Need help to save a good photo lab

I was so lucky to have a small, local photo lab where they do an excellent job with developing film and prints.

It was right downtown, just a few minutes away from where I live. I had gotten to know the staff well and they

always did an awesome job with my pictures. My negatives always came out clean, with no scratches, spots, etc

and prints looked beautiful.

 

Well, I just heard some really bad news today. The owner is planning to close the lab. The manager, who I've

gotten to know very well, might try to take over. She loves photography and photofinishing, and she is really

great at it. She wants to try to save the lab, and so do I. I REALLY need a local lab where I can get my

pictures developed. But the problem is the odds are against them. The economy is horrible right now, and it's

even worse where I live (San Bernardino, California). There aren't that many people interested in photography in

San Bernardino...and probably VERY few people here shoot film.

 

But I know that there are plenty of people out there who love to shoot film...this forum is proof of that. And

there are literally THOUSANDS of groups on Flickr, just for people who like to use film. And many of those

groups have thousands of members. So there are many people out there who are interested in traditional film

photography. We just have to reach out to them. I'm convinced that if they set up a website and started taking

online orders for developing, they would get customers. Film users are always looking for a good, trustworthy

lab where the staff cares about their film and will develop and handle it carefully. And this lab is definitely

one of them.

 

I think that if they started advertising online, and got their studio going again for portraits, that would be the key. They could take portraits for local customers, and on their website they could also emphasize their traditional film developing services...C-41, E-6, B&W, etc. Yup, this place actually developed E-6 and B&W film....and they develop prints on REAL photo paper, not ink jet!

 

I need advice. I really want to help save this lab. It means that much to me to have a place locally where I

can get my pictures developed. I've even told the manager that if she is able to take over, I'll work as an

intern or something and help out until things pick up. But I don't know anything about business. Does anyone

have any advice for what she can do? Like could she get a small business loan or grant from the Economic

Development Agency? Does anyone know of some good places that would help design a professional website? (I've

made websites, and I know HTML code...but not good enough for a business website).

 

And has anyone here started (or taken over) a photo lab? Can anyone offer any advice about this?

 

I know the economy is really bad right now, and photo labs everywhere are struggling. But I REALLY want to save

this one. There has to be something I can do. They do an excellent job with developing, and it's so hard to

find good places these days.

<p>What brand minilab do they use? Agfa, Fuji, Noritsu, KIS, Doli, Gretag? Do you know the model number? The reason I ask is because if they have an out-dated minilab there is less of a chance to survive.</p>

<p>One thought would be that there is currently no equivalent to the Fuji Slide Mailers for Print Film. Maybe mailers for negatives and a photo CD would be a good idea for this lab. No prints, just the scans, and at a good price. I'm thinking like $5.50 - $6 for a roll processed and a 2000x3000 rez scan CD returned. To me, that would be a good deal that I think would attract a lot of print film shooters, but not sure if a lab could make a living off that. They would need high volume, as the cost of return postage is about 2 bucks, which would eat into their profit margin. Can they profit/thrive on $6 -$2 postage - $.25 CD - ?scan time ? So like maybe $3/roll after expenses to cover a profit, chemicals, and equipment maintenance?</p>

<p>Starting up or taking over a photo lab is a bad idea these days. Film processing is drifting towards a few large mail order labs. You will just lose whatever money you put into it.</p>

<p>I too am in great distress that my favorite photo lab in Seattle may someday close, and I will be forced to send my color film through the mail to be processed. I always worry it will get lost. Hopefully film can survive, but at $5 a roll for developing and another $5 for a contact sheet, I can't imagine how they pay the bills even open just 5 days a week (no longer open on Saturday).</p>

<p>Buying a failing film processor would be a risky endeavor. The question is "How to give it a chance?"</p>

<p>Immediate sales volume and or a prospect to ramp up volume would help. B&H sells limited mailers for Fuji and more specialized mailers for A&I. A&I has a good reputation and unless they close their doors next week I'd be surprised if B&H would change vendors.</p>

<p>However.......</p>

<p>Adorama does not show any non-Fuji mailers for specialty processing. That might be a vendor that could ramp up volume pretty quickly.</p>

<p>Calumet only shows Fuji mailers for 24 exposure slides. They still did in-house processing the last time I was in their store (maybe a year ago in Escondido [san Diego County]) but only for C-41. They might also make a good sales prospect for selling mailers.</p>

<p>Neither Sammy's Camera or Ritz Camera (owns Sammy's?) shows mailers as an on-line item. Another prospect?</p>

<p>Many large cities have major privately owned camera stores. How many big city stores would a small processor need to break even, especially if they offered C-41, E-6 and B&W, mix or match.</p>

<p>Getting a small business loan is not the answer, but just a means to acquisition. You need to have gross profits to be able to pay back the loan (repayment is an unusual concept in today's business climate). If one were seeking a loan from a small business loan authorized bank, having a letter or letters of intent to carry your mailers would strengthen the loan application.</p>

<p>I could give them my film to process. Do they do mailers?</p>

<p>I agree with Randall. Offering quality images from film is something thats desirable, even if prints from negatives are extra.<br>

NCPS has had to tremendous success with their service.</p>