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My local camera shop, business booming. Anyone else?

In my minilab this August, we had the busiest film developing month in the last 10 years ( I keep track of all figures). It was so busy that I had to roster one member of staff to just film processing and scan duty for 4 day of each week, such was the volume.

We were processing on average 45 film a day. Fuji even asked why I was ordering so much NC1 & NC2 (C41) chemicales.

One thing that I did notice was the amount of disposable / single use cameras sales and developing. We sold out one day in mid August. The reason?
We had 5 school debs dances around this time and the disposable cameras were fashion accessory to have at the dance (so I was told). And of course we got most of them in for processing.
 
1 liter C-41 kits seem to be sold out online and Kodacolor 200 (Color Plus) went up from about $3 a roll to $4.

I paid $32.25 for ten rolls at the end of March. It's now 40.93 for ten rolls and the Amazon. I think things really came together this summer for film.
 
I don't think we have any camera stores around my area anymore. Film can be had at drugstore chains, or the Walmarts and Targets. Never thought twice about this 'cause I always get my pro film from B&H.
 
I was back at my local store on Monday, to find a young man asking the owner about repairs on his Canon 514XL super 8 camera. I was dropping 3 C41 films off with Jane who handles the film processing and she told me that 20 of the 160 Color Plus films they had on order have finally arrived, and that while she felt it was late in the year for such slow film they'd sold six rolls already. The film had arrived in stock that morning. No sign of Fuji 400H but she had managed to get hold of a few 135 rolls of Superia 400. colour film, she says, is flying off the shelves and has been since Spring this year. The shop has a good stock of FP4+ and HP5+ in 135 and 120 as the supply has never dried up. Sales are faster than last year but it's the colour film that has seen the huge increase in sales. She's also still inundated with processing and has had to repair her mini lab twice recently. Her recent work includes 126 film processing as well as the large volume of 135 and 120. She's also had an inquiry about 127 processing and several people asking about buying film or film cameras as Christmas gifts. The two Mamiya 645's and the Bronica in the second hand cabinet have all gone now, sold to enthusiasts.

There's something in the wind...
 
My local film camera store is also going from strength to strength and has recently moved to larger premises and I'm amazed at how quickly the equipment on their website is sold and the amount of good condition vintage equipment they get in stock.
I consider myself very lucky to have such a good shop in my city.www.wycameras.com
 

Mr. Mike from FFP emailed me that they don't have any home C-41 kits in stock. No answer when they'll be back in stock but he did say they'll say out real fast.

Got enough film for a few seasons from Walgreens thankfully. Now a way to develop...
 
My lab has seen sustained growth month after month this year. BIt of a downswing from the Summer highs now that it's Fall, but I expected this. I live in a small town, in a largely rural state (Maine). Still, everywhere I go it seems I see at least one or two people shooting film.

I can't say I predicted this but it's not surprising. The utility of photography has lost all meaning with smartphones and instagram. Yet making photographs remains a thing, and just like the experience of playing a vinyl record, using a film camera can be rewarding. It's a really great time to shoot film!
 
In Hamburg last week there was new store opening for "Leica Meister Camera", they purchased also "PhotoHaus.de" store. They moved closer to center, in bigger and nicer place. So business must be going good for them.
In local drug stores (DM, Rossmann, Budnikowski) we have 35mm color and B&W films, and Instax mini films all the time, and they do develop films for 5€, waiting time around 2 weeks.
In Fotoimpex in Berlin Adox films are often sold out...so all looks pretty optimistic here.
 
It's great to hear good news. What with Ilfords new film and the arrival of Fuji Across II and expanded Ektachrome. The only way is up.
 

I work in downtown Seattle (live on Vashon Island) so Glazers is closest to me. I use both but Glazers is my favorite. Both seem to be doing well, we are fortunate to have them.
 
My local lab/camera store is doing very well. They don't just sell cameras though. Most of their business comes from prints. They did tell me they developed nearly 900 rolls of film just in the month of August though. The guy said that almost rivals their numbers back in the day. They even started developing and scanning 110 film again this summer!
 
Well, we should at least distinguish between a camera shop flourishing as such and booming film sales at such shop.

I see a flourishing shop, but with classic films sale flatlining at a level below provitability. But still being offered for principle reasons.
 
I referred to a flourishing major camera store in a densely poplulated area that needs 4 years to sell that amount of films.

Again and again I can only emphasize that the situation varies strongly regionally.
 
unfortunately, no. My local doesn't even carry film anymore; they told me"it's not worth it because, nobody can develop it anymore; dumb arses.
 
I can add that I was in Nova Darkroom about 8 months or so ago and asked about sales of darkroom material. They told me they have experienced a huge sales increase in darkroom paper going to colleges for photo classes. Some of the colleges were quite a distance and had been ordering paper for years but there was a definite large increase in the last year.
 
A generation that did not grow up trying to minimise grain thinks that grain is cool.
 
Ace photo in Chantilly Virginia seems to be doing pretty well. They also have a shop in falls church. I haven’t been there yet. Both shops are about an hour drive for me. I needed a bag for my rb67 and wanted to try out different bags before purchasing. They have an entire huge room for just bags. I ended up getting a used tamarack for $30.
 
local camera shop? I don't even have one of those. We have a Best Buy. 200k people and not even a digital-only shop.
 
I spent more than 20 years managing camera stores and I would never have believed that in this day and age a store only selling vintage film equipment could be as successful at selling it as my local shop has been and is continuing to be, it has become a destination for film enthusiast from all over the country and their website has always got interesting stuff on at reasonable prices..
 
  • AgX
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Yes, that is amazing!

More so as it is located in the province (West-Yorkshire). However it is located in a quite a big city (475.000).
 
abruzzi said:
local camera shop? I don't even have one of those. We have a Best Buy. 200k people and not even a digital-only shop.
Click to expand...
I got a 250.000 city in my vicinity without any camera store too. The vanishing of camera stores took place in Germany too. But it seems that the few that are remaining are either doing good, or are going to be taken over by those doing good.
 
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