NYC camera store that sells old cameras, odds/ends, etc?

I'm looking for a store that does just that! Most stores have the same stuff, whatever is current. I need a store that sells der stuff, working

or not. And, odds and ends like bellow bits or whatever.

 

Thanks!

<p>Over the last decade the internet has grabbed most of the "junk drawer" sales. Back in the day, every shutterbug loved searching through drawers of old stuff in dusty boxes.<br /> Ebay changed all that. The shops no longer needed anybody to walk through their doors searching. So they mined this gold online, and ended up not needing their brick and mortar locations.</p>

<p>The other issue was 911. Many of the downtown camera stores literally lost all of their customers when those bldgs came down. Downtown lost 3,000 lives that day, but also lost 40,000 office jobs. Only now is Chinatown recovering from this phenomena.</p>

<p>I'm sure there may be a few small shops left. But places like Olden, Camera Traders, Wall St. Camera, (the old) Willoughby-Peerless, Camera Barn etc , are now sadly just memories.</p>

<p>Yeah Steve, I have fond memories of digging through bins, and boxes of filters, straps, flash guns, and odd film brands in those great old shops down town. I loved all the places you named. </p>

<p>One store you don't hear much about these days might, I say <em>might</em> , have some old gear still around. Willoughbys (<a href="http://www.willoughbys.com/">link</a> ) still bills itself as "NYC’s oldest photographic emporium serving consumers through three centuries". It is a lineal descendant of not only the old Willoughbys, but also of the once-largest of the NY stores, Peerless. Of course, Adorama, B&H, and others sell used cameras and lenses too.</p>

<p>Yes. the eBay has done in the old box of odds and ends. My saddest memory on these lines is of a camera store in my home town that had just closed its doors ca 1970.Brand new older gear were still displayed in the store window (new Argus C3s, etc.). Stayed that way until into the 90s and then one time I went back to visit the parents and the store was empty. Somebody got a lot of "new old stock" stuff. How I wished I had made an effort to get in touch with whoever owned it.</p>

<p>Stopped in yesterday to the last independently-owned camera store in my Midwestern US city. It's a great place to see what's new and find some decent deals on vintage equipment. There is good information about today's imaging technologies and respect for the film stuff that brought us all here. Plus, they always have lots of hot coffee and warm conversation while you look about.</p>

<p>Not anymore. This Monday, March 22, the store closes for good.</p>

<p>What killed it was not so much eBay, but the actions of the major photo manufacturers. They don't want to deal with supplying the various far-flung mom and pop camera stores with new products. Too inefficient so they say. In their mind, it's better to deal with the enticing profitable volumes offered by centralized distribution to big-box chain stores. As capitalists, I guess they're right to do so. But, with no new products to show, there are no new customers for my hometown store, and no place to trade-in or sell the old stuff.</p>

<p>Now I no longer have a friendly resource to see and handle out of the ordinary photo products or to get accurate, personalized advice. I'll have to settle for a small smattering of focus-group tested items sold by yawning, disinterested clerks working in expansive, brightly lit pole barn mega-stores. Yeah, I'm bitter right now. I'll get over it.</p>

<p>Yuri, if you find a store in NYC that still offers used equipment, enjoy it while you can, shop at it until you can't. Many, many of us understand your plight. If you're having trouble finding used equipment in a city of several million people, imagine what it's like for those of us out here in the prairie. Be sure to post us on what you do find. It might be worth a flight.</p>

<p>It isn't just New York. I visited Chicago for the first time in 30 years after having lived there from 1969 to 1978. Very disappointing walking around the loop. Where there had been 7 or 8 camera shops there was only one left, Central Camera on Wabash. My Chicago was just gone. One of my favorite places, The Adler Planetarium has been greatly expanded but the with new, dumbed down, flashing, buzzing, interactive displays for the 3 second attention span video game generation. Gone is the quiet basement area where being able to read was a requirement for enjoying the displays. Also long gone is the optical lab where area ATM's gathered to share encouragement and work on grinding and polishing their own telescope mirrors. Oh dear, a bit off thread, sorry.</p>

