Canoga Cameras. 91303 CA USA

[BrianShaw]

After years of steady decline another one bites the dust. For many years a great shop for both pro and amateur, their signs says "going out of business". Sad, very sad... But unfortunately fairly predictable since they have been a shell of there former self for several years.

 

[Trail Images]

Sad to hear the news.

I saw both Claremont and Redlands camera stores go out of business many years back now too. Very hard to go up against all the big on line stores. The on line stores provide no tax purchases in many cases too with delivery to the porch.

 

[snapguy]

canoga

Yes, for many years Canoga Camera was a great place to shop. I went in there around Thanksgiving -- after not being in the area since 1990 -- and everything they sold was digital. That was the end for me.
There were several great camera stores along Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley (near where Canoga camera was) and they are all gone. One is a boutique or nail shop.
In the late 1960s those camera shops were full of nearly new Leica M cameras. There was a recession then in the aerospace business and a lot of out-of-work aerospace engineers sold their toys. I shoulda bought a couple.

 

[PKM-25]

Scott Bloom now at Woodland Hills Camera was my go to guy at Canoga for years before I escaped LA in 1994. I remember soooo many great shops in the SF valley in the 80's and early 90's, but I'm very grateful to have left for good before it all came crashing down.....

 

[Ben 4]

Takes Me Back

I haven't lived in the area for decades, but I bought my first camera there in 1975—an OM-1. I still have (and use) the camera! Sorry to hear the news.

--Ben

 

[benjiboy]

It makes me wonder since the advent of digital imaging and photography has become a handmaiden of the the computer how many tens of thousands of other photographicretail stores worldwide have ceased trading, speaking as someone who worked in photographic retailing for more than 20 years it makes me very sad in one way, and very happy on the other to be retired and out of it

 

[BrianShaw]

Most of them, as you know Ben, have closed long ago. I'd like to know the number also. This shop has been in business since 1959... which is a very impressive span of time for a retail business. Now is a good time to be retired from photo retailing, or on the brink of retirement... but a very bad time to be in the midst of trying to have a career with which one can raise a family.

Last day for the retail store (which makes me wonder if the name will live on in the virtual world): tomorrow.

Dead Link Removed

 

[Trask]

Sad to hear the news.

I saw both Claremont and Redlands camera stores go out of business many years back now too.

I'm sorry to hear that Redlands Camera closed. I went to the U of R from 1969 to 1973, and was a yearbook photographer during one or two years of that time, so I knew that store well. Seems to me I recall also going to San Berdoo to rent lenses from time to time. The other photographer was a Minolta SRT guy, I used a Nikon IIRC and it seems to me some sort of LTM body with a WA Angenieux lens that I wish I could get my hands on now...

 

[lxdude]

Sad to hear the news.

I saw both Claremont and Redlands camera stores go out of business many years back now too. Very hard to go up against all the big on line stores. The on line stores provide no tax purchases in many cases too with delivery to the porch.

Empire Camera, which was along the 10 in Colton, moved here after Redlands Camera closed, and then they closed in November 2011. It hurt to see it go, but Claude the owner was ready to retire, especially with the financial struggles after the economic crash, and his sons didn't want to continue with the retail business. They kept the part going that interested them more, which is digital photo services like custom printing, restoration, PS work, etc., and moved to a new location with a new name.

 

[lxdude]

I'm sorry to hear that Redlands Camera closed. I went to the U of R from 1969 to 1973, and was a yearbook photographer during one or two years of that time, so I knew that store well. Seems to me I recall also going to San Berdoo to rent lenses from time to time. The other photographer was a Minolta SRT guy, I used a Nikon IIRC and it seems to me some sort of LTM body with a WA Angenieux lens that I wish I could get my hands on now...

Yep, It was a great little place at one time. They seemed to change sometime in the late 80's or early 90's. They became more like a Ritz Camera to a degree, with more floor space given to frames and albums and such. They were still pretty good, but they weren't like before.

Maybe the place in San Bdno was Davis Camera on D Street? I think they're still there.

