My local camera shop, business booming. Anyone else?

Agulliver · Jul 15, 2019

I've posted before in other threads but I thought I'd post a dedicated thread. Does anyone else have good news from their local camera shop or local scene?

I live in Luton, UK which is fortunate enough to still have a proper camera shop "Luton Camera Repair Centre". It's been in business about 50 years I believe, and last December the owner decided to retire. Thankfully one of his younger staff members and the lady who operates a film processing business on the premises took it on. I always used the shop occasionally but have to admit I found I didn't really feel at ease. The new owners seem to ease my anxiety.

It's a proper bricks and mortar shop on the edge of the town centre retail area, indeed you can see it from the rail station from where it is maybe three minutes walk. It's the kind of shop where you can buy the latest digital camera, or a used film camera, even a NOS film camera....they still have a "wall of film", darkroom supplies, a cabinet of used lenses of various flavours....in-house 24 hour film process/print/scan for several film formats operated by a lady who can remember the switch to C41 from C22....they even have a 8mm projector for rent so people can watch old cine films. As their name suggests they also repair cameras and are still an authorised Olympus repair agent and spares stockist.

I've changed from a mail order lab to the shop as they are cheaper *and* better then the well known lab I was using. So I visit quite often and ask about business. For example last week in one day they sold three Olympus film cameras and got slide projectors from the basement storage onto shelves because of requests from customers. Today I learned they SOLD OUT of Kodak colour film last week and had to get emergency supplies, and on Friday alone they processed 54 rolls of film. They are certainly reporting an upswing in film photography, and corresponding sales of gear, film and services.

This is just one shop, in a town that does have a university offering film photography in it's photography courses....so this particular bubble is likely to be more positive than the national/worldwide picture....but they seem to have so much business they can barely cope.

I've added pictures, you may have seen some before as I've mentioned this shop elsewhere. I'm now going to keep any talking about them to this thread rather than banging on about them all over.

TheFlyingCamera · Jul 15, 2019

One of the local camera stores here has been expanding- they bought up two smaller, struggling camera stores in the area, and just opened a brand new location. And they offer on-site film developing. They don't carry a large stock of film but they do carry it, paper, and chemistry.

AgX · Jul 15, 2019

Same here.
Except for darkroom stuff, projector rental and in-house film development.

(In the whole city there is no one film processing facility left.)

Sirius Glass · Jul 15, 2019

Samys in Culver City California has had to add more photo finishers. They also picked up some of the sales people from Bel Air Camera when that store closed.

Luckless · Jul 15, 2019

My local go-to store has a fridge that sees a pretty consistent turnover in film here in Victoria. They're a bit shy on large format film, but plenty of Ilford and Kodak options in both 120 and 135 rolls. Locals seem to steadily chip away at what's there on a regular basis, with the odd time I've been in where they've been out of one flavour or another. They also have many options with decent stocks of papers, assuming you want 8x10... They are however a used camera and rental shop, so their mileage probably varies a bit from more mainstream places.

Another shop saw the owners retire earlier this year and close out the business, which saw the store in Victoria and a few on the mainland close. However the lease on their local store, and seemingly much of their stock, was bought up by Henry's and I'm not sure the storefront missed more than a week of sales time, if even that. They've had a very sorry selection of film any time I've been in, but they did have a slightly wider range of paper sizes last I looked. But for all I know that was all just old stock that hasn't been moving.

ME Super · Jul 15, 2019

I wish, but sadly no. The Springfield Creve Coeur Camera store closed back in April of this year, and I received word a couple of weeks ago that they've closed their remaining stores with the exception of the main "Superstore" in Creve Coeur, Missouri. That store is also slated to close, although they will still be offering photo classes and will be rebranding themselves as the St. Louis School of Imaging.

I'm back to ordering everything online. Sure, I can still get the Fuji 400-speed C-41 film locally, but that's about it! Fortunately, I can do all of my own scanning, either with my 35mm dedicated scanner, or by "scanning" it with one of those other types of cameras that uses a memory card instead of film. That other camera is a used Pentax K-x, which I picked up off of evilBay for $80. It came with both kit lenses, too, and works great, so buy buying used, I picked up what would've been an $850 USD outfit for over 90% off!

