Nostalgia for the old camera store?

The big store in Seattle, Glazer's, moved to a new and much bigger building a few years ago.

 

Of course the biggest part is for digital cameras and accessories, and the smallest for film and darkroom supplies, but they are still there.

 

I am not so sure what last year did to them, as to many other stores.

 

But we did have some other, smaller stores such as Ritz around, and those have all closed.

It seems that Ritz is still around with two stores, one in UT and one in MD.

 

The store in Pasadena, that I used to go to when we lived there, closed about 10 years ago.

 

It seems that Samy's, near Los Angeles, where I bought my FM 42 years ago is still there.

I do remember that they wouldn't quote prices over the phone, but would tell me how much more

or less things cost than prices that I knew. I bought a black FM and AI 35/2.0 lens.

(Both of which I still have.)

 

Bigger cities are big enough to keep some stores open, but not the little ones like we used to have.

Does anybody remember Foto View Central owned by Willy Schwartz. Shop was near Grand Central Station in

NYC. Sold quality equipment.

What a true gentleman. He sold me his dealer's special Leicaflex SL with a very small markup

from his own purchase price,

I grew up in a small town in South Texas, so we had to to go to Corpus Christi, TX for the camera stores [circa the 70s-80s]. I seem to remember that they were three stores but since I was going to the beach most times anyway, I would do a quick stop at Ritz Camera in the mall to get film (if I ran out or forgot). Not sure what is there now these days. Where I live now there are none.

Does anybody remember Foto View Central owned by Willy Schwartz. Shop was near Grand Central Station in

NYC. Sold quality equipment.

What a true gentleman. He sold me his dealer's special Leicaflex SL with a very small markup

from his own purchase price,

Possibly - very long time ago, I walked into a small camera shop near Grand Central it was wide rather than long with a counter and display cases parallel to the front door. Two gents behind the counter were wondering what they were going to do with a Nikon FB 8 case that a heavy hitter customer returned with some lens hood marks on the inside. Bought it at a nice discount on the spot. have it to this day. Be fun if it was your store!

I miss my local area Camera Shops. In Oak Ridge, TN, we had The Camera's Eye and also had Thompson Photo Products (still in business in Knoxville, TN as a photo lab), we also had F-Stop Photo which was camera store and one hour photo. In Athens, TN then we had Foto Fast, which was one hour photo and Minolta dealer. Miss the superb belated Superior Camera in Chattanooga, did repairs and sold camera gear and film. And also had send off photo processing. Enjoy Thompson Photo Products in Knoxville and the awesome F32 Photo in Knoxville (they sell cameras, film, and have a superb photo lab).

In my (small) home town 4 or 5 small camera stores closed over the years. (One of them specialized in, then, Soviet optical equipment). One still remains today and does quite well.

That single one is a family run shop. A few short streets from my parental home, in days when people still lived in the center of a town, and everyone knew everyone (now nobody lives above the shops, and most shops are franchise chain stores, run by owners who live elsewhere. After opening hours, streets are deserted. Used to be a living community). I went to school with the present owner. It used to be a pleasure to deal with the father of the present owner. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to buy anything there, because they are too expensive, and not flexible. I don't mind paying extra for service and to keep a small business alive. But there are limits. And when given the usual response to pointing out that i could get something not just for less, but for much less elsewhere: "you should buy it there, then", i invariably did.

When the previous owner was still around (sadly deceased years ago, and greatly missed), he often was found in his old shop, then owned and ran by his son. He often took me aside to tell me when his son would be out, and invited me to come back then. That very often resulted in a sale. "He'll never sell anything", he used to mutter. He was not right there, though. Just not to me.

Still, i wish them all the luck, and am glad to see they are doing quite well. Even though i haven't bought anything there for years.

Edited February 11, 2021 by q.g._de_bakker

My family opened its camera shop in 1974 and remained open until the spring of 1993. I was a senior in high school when we opened so I worked every afternoon. In college (I attended Mississippi State) I commuted (from West Point) so I could work most days. In addition to camera sales we did custom darkroom work, copied old photos, and sent cameras off for repairs.

closing day

We closed as the building we rented was being sold and we didn't want to move. Also, my mother was in poor health. I was teaching full time so I could only help on Saturdays and holidays. But, those were fun days.

I lived in New York from 1970 to 1995. I was familiar with most of the Manhattan camera stores mentioned in the second post. My favorite was Competitive camera, just down from Penn Station, which seemed to have the best deals when it was a small storefront. Then it took over the store next door and greatly expanded even including TV sets. The prices went up and I no longer went there. It closed not long after (in the 1980s?) long before digital heralded the demise of most of the other stores.

