Lots of choices, and I bet the people working there actualy knew something about cameras, and film. Reminds me that I just found a few old catalogs from back in the day that my late Dad had squirreled away. Two from Willoughbys, two of Keystone Accesories for projectors, and cameras, and a Montgomery Ward camera catalog. I loved to go to any, and all photo shops as a kid, maybe that's why I still shoot film, and love the classic old cameras.

 

[CGW]

I never bonded emotionally with this style store back in the day or recently. Why? For starters: poor pricing, slug's pace special ordering, extortionate mediocre in-house dev/print service, condescending staff, over-priced used gear, clubby anti-newb atmosphere. eBay, big boxes, online shopping notwithstanding, these shops often dug their own graves with an unwillingness/inability to evolve.Who could take seriously their lament about customer "loyalty" when they did so little to deserve it?

 

[Someonenameddavid]

working in a camera Store...in the eighties.

My camera store was owned by someone who knew the business worked up from sweeping the floor to owning it and is still in the business even though larger glossier organizations have come and gone... My first customer was a Texas-type oil industry guy who probably has earned and lost and earned again more money than the national debt of Greece. On my job interview I discussed the virtues of Ansel Adams work, with my future employer, to which he said, turn around..... and behind me in a darkened alcove was a low number first run print of Moonrise..... I remained silent and appreciated the picture for a full two minutes....My boss had bought a group of the prints from Adams himself in the 60-s for $400... to which his wife said...."at least you could have bought color prints"....... (nice lady but now his ex-) had some ups and downs in the store worked there for 3-4 years. Missed my big chance when one of the other stores in the chain had a customer bring in a dail-set compur Leica and nobody knew what it was so they didn't buy it.....It was 35mm and one of the newbies needed a 35mm so the manager allowed the newbie to buy it for $25.... AFAIK he sold it for $9K as a deposit on his house. I bought a 105 f/2.5 Nikkor for $75 of a customer and the next week a guy came in with an Ermanox with the 105 f/1.8 lens that he would have sold me for the same money, but I had used up all my mad money for 3 months.....
Missed also chances on a Zeiss Super Ikonta and a Speed Graphic so pristine it still had the slk-screened "Push" above the dot on the leatherette which released the catch for the bed.

Made a little money (very little) picked up a few photo jobs and discovered my limitations in photography (I basically dont like the pictures I produce... hard on a budding photog)

Moved on in sales, lost my mind went to medical school and now I have money (a little) and no free time.
If I had known then what I know now I would have bought Microsoft at 19 cents a share.

David

 

[jacksond]

I worked for Brooks Cameras in San Francisco but left in '66 to come to Australia. The store had a huge darkroom section, walls full of paper (Luminos and Kodak), chemicals by the carload. We used to unload 100 pound bags of hypo for industrial use. There were Bolex 16mm and Arriflex 16 and 35mm cine cameras along with Linhofs and the usual Nikons and Pentaxes.
the first Pentax Spotmatics and Licaflexs made some of us green with envy. I still have my first photo mag, Popular Photography Feb 1963 and a Burke and James Catalogue from the same era. And somebody is worried about approaching 40!

Jackson:rolleyes:

 

[benjiboy]

My camera store was owned by someone who knew the business worked up from sweeping the floor to owning it and is still in the business even though larger glossier organizations have come and gone... My first customer was a Texas-type oil industry guy who probably has earned and lost and earned again more money than the national debt of Greece. On my job interview I discussed the virtues of Ansel Adams work, with my future employer, to which he said, turn around..... and behind me in a darkened alcove was a low number first run print of Moonrise..... I remained silent and appreciated the picture for a full two minutes....My boss had bought a group of the prints from Adams himself in the 60-s for $400... to which his wife said...."at least you could have bought color prints"....... (nice lady but now his ex-) had some ups and downs in the store worked there for 3-4 years. Missed my big chance when one of the other stores in the chain had a customer bring in a dail-set compur Leica and nobody knew what it was so they didn't buy it.....It was 35mm and one of the newbies needed a 35mm so the manager allowed the newbie to buy it for $25.... AFAIK he sold it for $9K as a deposit on his house. I bought a 105 f/2.5 Nikkor for $75 of a customer and the next week a guy came in with an Ermanox with the 105 f/1.8 lens that he would have sold me for the same money, but I had used up all my mad money for 3 months.....
Missed also chances on a Zeiss Super Ikonta and a Speed Graphic so pristine it still had the slk-screened "Push" above the dot on the leatherette which released the catch for the bed.

Made a little money (very little) picked up a few photo jobs and discovered my limitations in photography (I basically dont like the pictures I produce... hard on a budding photog)

Moved on in sales, lost my mind went to medical school and now I have money (a little) and no free time.
If I had known then what I know now I would have bought Microsoft at 19 cents a share.

David

And if Moses would have turned left in the desert instead of right the Irish would have all the oil, and the Arabs would have all the potatoes

 

[Wade D]

Reminds me of a local retailer called Fedco. I started out buying all of my photo equipment there as a teen in the mid 60's. It was staffed by retired pro's who taught me a great deal about the passion I still have. Good memories.