Pieter12 · Jul 15, 2019

Sirius Glass said:
Samys in Culver City California has had to add more photo finishers. They also picked up some of the sales people from Bel Air Camera when that store closed.

I was at Samy's Pasadena location a month or so ago and it was much busier than Culver City where I shop more frequently. Not far from the entrance there was a big Durst enlarger on display (don't recall the model, looked like an 8x10) for sale, used.

foc · Jul 16, 2019

As some of you may know I own a minilab in the sticks, on the west coast of my country, on the periphery of Europe.

We are going strong with digital printing but also with C41 and B&W film processing. The film processing has increased so much that last year I could afford to overhaul our old C41 processor and bring it back to like new. We sell a small selection of camera equipment and our biggest second hand camera sales are for Praktica , Zenit, Fed and Zorki.

Our most popular film processing instore is for developing & prints and online is for developing and upload to Google drive. The Google upload is so popular that we had to upgrade our broadband last month to cope with demand.

Eric Rose · Jul 16, 2019

The Camera Store in Calgary is going gangbusters. They service all the pros in the area as well as the amateur market. Both digital and analog still photography is supported in addition to large digital video support team.

ic-racer · Jul 16, 2019

I live near a huge used film equipment dealer. He has no store front, but I just meet him by appointment to check out equipment.

Cloudy 8 · Jul 17, 2019

Just sent some rolls of color neg film to a smaller lab in Germany for development and scanning. They informed me that delivery times will be longer due to the "extreme" order situation. That sounds like more than the usual upturn during the summer holiday season.

BAC1967 · Jul 17, 2019

I live near Seattle where we have a few camera stores that seem to be doing well. Both of these stores have moved into new larger locations so I assume they are doing good. Both of them primarily do digital and pro equipment but also sell film, developing supplies, used film cameras and paper. Kenmore camera is just a few miles from my home. A few years ago they moved into a new larger location a block from their old location. They provide film processing but I'm not sure if they do it in house or send out to another lab. They sell stuff online as well.

https://www.kenmorecamera.com/

Glazers camera is in Seattle, right next door to Amazon's headquarters. They have a really good selection of film, paper, chemistry and cameras. I have to fight traffic to go there for Rodinal since Kenmore camera doesn't carry it.

https://www.glazerscamera.com/film-darkroom

I think there's a fairly large film community in the Seattle area that can help support these stores.

Cholentpot · Jul 17, 2019

ic-racer said:
I live near a huge used film equipment dealer. He has no store front, but I just meet him by appointment to check out equipment.

You also live near Dodd which moved their darkroom stuff upfront out of the back and has a nice rotating stock of used stuff.

Agulliver · Sep 3, 2019

6 weeks on and Luton Camera Repairs have run out of Kodak Color Plus again and are low on Gold...the lady I speak with there said they had to order 500 rolls, and their supplier has 30,000 on back order (I think those were the figures). Both this shop and whoever they buy their film from (Alaris?? She won't say) have noticed a large upswing in film sales and the supplier is struggling with demand. Whoever this supplier is, they're selling to shops nationally.

She's now typically processing 70-80 films per day across 135 and 120, with the occasional 110. Typical customers are now either buying their first film camera or buying a battery and roll of film for one they're using for the first time in years. The "24 hour service" has gone as she's unable to keep up.

I see more people out in the wild shooting film, usually young people...under 25. Jane at the shop has also noticed a lot more younger customers coming in, and the demographic is changing in other ways too....she barely had any non-white customers until this year, now quite a few black people are coming in for film sales/developing. Curious...Luton is a "hyper-diverse" town so it might be expected but there's definitely a change in the wind....great to see film photography being tried and enjoyed by a more diverse group of people than before.

ozphoto · Sep 3, 2019

ic-racer said:
I live near a huge used film equipment dealer. He has no store front, but I just meet him by appointment to check out equipment.