<p>In the 1970's on Canal St there were "gray" dealers that seemed like black marketeers. Things like Vivitar lenses and flashes with the names scratched off at bargain prices, was their stock and trade. And of course the ubiquitous "obscure accessories" bins sat on the floor. Cases, bulbs, neg carriers, filters, rings,safe lights ,lenses for long forgotten cameras, etc. I recall once buying a decent enlarger lens for $4 on Canal St.</p>

<p>I once (c1974) walked all over NYC searching for a flash shoe for my Nikkormat. I ended up at Olden on the 2nd floor on Herald Sq. The salesmen there all knew me from my many previous visits. (Mostly to drool in front of their cases of Nikons. ) When the salesman finally found the holy grail (flash shoe) in the 30th drawer he looked in. He tossed it to me and said "no charge, next time you're in the store buy something". And I always did.</p>

<p>Before retirement, I was on the road in sales, my hobby drew me to: Bridgewater Camera, C&J Camera, Needham Camera, Eliots Camera, Photographics, Camera Place, Camera Shop, Park Ave Camera, Le BonVie Camera, New England Camera, Ortins, certain Ritz, Eagle Photo, Pleasant Camera, Harvard Camera, Theatre Camera, Pioneer Valley Camera and I may have missed some. These were all in Massachusetts and are sadly, no longer!</p>

<p>I could swear I remember in Brooklyn, there was one of those camera stores with the dusty old boxes of misc. filter adapter rings etc. I do remember that it was on Flatbush Avenue, somewhere north of Brooklyn College, on the northeast corner of an intersection, but I can't remember the cross street for the life of me. It's probably not there any more anyway...</p>

<p>This foray of Nostalgia is slightly depressing , especially to the younger generation that missed out on most of this and came into photography at decline of the film age,just before the cusp of the digital age, and refuse to go into that digital world lightly.<br /> I started photography with my Minolta x-370 when i was in middle school taking Photography classes and continued through high-school. Both colleges in the region also had Photo programs so it was not unnatural that in the area of my small town in upstate NY we would have a Full service camera store or two, and even a couple small repair shops that sold used equipment. One repair shop was in my village, walking distance from my home. I would got there when i was in high to get little odds and ends i needed including ordering film, chemicals and supplies, But mainly was for when i needed repairs. I remember the store was own or run by 2 gentleman. The Man who was always the counter and the small Asian man that did all the repairs and was in the back mostly. I Really remember how lucky i thought i was , to have someplace with a guy like him to go to. Because in my junior or senior year with the help of a phone modem and finally a local AOL number to dial, i started to purchase inexpensive used lenses from this world wide web thingy. I remember 2 in particular, a Rokkor 35m and a Rokkor 58mm , which i got for a few dollars but did not work , and the man at the repair shop totally rebuilt them both for 50 dollars apiece, and even got the dent out of the filter ring on the 58mm f/1.4.<br /> I went away to college a couple years after high school and when I returned after the first year the store was gone. Its funny , the Yellow pages still listed them and their number for a few years after too even tho the number is not longer working; And even yahoo local list them when i do a search for camera repair to this day. All the Shops save for one in the region closed now. and the One still open is mostly a photo finishing and one hour photo for Digital and Film. They send out any equipment that you would bring in needing repair, with a minimum of a $25 estimate fee ontop of what ever the repair might cost.<br /> I wish i knew the owners of that local Shop, because I bet they are still semi-Local and i could still get that guy to service my equipment. I would love to not have to drive a couple hours to NYC to find someone who would work on my gear. SO far calling the places i see listed on this site , i get allot of "Oh we don't work on old Minolta" or "we don't know how much it would be for a CLA until we get in there, just leave it with us and we'll call you next week"</p>

<p>SO yea i too would love to find a store like that Yuri.<br /> Hey Jim , is that place in your city planning on having a Clearance sale? lol</p>

<p>That wouldn't be Hudson by chance?</p>

<p>Yea, I'm in the Hudson valley area.</p>

<p>If it's any consolation he story in the UK is exactly the same, big brightly lit expensive stores full of disinterested sales staff in sharp suits who don't know an f stop from a bus stop.</p>