 

[EdSawyer]

Bummer about Canoga. I bought a bunch of EOS lenses there back in 2009 or so. They were great to deal with, better service than B&H or any of the big-name places. Sorry to hear they are closing.

 

[Trail Images]

Yep, It was a great little place at one time. They seemed to change sometime in the late 80's or early 90's. They became more like a Ritz Camera to a degree, with more floor space given to frames and albums and such. They were still pretty good, but they weren't like before.

Maybe the place in San Bdno was Davis Camera on D Street? I think they're still there.

I would say the last local Inland Empire store that closed was the Arlington Phototorium as I recall the name. It had a few names over the years including a Wolf and or Ritz too. Not sure the ending name but was only a year back now when I read about it going out of business altogether.

 

[lxdude]

I would say the last local Inland Empire store that closed was the Arlington Phototorium as I recall the name. It had a few names over the years including a Wolf and or Ritz too. Not sure the ending name but was only a year back now when I read about it going out of business altogether.

Yep, that was a great place in its prime. It was at the end a Ritz. I was there last a few years ago after Ritz went bankrupt and they were one of the remaining ones that hadn't closed. The guys there were surprisingly cool about me being a film user- no negativity at all.

 

[lxdude]

Empire Camera, which was along the 10 in Colton, moved here after Redlands Camera closed, and then they closed in November 2011. It hurt to see it go, but Claude the owner was ready to retire, especially with the financial struggles after the economic crash, and his sons didn't want to continue with the retail business. They kept the part going that interested them more, which is digital photo services like custom printing, restoration, PS work, etc., and moved to a new location with a new name.

Closed in November 2010, actually.

 

[paulmoorestudio]

I haven't lived in the area for decades, but I bought my first camera there in 1975—an OM-1. I still have (and use) the camera! Sorry to hear the news.

--Ben

I maybe sold you the camera, we sold a lot of om-1's and nikkormats.. I worked there as a kid..16-18. Chris and his dad ran a good shop, it was in the middle of the block then, every saturday morning I would hose down the front sidewalk, good memories. Reuters White House photographer Larry Downing might have sold it to you as well before he went to washington.

 

[bob bernardo]

I worked at the store for two years. There was a lot of tension with the sales people and the owner. The father was a good guy, but when the son took over and the father retired that pretty much killed the business. Due to a very strong sales force they all left and their customers followed the sales team. I was an employee for about 2 years and pretty much hated the place; actually hated the owner! The other people were great. Needless to say when this amazing sales team gradually left, probably in less then a year, that was the end of the company.

If anyone is interested check out Woodland Hills Cameras and Telescopes. (818) 347-2270. I worked there for a short time and we all had fun at the new place and that was the demise of Canoga. If the owner was a good guy, like his father was, which isn't hard to do, we would have continued employment. I think they were in business since the 1950's and within 2 or 3 years of the sales force leaving, the owner couldn't recover.

Woodland Hills Cameras and scopes can usually match the New York prices. They also have a very good used camera trade in program. Oh, Woodland Hills Camera also bought a darkroom and printing company. As you all can see it's sad when a company folds, however in this case it was a good thing.

 

[BrianShaw]

WH Camera bought The Darkroom Workshop that was in Northrige. The Darkroom appears to still have a lab set up in Chatsworth (at least they did a while ago) but I'm not too sure how it all is operating. WH also had film a while ago. Haven't been there recently though. WH Camera is a decent "old fashioned" camera shop.

 

[Sirius Glass]

<<sigh>>

 

[BrianShaw]

<<sigh>> and <<boo hoo, too>>

You have reached Canoga Camera!

We have permanently closed this Website as well as our Retail Store. Our inventory has been completely sold out.


We can be contacted at:
email: sales@canogacamera.com
phone messages: 818-346-5506
mailing address: P.O. Box 456, Newbury Park, CA 91319

 

[Trail Images]

I just received an email from a photog buddy in the San Joaquin valley area telling me his favorite camera store in Fresno closed a few months ago. He said "Boots Camera" was no longer in business. He had moved from the area and was only back visiting when he discovered it had closed not too long ago. He had been buying there in the 1960's when he actually lived in Fresno.