Olden Camera in Manhattan?

[k_michael]

Does anyone ever go to Olden Camera in NYC? I was in there and had a

hard time breathing in there because of the dust. The place is pretty

run down.

[j_yabrow1]

Yeah, I checked out Olden a few year's ago (the same day as Willoughby's in your other post) and had pretty much the same experience. The "sales" guys had no enthusiasm whatsoever. The look on their faces was one of defeat--you could see it in their eyes. I think those places are almost relics from an era long gone. Modern retailers like B&H, Ritz (internet), eletronics superstores, and ebay are pretty much killing these places off. I wouldn't be surprised if both Olden and Willoughby's are out of business by now (Camera Barn, Executive Photo, 47th Street Photo and umpteen others all died a long time ago). Based on my earlier experience, I wouldn't expect to find any deals or gems even if they're still around.

[ronald_duren]

Thirty years ago the store would have been so crowded with people buying state of the art darkroom equipment new and used cameras, now it�s not worth the walk up those stairs.

[lemastre]

It looks to me as if camera makers have discovered the sales magic of built-in

obsolescence that became achievable when cameras became as much

electronic devices as optical instruments. By merely rewiring the computer

chip to change the electronic whiz-bangs, last year's model could be made to

seem out of date and undesirable. This aside from the fact that the

photographic performance of the camera might remain unchanged. This sort

of obsolescence seems to have reduced the market for and the value of used

gear. Years ago, when cameras were relatively noncomplex devices

consisting of a lens, a focusing arrangement, and a shutter, a well-made

camera had a long life in the marketplace because it didn't go obsolete

overnight. This market still exists for such gear as 8x10 cameras, enlargers,

and some models of Leica, Hasselblad, and so on. Of course, all markets are

greatly affected by the internet; so shops such as Willoughby's and Olden

would have a tough time even if cameras hadn't changed so much. Those of

us who aren't addicted to the latest in electronics still like to visit a shop and

handle well-made gear, some of which we might even buy.

[kelly_flanigan1]

I bought a Nikkormat Ftn there by mail order in 1973; in the 1970's they were great. They located alot of weird items; or referred me to where to get them. I needed a C mount to D mount adapter; they referred me to Century Precision Optics in Hollywood. They made me 2 adapters! The D mount is a regular 8mm camera mount; the C mount is for 16mm.

[dj_soroka]

I have heard stories from collectors who used to rummage through Olden's piles of used stuff back in the early to mid 1970's, and walk out with Nikon rangefinder cameras, accessories and lenses that now sell for 10 times, or more, what they paid.

 

Oh well, the days of a find in an equipment heap may be gone.

[gwilburn]

Olden Camera -- what a blast from the past! They used to dominate the ads sections in the photo mags. My first serious camera (1st-year university, 1963) was an Exacta with a waist-level finder, no pentaprism. $40 mail order, brand new, from Olden. I upgraded the camera a year later to a Minolta RF but the warm memories are still there. That Exacta from Olden set me on the path for life. -GW

[kelly_flanigan1]

Bothe Olden Camera and Freestyle had 2 page "Yellow page" ads. One could quickly find their ads fast in MODERN or POP photo.

[mskovacs]

Are tese are the guys close to the Flatiron building? Strangely enough, they seemed to be closed when I tried to go there during a weekday last May.

[jim_stogdill]

I went in there yesterday (my first time) and it was definitely a time warp. The dust, the old equipment everywhere, and the wistfully tough old woman who helped me gave the whole place a Great Expectations meets camera shop feel. I loved it the way I love Camera Care in Philadelphia and all those other old cave-like camera shops with really knowledgeable staff and surprising piles of wonderful mechanical gadgets.

 

The B+H's of the world are wonderful for their efficiency, service, and pricing but not for their antiseptic anonymity. I'll sorely miss the part museum, part school, and part jumbled attic that these old camera shops are when they inevitably disappear.

