My local camera shop, business booming. Anyone else?

foc · Sep 3, 2019

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.

Cholentpot · Sep 3, 2019

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.

Cropline · Sep 3, 2019

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.

Agulliver · Oct 30, 2019

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...

benjiboy · Oct 30, 2019

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

Cholentpot · Oct 30, 2019

Agulliver said:
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...

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...

NortheastPhotographic · Oct 30, 2019

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!

darkosaric · Oct 30, 2019

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.

foc · Oct 30, 2019

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.

msage · Oct 30, 2019

BAC1967 said:
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.

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.

Ces1um · Oct 30, 2019

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!

AgX · Oct 31, 2019

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.

Tom Kershaw · Oct 31, 2019

AgX said:
I see a flourishing shop, but with classic films sale flatlining at a level below provitability. But still being offered for principle reasons.

900 rolls of film processed in a month by a 'local' shop / processor doesn't seem too bad, evening it is 100% consumer C-41.

AgX · Oct 31, 2019

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.

Tom Kershaw · Oct 31, 2019

Well, I virtually never see someone using a film camera when out and about in my region. However there are many suppliers in the UK so someone must be using film.

RalphLambrecht · Oct 31, 2019

Agulliver said:
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.

View attachment 227002 View attachment 227003 View attachment 227004 View attachment 227005 View attachment 227006 View attachment 227007 View attachment 227008

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.

perkeleellinen · Oct 31, 2019

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.

Ray Morgenweck · Oct 31, 2019

“Everything Old is New Again”.

Cholentpot · Oct 31, 2019

Ray Morgenweck said:
“Everything Old is New Again”.

A generation that did not grow up with film is not cynical about film.

John51 · Oct 31, 2019

A generation that did not grow up trying to minimise grain thinks that grain is cool.

Timophoto · Oct 31, 2019

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.

abruzzi · Oct 31, 2019

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.

benjiboy · Oct 31, 2019

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 · Nov 1, 2019

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).

AgX · Nov 1, 2019

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.

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.

My local camera shop, business booming. Anyone else?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency