Freestyle closes retail store on Sunset Blvd

[btaylor]

I am sure many of you have already seen the email from Freestyle that their retail store on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood is closing. I am saddened.
My first visit to the Freestyle was in the 1960’s when it was on Cahuenga and the two founders ran the counter. With only paper route money to spend I loved that place. Later they opened the flagship store on Sunset down the street from their current location. When I was there in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s it was bustling with local pros. That slowed with digital and they moved their retail to a little storefront in a strip mall. I still enjoyed speaking with the knowledgeable clerks there.
We can still will-call orders at the Sante Fe Springs distribution center, but I will miss the visits to their retail store.

 

[BrianShaw]

Oh my, this is sad news.

... effective December 19, 2025

 

[Paul Howell]

Yeah sad, rent must be high, or if Freestyle owns the building it could be worth a lot of money. Like many I drove to the store in the 60s and 70s to buy surplus film and paper. My college bought chemsitry, paper and film from Freestyle, Ansco, GAF and other gems that were unlabeled.

 

[Pieter12]

Yeah sad, rent must be high, or if Freestyle owns the building it could be worth a lot of money. Like many I drove to the store in the 60s and 70s to buy surplus film and paper. My college bought chemsitry, paper and film from Freestyle, Ansco, GAF and other gems that were unlabeled.

I doubt they own the building, this is at the third location that I know of for them in Hollywood. At least there is still Samy's.

 

[loccdor]

Well, they have very competitive prices. It seems to continue that in the world of online shopping, they'll have to reduce overhead. Neither LA nor California are low-cost areas. Wish it weren't so but it's the way the world is right now.

 

[Peter Schrager]

Another one bites the dust..freestyle will continue one way or the other

 

[Pieter12]

Well, they have very competitive prices. It seems to continue that in the world of online shopping, they'll have to reduce overhead. Neither LA nor California are low-cost areas. Wish it weren't so but it's the way the world is right now.

Neither is New York or New Jersey. A couple of brick and mortar/online stores are located there.

 

[bdial]

Sad news. My first visit was in the late 70’s. It was an amazing place at that time with all the military surplus photographic bits and bobs. Not to mention great prices on film and paper.

 

[BAC1967]

I went to that store earlier this year. talking to the clerk, they sell much more through the online store. that inventory is at a warehouse in another location. I assume they're strictly online after this closing.

 

[Disconnekt]

Man, thats a bummer.

 

[MattKing]

AFAIK, Freestyle's biggest business is their wholesale distribution business.
Followed I'm sure by their direct to customer internet retail business.
So if you have a local retailer of some sort, you may be buying product that comes through Freestyle's hands.
That being said, we lose a source of pleasure when the retail stores go.

 

[mshchem]

Retail gone but Freestyle is alive and well. I order from them frequently. Hopefully they stay independent. Don't need further concentration of this business. I remember their ads (1970's) in Pop Photography WWII/Korea surplus Aerial cameras and film. Every odd tungsten film, Ansco, DuPont etc. They always listed the weight of big boxes of paper and film so you could calculate Parcel Post.

 

[Richard Man]

Well, I will be down in LA area during Thanksgiving. I guess I will pay them one last visit.

 

[btaylor]

I went to that store earlier this year. talking to the clerk, they sell much more through the online store. that inventory is at a warehouse in another location. I assume they're strictly online after this closing.

They noted they will continue will-call pick up at their warehouse but yea- you’ll need to order online or by phone.

 

[Sirius Glass]

That will have an impact on me. I would drive there to ask questions before purchasing. Plus they had a great return policy which was especially useful when I was searching for 4"x5" tanks.

 

[Sirius Glass]

They noted they will continue will-call pick up at their warehouse but yea- you’ll need to order online or by phone.

I can do that. I can call them and ask questions before ordering.

 

[reddesert]

That is a bummer. I lived in the LA area in the late 90s and would go to their store (presumably the location before this one) for developing supplies and so on, it was always fun to browse the large stocks of supplies. I am a little surprised, with some renewed interest in film photography, that they don't keep a retail outlet to sort of fly the flag and generate awareness. But perhaps that is not how retail works anymore, or to do that in LA you would need a store in a higher-traffic commercial district where the rent would become prohibitive.

I think there may still be a place for retail photography shops (my city now has one that I need to go visit), but perhaps they work better as small operations where somebody builds awareness with an Instagram presence, than as small appendages to a large mail-order business.