[kelly_flanigan1]

INTERESTING thread; because I bought from Robert OLDEN before B&H ever existed..............<BR><BR>They had/ Have??? a cool phone number 30 years ago 212-CAMERAS<BR><BR>Their slogans:<BR><BR><b>"Olden does the impossible!"<BR><BR>"You pay less at Olden!"<BR><BR>"All shipments 10 day money back guarantee"<BR><BR>"More for your trade in"<BR><BR>"write or phone for impossible new prices!"</b><BR><BR><b>Hey Olden; some of us remember when you were KING; and had the COOL yellow pages..............</b>............<br>.....

[k_michael]

The place really went down hill. Did it ever have a ground level store too? Or was it always on the second floor? I know someone who recently worked there. It was enough to scare this guy out ofthe camera business. Ever see the homeless people handing out outdated fliers in Herald Square for this place?

[fred_forsyth]

I remember Olden Camera very well. In 1973, at 15 years old, I went to that store to get a couple of screw-mounted lenses for my Leica. They had all sorts of really old and obscure equipment including Visoflexes and old adapter rings, old camera bags, filters...everything. The place was old and dusty then, run by orthodox jews who really knew their stuff. It was a great place.

[ShunCheung]

Acutaly I bought a camera there in person. Back in 1987, after I got my first job and finally had some money, I bought my Nikon FE2 there. A couple of years after that, I stared getting into AF and rarely used that FE2, which I eventually sold last year.

 

That was 15 years ago and Olden was going downhill already. Today, if you are in New York, you have to visit B&H's huge store. But apparently, 30 years ago, Olden and Willoughby (where I also shopped once upon a time) were like today's B&H. I wonder how B&H will be like 30 years from now.

[k_michael]

Time marches on and maybe B&H will be the Olden of tommorrow. But B&H does advance with the times. They advertise more digital equipment than ever now and have also renovated the store in favor of digital. All ofthe ads on the windows are now digital too.

 

Olden probably isn't loosing a penny either. From what I understand, Olden also owns the building too. So he's collecting megabucks in rent from all those stores downstairs.

[k_michael]

I was in Olden the other day. It looks like he's renovatingthe place. I always wondered why he wentthrough employees so fast. Well, I found out why. A fellow classmate was employed there for a short time. Said the job sucked big time. She couldn't handle the dust, the bordem and the low pay. But they own the building. So why would they want to make money selling camera's? I'd rather collectthe rent myself too.

[david_m]

Olden and Camera Barn sure bring back memories! I used to visit Olden and Camera Barn (and a place across the street from Camera Barn - forget its name) and 47th Street Photo back in the early 80's when I worked in Manhatten. Even back then they were dying places. They had cardboard boxes lying on the floor full of parts of frayed camera cases for long forgotten cameras. I found my Minolta Autocord case there. They had a glass showcase full of semi-uncommon cameras with absolutely outrageous prices attached to them. The sales counter was more akin to an auto parts store with disheveled salespeople working in front of a disorganized warehouse.

I remember Olden as having three different floors at least.

You could find stuff there you would not find anywhere else.

Camera Barn was a much smaller friendly place where you could just browse and 'touch' the goods.

I also remember Willoughbys before they sold computers and Progressive Camera (or was it Competitive acmera?) on 48th Street.

Cambridge Camera also used to have a second store (I think they had three at one time) somewhere around 43rd-44th St between fifth and sixth avenues.

[k_michael]

Cambridge is still around on W.17th Street. I think they have been there since 1963. Most of there stuff is old, brittle and broken. How they stay in business, I have not a clue. They do have a web site, but they never answer emails about product inquires. And they also advertise products that they haven't had in stock since Jimmy Carter was president. Yet, if you call and ask, "Of course we have it." Or,"You better come in. Our computer is down and I think we only have one left." Pure kayfabe! Go there if you like playing "Bait and Switch"

[wayne_campbell]

In the early 60's they were THE place despite the grunge. I remember virtually everything being in the back room and nothing out for inspection unless under the watchful eye of a salesman. Those guys who worked there looked tired when they were born. Anyone remember a salesman named Larry Goldberg? He sort of resembled Sheldon Leonard in his later years.