Oh yes, I've visited this site often - has some great stuff. Sadly my attempts to get in touch by email and then SMS regarding a camera they have for sale, have still garnered no response whatsoever.

I do understand not everyone wants to ship gear overseas but was a little disappointed I never even got a "Sorry, we don't ship internationally." - is it really that hard?

benjiboy · Sep 3, 2019

My local used film camera store has been so successful in recent years they have moved to bigger premises twice, the second time only a few weeks ago https://wycameras.com/pages/visit. I haven't visited them at their new premises yet because of the potential effect on my bank balance, they don't do any processing and sell very little film, most of it outdated, but have very large stocks of interesting equipment that make them a destination for film camera enthusiasts from all over the country.
Having myself worked in photographic retailing for more than twenty years I just don't understand how in "the digital age" the company can go from strength to strength selling analogue equipment but they do.

StepheKoontz · Sep 3, 2019

My local used camera store is always pretty busy when I visit. But every other camera store in my city closed so they are kinda the last man standing.

logan2z · Sep 3, 2019

The two used film camera stores in my area are consistently busy as well. And I do seem to routinely bump into other film shooters on the street these days, most under 25 or so. I saw someone using a Rollieflex and another using a film SLR just this past week. There is definitely a revival afoot.

jim10219 · Sep 3, 2019

The stores near me aren't doing too well. But I've been to several camera stores in other states that were doing quite well. The difference between the ones that are doing well and the ones that aren't, as far as I can tell, is how the store is presented. Successful camera stores are what I like to call "Millennial stores". These are stores that feel more like a coffee shop, for lack of a better description. Everything is overpriced, but there's a friendly, hangout vibe going on. The merchandise is cluttered and unorganized, the walls are packed with unrelated junk, and there's a bunch of curious things to look at that aren't for sale. It feels like everyone is there to talk and make friends, and selling stuff is secondary. The stores that are doing poorly are the "Baby Boomer stores". These are the traditional stores, where everything is clean, uncluttered, and presented in a professional manner. The salespeople follow you around and try to push everything under the sun on you. The prices are better, but they're cold and uninviting. You go in, find what you need, and get on with your busy life.

I think we've just gotten to the point where if you want cold professionalism, cheap prices, and advice, you'll go online. I think the old model of having experienced sales staff, good selection, and cheap prices no longer works in a brick and mortar store. I think what people want these days is an experience. And it seems they're willing to pay a little more for a product to get that.

Cholentpot · Sep 3, 2019

jim10219 said:
The stores near me aren't doing too well. But I've been to several camera stores in other states that were doing quite well. The difference between the ones that are doing well and the ones that aren't, as far as I can tell, is how the store is presented. Successful camera stores are what I like to call "Millennial stores". These are stores that feel more like a coffee shop, for lack of a better description. Everything is overpriced, but there's a friendly, hangout vibe going on. The merchandise is cluttered and unorganized, the walls are packed with unrelated junk, and there's a bunch of curious things to look at that aren't for sale. It feels like everyone is there to talk and make friends, and selling stuff is secondary. The stores that are doing poorly are the "Baby Boomer stores". These are the traditional stores, where everything is clean, uncluttered, and presented in a professional manner. The salespeople follow you around and try to push everything under the sun on you. The prices are better, but they're cold and uninviting. You go in, find what you need, and get on with your busy life.

I think we've just gotten to the point where if you want cold professionalism, cheap prices, and advice, you'll go online. I think the old model of having experienced sales staff, good selection, and cheap prices no longer works in a brick and mortar store. I think what people want these days is an experience. And it seems they're willing to pay a little more for a product to get that.

Bingo.

To transition this to working as a photographer these days. It's not about getting the best shot ever, it's about the experience. Family wants to spend money on the outing and make a day of it. I'm today's entertainment, they'll prep all day just to spend an hour with me taking photos. Anyone can snap a picture nowdays, no sweat. A professional takes a photograph. On a very large camera with a very large lens and gives commands and makes really corny jokes about cheddar and gouda.