Thank you guys, I have read all your posts and so many memories of similar events happened to me. I don't really have a favorite camera store as I cannot afford to purchase almost anything. But I used to window shop a lot. sometimes spending the whole just looking at photography products from different camera stores. :)

An exterior shot of the camera shop at the annual Prairie Arts Festival (Labor Day weekend). My dad and I (mostly my dad) would take a few dozen black & white photos every year and display prints in the store window. Thankfully we had an Ektamatic processor at the time.

Dad with his photos on display.

Uxbridge Photo in Uxbridge Middlesex and Campkins Camera in Cambridge were always worth visiting: stuffed full of gleaming chrome Leicas. My first real camera I bought at Vic Odden's on London Bridge. I've a shot of Uxbridge photo somewhere. I got my M3 kit there in 1986.

Campkins Camera in Cambridge

Ah, there's a blast from the past! I'd forgotten all about Campkins. I think they had a branch in Worcester where I bought a Nikon F2. About 40 years ago.

 

Last time I was in London I went looking for the site of 'Brunnings of Holborn' purveyors of used cameras and assorted optical bric-a-brac. Where I spent quite a few hours browsing, and occasionally buying.

Long gone, and now a characterless coffee shop.

ast time I was in London I went looking for the site of 'Brunnings of Holborn' purveyors of used cameras and assorted optical bric-a-brac. Where I spent quite a few hours browsing, and occasionally buying.

Long gone, and now a characterless coffee shop.

 

First time I was in London and Cambridge, I noticed wonderful old cameras in window displays.

 

You can't go home again, I guess. When I got back in the 80s, I couldn't find any of them

I'm reminded nearly every day that the family camera shop is long gone as I pass by its first location (1974-79) and second location (1979-1993) every day on my way to work. But I'm not sad, just feeling that sense of nostalgia.

The downside of those old shops is that it was too easy to get suckered into buying something from their window display!

 

Probably my worst buy was an AGIflex 120 SLR. The lens was really terrible and its wind-on mechanism broke shortly after I bought it. I did manage to repair it, which led me down a path of DIY camera repair that's stayed with me. But if there's one camera I regret buying, it's that nasty old Agiflex. I don't think I got a single worthwhile picture out of it. But it looked charming at the time.

 

Of course, there's online temptation these days, but I don't think it's as strong as seeing the actual object-of-desire in all its 3D glory, separated only by a pane of glass.

Then walk through the door; ask to handle it..... and you're hooked!

Here's a story about the original Jessop's store in Leicester, with a picture of people queuing to get in, I think to take advantage of some special offer or other.

 

LINK -------- Jessops returns home to Leicester

 

The building to the right was the Princess Charlotte pub, which became a well known rock music venue, where many top bands made early appearances. Now that's gone too.

<p>As is so often the case, I was tootling along on another forum and started to go seriously off topic as I remembered the camera store where I bought my first serious camera in 1959-60. I stopped and thought I'd better wander on back here where I might be appreciated...</p>

<p>It was a Heiland Pentax H2, and I got it at the A-Smile-A-Minute Camera store in Salina, Kansas.<br>

It was a fondly remembered local store located at 119 South Santa Fe. The last trace I can find of them is a small business loan in 1984, but long after that, when I went back to visit family in Ks, the store stood closed, but with all its stock, everything, still sitting there, including window displays and everything. Then, sadly, a few years ago when I went back the store was empty.<br>

Alas (sob), I have no pictures, but the one below was taken looking north from near the store.</p>

<p>Do the rest of you have memories of such old-fashioned, full-service stores? Maybe even pictures?</p>

<div>[ATTACH=full]361087[/ATTACH]</div>

 

Same story as you. My first store was 1969, Pan Pacific Camera on the corner of La Brea and Melrose in L.A.

 

No photos. Never thought of it until it was too late. I look for photos of them all the time on the web....nothing.

 

Here is a list of stores that were in and around L.A....

 

Bob Gamble - Santa Monica Blvd?

Mel Pierce - 5645 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028 near Hollywood and Western Blvd.

Pan Pacific Camera - La Brea at Melrose Blvd.

Photo Center - Beverly Blvd. Near Fairfax

Samy's Camera

The Darkroom - 5370 Wishire Blvd. L.A.

Max? Wilshire Blvd.

Bellaire Camera

Frank's Highland Park

Hollywood Camera? Highland Blvd

Henry's Camera Downtown L.A.

Morgan Camera shop 6262 W. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood.

Freestyle

 

I have collection of camera store photos. But this forum does not like photos unless the person shot them. So too bad, can't post them or could give you a ton of them.

 

Here is one they may not complain about since it is art and I did the scan of the postcard. (And if not then remove it.)

 

 

A couple years ago, before the virus, it was a rainy afternoon in NYC. I stepped into B&H and shot for about 20 minutes. All invisible infrared flash. Never got caught. Didn't expect to get caught. Maybe shot 75 - 100 photos. Still have not looked through the photos. Maybe someday. I'm backed up 10 years with my photos. Archival work eats up all my time.