[billmoree]

I stumbled acrross this old thread from two years ago. I wonder if Olden's is still open now

in the beginning of 2005?

 

I worked there in 1985 (yipes! 20 years ago!) for about four months, right after graduating

from college. I worked upstairs on the third(?) floor-Darkroom and Pro equipment.

I remember they had this whole technique for selling. There was a small base salary and

then commission, which never amounted to much.

 

They had this book that every salesman had, with the sales price and then a code (in

letters) that said what you could sell it for.

 

The code was openly written on the price tags too - maybe that was only for used gear? -

So if the price was $100., next to it would be a code something like:

 

"IR"

 

The code was:

 

OLDENFIRST

 

1234567890 (Line up the ten letters with the ten digits. O=1, L=2, etc.)

 

(or was it:

0123456789

which would make the code "RS" in this example)

 

This meant that if you could negiotiate with the salesman, you could buy this item for as

little as $78, but our commission went away. There was a sliding scale of how much

commission we got for anything in between.

 

The commission also varied depending on the markup of the item, which lead to a coflict

of interest that did not serve the customer well.

 

I distinctly remember one day where a customer wanted to buy a tempering bath. We had

two, which I showed him. One, from an small American company was a plastic tub with a

70's looking metal box bolted to it that controlled the temperature +/- 1/3 degree, and

looked like something you could have made at home. The other was a Jobo purpose built

piece, +/- 1/10 degree, and was clearly dramatically better. And they were approximately

the same price. The customer said he knew nothing and turned to me and asked me

honestly "Well, which is better". I started to say that the Jobo unit was better, then looked

down at my price book. The Jobo unit at full price had a commission of maybe a dollar.

The other bad and overpriced unit had a commission of $6 or $8 at full price. (The better

gear never had to push with bigger sales incentives.)

 

The whole store was rigged this way. My base salary didn't cover my rent - I needed the

commissions. But the structure of the place made it so you sold (hard) not based on

quality photography gear but on the commission formula. Pretty much by definition, if the

customer got good gear at even a moderate price, the salesman got screwed. If the

salesman did well (meaning achieved a sub-middle class salary), the customer really got

screwed.

 

It seemed like lying to me. I quit the next week and got a job as an assistant.

 

Recently (a few months after 9/11, when commercial shooting was dead) I was offered a

job at B&H to be part of a serious Pro digital department they were starting. I didn't take

the job, but I worked there exactly one day to check it out. They were offering a very fair

and decent salary, full benefits and no commission. When you ask one of those guys what

he thinks, there is no reason that I can see for them to not give you a straight answer.

 

I'd like to think that is one of the reasons why B&H has blossomed, and Olden's has

withered on the vine.

 

William

[peter_cofran]

William: good story. its an eye opener for thoses who pine over the good old days. interesting how the insiders perspective changes one's view of olden.

[._._z]

They've withered, but it seems deliberate. They usually only have 2-3 people working

there, and the place is empty whenever I stop by (usually to see if they've got something

obscure and cheap in a drawer), and their prices are ridiculous. The used gear behind

glass looks like a low-rent museum more than anything else.

 

I have to believe that they (a) own the real estate and are waiting to sell for a huge

profit, or (b) have a 30-year lease for pennies and will expire when the lease does (and

for some reason can't cash out it so the landlord can move in), or © they're money-

laundering for someone and paying taxes on nonexistent sales.

[._._z]

Just came across this old(en) ad from the store: <p>

 

<i>pdf file:</i> <p>

 

<u><A href =

http://www.popphoto.com/assets/download/2242004134353.pdf>

http://www.popphoto.com/assets/download/2242004134353.pdf</a></u>

[steve_goldberg2]

<p>Just stumbled across this discussion. My first 35mm camera (had been using Rollicord and hated it) was a $26.00 Leica III from Olden with a $15.00 50mm Elmar. This was about 45 years ago.</p>