People want warmth and connections. If I don't want that I can always go to Amazon.

benjiboy · Sep 3, 2019

jim10219 said:
The stores near me aren't doing too well. But I've been to several camera stores in other states that were doing quite well. The difference between the ones that are doing well and the ones that aren't, as far as I can tell, is how the store is presented. Successful camera stores are what I like to call "Millennial stores". These are stores that feel more like a coffee shop, for lack of a better description. Everything is overpriced, but there's a friendly, hangout vibe going on. The merchandise is cluttered and unorganized, the walls are packed with unrelated junk, and there's a bunch of curious things to look at that aren't for sale. It feels like everyone is there to talk and make friends, and selling stuff is secondary. The stores that are doing poorly are the "Baby Boomer stores". These are the traditional stores, where everything is clean, uncluttered, and presented in a professional manner. The salespeople follow you around and try to push everything under the sun on you. The prices are better, but they're cold and uninviting. You go in, find what you need, and get on with your busy life.

I think we've just gotten to the point where if you want cold professionalism, cheap prices, and advice, you'll go online. I think the old model of having experienced sales staff, good selection, and cheap prices no longer works in a brick and mortar store. I think what people want these days is an experience. And it seems they're willing to pay a little more for a product to get that.

I wrote in a previous post my local used film camera store is booming, they have always picked beautiful historic premises for their business and the company is staffed by the owner who looks to be in his late thirties and a young man and woman who seem to be in their twenties, but they know much more about vintage equipment than their age suggests.

removedacct1 · Sep 3, 2019

Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland, OR is closest to me, and they are thriving. If you go there on a Saturday it is stuffed full of customers, making it look a lot like an Apple store on a weekend.

LiamG · Sep 3, 2019

paulbarden said:
Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland, OR is closest to me, and they are thriving. If you go there on a Saturday it is stuffed full of customers, making it look a lot like an Apple store on a weekend.

Focal Point in Dallas, OR is doing pretty well, too, it seems. Every time I go in there it's busy and there's folks from several hours away coming in to buy new gear.

jim10219 · Sep 3, 2019

benjiboy said:
I wrote in a previous post my local used film camera store is booming, they have always picked beautiful historic premises for their business and the company is staffed by the owner who looks to be in his late thirties and a young man and woman who seem to be in their twenties, but they know much more about vintage equipment than their age suggests.

The Treehouse in Honolulu was packed with people when I stopped by last January. I don't know the owners, but everyone working there was probably in their 20's. I wanted to buy a cheap Nikon body, but they were charging WAY too much for their camera gear, and none of them were in good condition. Still, they sold two compact P&S camera while I was there (which were also WAY overpriced). It was an eye opening experience because at my local Bedford's Camera store in OKC, is probably ten times the size, and I've never seen half as many people there at once as there was in that tiny Hawaiian camera shop on a Tuesday morning.

Also, it seems a lot of the older stores concentrate more on digital gear these days, and I don't think people are buying digital gear in stores anymore. I think they were around when digital took over film, and don't want to go back, and have kind of adopted the feeling that all camera gear is being replaced by smartphones. All of the successful "Millennial stores" that I've seen concentrate mainly on film, and not on a professional level (i.e. hardly any darkroom equipment).

Now granted, one is in picturesque Hawaii, and the other is in dusty Oklahoma. And one is a tourist destination, and the other is where people stop to get a hotel room while on their way to a tourist destination. But other camera stores I've been to in other states seem to follow this pattern. And to be fair, I've only observed a small sample size, maybe 20 stores at most. But that is the impression that I'm getting. So I'd definitely say SOME camera stores are certainly booming!

benjiboy · Sep 3, 2019

The staff in my local used camera store are very nice Jim and not at all pushy, I'm surprised sometimes how much they know about equipment that was current almost twenty years before they were born.

My local camera shop, business booming. Anyone else?

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