 

If anyone has some good hi res photos of old camera stores I'd be glad to trade scans with you. Let me know. But no garbage. I only collect hi grade material.

 

Here is a freebie for you guys and gals...

 

Film Stored In Cooler D.D.Teoli Jr. A.C. : D.D.Teoli Jr. A.C. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Edited March 16, 2021 by invisibleflash

<p>Finally found photo of the family camera shop. I took this photo about five or six years before we closed up.</p><div>[ATTACH=full]377123[/ATTACH]</div>

 

Nice. Put up a hi res copy at the Internet Archive.

<p>My first 35mm camera had a shutter problem. I was about 14 years old.<br>

I payed $10.00 for it used. No rangefinder, had to buy a rangefinder that<br>

slid into the flash shoe. 3 shutter speeds and 3 apertures. Knobs that you<br>

had to turn forever to advance film or re-wind. Took it to a camera shop<br>

on Kingston Road here in Toronto, Canada. The middle age gentleman<br>

hand wound me a new spring and installed it. Charged me 10 cents!</p>

20 years later (1980) when I could afford a new Nikon F2AS for $1,400.00,

guess where I went ? The older gentleman was still there. Made me feel

good all over. Those days are gone forever, sigh.

Best regards,

/Clay

 

Yes, same story more or less. But mine was an old Minox I bought from my buddy. Maybe he stole it? I don't know. It was beat up. Paid $11. Film processing was $5, so that spurred me onto learning how to develop film to save $$.

<p>I'd love to be able to spend an hour or two in the Peerless camera store of the 40s and 50s in NYC. All those pre- and post-war (East) German cameras...</p>

<p>I'm actually very lucky to live now in a college town with a fairly large photo program, so my little local B&L Camera in Carbondale, IL not only sells new stuff, chemicals, film, and so on, but some of the people are camera collectors, so there are sometimes wonderful things on the top shelf. It's actually higher grade stuff than my old A-Smile-A-Minute, and someday, if I live long enough, I'll be nostalgic over it as it is now. They are always kind enough to let me show off my latest acquisition and chat with me about it.</p>

 

Yes fantastic stuff. I have tons of material. No time to scan. Hundreds of thousands of pages to scan, all sorts, not just cameras.

 

Here is a fraction

 

The Golden Age of Film Photography – I – Photography & Cine' related ephemera from the Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection (wordpress.com)

 

I got 40+ more websites under contruction...no time.

Here's a story about the original Jessop's store in Leicester, with a picture of people queuing to get in, I think to take advantage of some special offer or other.

 

LINK -------- Jessops returns home to Leicester

 

The building to the right was the Princess Charlotte pub, which became a well known rock music venue, where many top bands made early appearances. Now that's gone too.

I think Jessops would have gone bust without the help of the Internet.

 

There was a time when the chain was buying up, or buying out, any competition they could get their hands on. Including small minilabs that only sold cameras as a sideline. Most towns often had at least two of their shops, and big cities would have half-a-dozen, and often within 5 minutes walk of each other.

 

It got to the point where their individual branches were only competing with each other. That's not a sensible and sustainable business model.

 

Needless to say I didn't shed too many tears to see the Jessops near-monopoly go under.

 

Tecno and Jabobs, OTOH, I really miss.

Most towns often had at least two of their shops

 

Yes. Dixon's went down a similar road, at one time we had three of their stores within five minutes walk of each other.

The store that I bought much film and other supplies from, Lee-Mac in Pasadena, is now closed.

I never bought a camera from them.

 

It seems, though, that the store I bought my black FM and AI 35/2.0 lens in 1979,

Samy's in Los Angeles, is still around. I do remember that they wouldn't quote prices

over the phone, but would quote price differences. So with the right questions, I knew

the price they were going to be.

Samy's in Los Angeles, is still around.

Sadly, they closed the one in Santa Barbara about 2 years ago. Was the last one after Russ Camera closed many years ago.

I bought my black FM and AI 35/2.0 lens in 1979

I bought my black FM and AI 105/2.5 that same year - in a small store called Foto-Ecke in Trier, Germany; about 50 miles from where I lived. As a teenager, I couldn't afford the F2AS I really wanted and had been playing with in that store a few times before. My local store at the time (which is still around) didn't carry Nikon - Konica and Praktica are the only brands I remember being sold there.

A few more images from family camera shop:

 

old 16mm projector on table is a WWII 16mm projector used Army. The exciter lamp (for optical sound) was powered by an amplifier in a separate box (bigger than projector).

from our shop's first location- my dad serving a customer

Store front of first location

This building was once the office for the Selective Service Board.