Photo stores

This question can be asked equally in a couple forums but arbitrarily

decided on this one. I, at the current time, work for a company that

keeps locating me at plants located in small towns. I've always had

a hard time finding good traditional camera shops that buy/sell used

equipment, sell b&w and color chemicals, darkroom equipment and have

a staff that actually cares about photography. Those living in large

cities probably don't have this same problem, due to a higher culture

density. Here's the question, do any of you out there living in BFE,

ya know turn left at the second fence post after the tree cluster,

feel that they know a traditional camera shop that they feel is

worthy to pass along to a fellow photographer. Here are my three

contributions:

 

1) Staunton, VA: located in the shenandoah valley near the Rockfish

gap of the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, there is a shop called

Camera & Palette on W. Beverly St, a quiet shop, I got a long FL lens

for a steal

 

2) Lafayette, IN: not a extremely small town, but if you depart more

than 5 minutes from main street you could get lost in corn, home of

Purdue University, there is a shop Berry's Camera on 4th St one block

north of Main, I haven't done a whole lot of business here, just

enough to know I'll need them ever increasingly in the future

 

3) Cape Girardeau, MO: this city is a small city on the river, being

2 hrs from St Louis it became the veritable Mecca for consumers of

the bootheel region of this Twain country. I live 1-1/2 hrs from it

and its the only thing in my area. There is a shop called Nowell's

Camera on Broadway Ave, a few blocks from the river. He even has

some large format stuff and is a practitioner of the zone system

 

So there are a few of my crutches. Maybe someone can tell me where a

shop is thats closer to Blytheville, AR than Cape Girardeau?

For new equipment try <a href=http://www.bhphotovideo.com>www.bhphotovideo.com</A>

or <a href=http://www.calumetphoto.com>www.calumetphoto.com</A>

.</p> For used equipment try <a href=http://www.ebay.com>www.ebay.com</A></p>

 

Even in large cities, there aren't many stores that can match the selection and prices of these on-line retailers. Welcome to the 21st century.

I agree with Mark. I suspect that a lot of the few remaining independant shops left probably sell what they buy locally on Ebay because it'll move fast. It doesn't make sense to sit on inventory waiting for a customer when you can blow it out in a week at auction. For the customer it makes sense to buy used stuff at auction because you might have to visit a whole bunch of shops to find what you want. And it IS the 21st century.

Hi Eric . All though I live in Boise and not near any of the towns you mention. I have bought alot of stuff over the net. But I agree that finding a shop with a real person that likes to talk and share ideas about like interests is alot more interesting that trying to talk to a computer. My favorite store here in Boise is, Boise Professional Photograghy and Darkroom on Fairview Ave. Goodluck