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- Jan 1, 2006
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epatsellis said:Having been shooting and souping since I was abut 11 (1974), I've come to the same conclusions of late. Then something rather serendipitous happened, I was in St. Louis yesterday, and decided to stop by some of the smaller photo shops, first one was OJ's Photo.
Ok, first impression walking in was "sh$%". bricks and bricks fo B&W Ilford, a few boxes of 4x5 Ilford, some Agfa B&W, loads of paper up to 11x14, accessories, you name it, almost like being transported back 20 yearsH I asked about chemistry, he keeps it in the basement, due to space issues. There's at least 3 schools nearby that he mentioned and they all buy there. I had mentioned I'd taken to mail ordering and he's happy to match prices when he can, as he will ship to me, as well as order whatever he can get that he doesn't stock.
In my opinion, a small mom and pop that is willing to do this deserves my, as well as everybody elses support. here's the website:
Dead Link Removed
I'd love to see him get a boatload of business, as we both had the "good ole days" discussion and it sure sounded like it's not as much fun as it used to be for him.
there's 2 other larger stores in town, Schillers and Croeve Coeuer Camera, never even made it to those. As far as I'm concerned, I've found a store that I can at least make a difference with what I buy.
With the proliferation of big box stores and the loss of so many valuble small stores, somebody like this really deserves to get all the business he can. While he wont' be replacing JandC or some of the other vendors for me, I'll spend as much as I can with him, and gladly tell everybody about him.
erie
David Brown said:My wife sews. She gets almost all her fabric now via the internet. Can't find good stuff locally. :rolleyes:
epatsellis said:Diane,
You'll find that OJ is a wonderful person, and tell everyone you know that is even mildly interested in analog photography about it. It'd be wonderful if we could start a searchable database of 2 things:
1) advanced amatuer friendly photo shops. As I stated above, I'll gladly pay a small premium if I know that my money is supporting somebody and his family. I hate the faceless, unaccountable corporations that are quickly becoming the norm, I've been self employed my entire life, and have had several retail establishments, including a (at one time) quite prosperous video rental store, until Blockbuster opened up 3 miles up the road. I make it a habit to shop at the smaller stores whenever I can.
2) darkroom rentals, I travel frequently and would love to be able to have access to a darkroom, if only to process some 4x5 negs once in a while.
erie
michael9793 said:We have lost the smell of a old stores where there is boxes of junk to go through and being able to wander around for hours looking into all the little corners to find things we really don't need but want. The times are changing.
regards
mike
Black Dog said:Here in Blighty we have Mr Cad in Croydon (the only good thing ever to have come out of Croydon IMO)-an absaloute Aladdin's cave you can wander around from hours finding everything from 70 year old Dagors to just out of date Tech pan to Diafine-paradise! Also Nicholas just opp Mornington Crescent Tube station , Fox Talbot in Tottenham Court Road (both London), Teamwork in Shelton St WC1 (London again), Clocktower Cameras in Brighton ...........there must be others out there (MXV, Ffordes vg for mailorder), and Silverprint of courseIMO the economics of retailing have a lot to do with the little guys going under-it doesn't get any easier for them but the good ones will survive. Just one store (Goldfinger) saved B + W photography in the UK in the 70s (then they became Silverprint).
john_s said:I live in a city of 3 million (Melbourne, Australia) and we still have several pro photo shops with a reasonable range of black and white supplies.
michael9793 said:When I was much younger I had been a manager of a Dodd camera store in cleveland at one time. Before that I worked at the downtown store that was a classic. old wood floors long glass counters with inventory on the shelves behind you. We carried every camera made. The company allowed use to take the cameras and use them to learn how they worked as well as knowing there features. We had everything. cameras, full darakrooms, mounting and matt boards and everything you can think of stocked. if we ran out, up stairs to inventory and get somemore. There profession inventory like lighting, processors and repair were at a different location, but within waking distance.
....(snip)
joneil said:Then yesterday for Father's Day, I go to the local Chapters bookstore - this is the big chain of bookstores in Canada that are the size of supermarkets, and have a Starbucks built into them. Looking for books on fine woodworking, there are only two shelves of them, all aimed at novices. Nothing specialized or in depth, IMO. At least they now carry Lenswork and VC magazines.
athanasius80 said:Quick plug: Terry's Camera in downtown Long Beach, CA. Nice sales guys with the time to talk. Last time I was there they had two Speed Graphics, a good amount of 35m equipment, some used darkroom stuff, and its just a cool place.
gnashings said:in a sea of this or that for dummies and user manuals for every digigizmo you can name!
gnashings said:Mike, I want a time machine!
Its funny - my wife works at one of the biggest book retailers in North America, and an absolute iron-fist monopoly robber-baron in Canada. She gets a handsome employee discount and yes, they can get you about any book you want. But, we drive a good distance to a nearby town which contains an old, dusty book-shop (in a building behind a plaza with a driveway made for bicycles), with old, wooden book shelves from cieling to floor, creaky old wooden floors, and a guy who actually knows this huge, seemingly disarrayed inventory off the top of his graying head. Its hard to get to, was hard to find - but its a book store, for people who love books ran by people who love books. Part antiquariat, part second hand store - all magic! From rag-tag copies of various books to a first edition of "On The Road", there is something about sifting through its inventory even if you don't find anything you want(more often we pull ourselves out of there forcibly in order to have money for food and such). I know, off topic - but I think you can all see the parallels... What hell of a camera store that would be!
Peter.
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