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A nod to camera shops of old - TBT*

In the very early days of my love affair with photography, I used to frequent a local camera store, Brown Photo. The sales guy, Stan, was always very tolerant of my hanging around and constant questions. I thank him profusely for that!

Here's a few shots of him and his store, circa 1968-69. (from a test roll I shot in the store, probably trying out a Mamiya 500DTL, which I eventually bought.)











*throwback Thursday, for those unfamiliar.
 
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Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Great stuff. There is still one here in Phoenix called the camera collector and they have all the old gear on display. Pretty cool. Growing up in New Jersey I spent a lot of time in New York camera shops. Far diffrent than they are today but going in to NY next week and I always go for a visit to B&H. It's the best place to get your hands on stuff. Especially lighting gear.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
I buy most of my camera gear in a traditional shop, AV Camera in Bangkok. It's tiny, the size of a typical Bangkok shophouse, with the owner, Mr. Mana, sitting at his desk at the back of the shop drinking coffee with the regulars. One wall is covered with a mix of old cameras and new stock. Behind the counter on the other side, 5 employees are fighting for space. The shop is usually packed with people from they open at 11.00 hrs. until they close some 9 hours later. It's great to see that shops like that can still survive, but a skilled owner and dedicated employees are what it takes. Apparently not so easy to find these days.

http://avcamera.com/

I'll try to dig up some photos later.
 

4season

Well-known member
Denver Pro Photo, 12 Feb 2000. The last time I checked, they were still around but at a different location. Taken with a demo Leica C1.
 
Here's a couple from National Camera Exchange in Minneapolis, mid-seventies. Thankfully, they are still around and thriving.

Look at all that film!!



SL66 on the counter; loads of Nikons in the display.

 
To be honest, what -really- brought me back to my favorite camera store in the early seventies was flirting with Diane, the photofinishing girl.

 
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GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
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weinschela

Subscriber Member
Here on Long Island, we have lost most of our shops but I do spend time at Neptune Photo in Garden City and have also bought occasionally from Jimmy Koh in Bellmore.
The combination of phone cameras and the Internet has been quite unkind to the local shops.
 

4season

Well-known member
The flagship store of Mike's Camera is right in my neighborhood. As with the Apple Store, I steer clear unless I'm planning on spending some $$. I could gripe about this or that, but they've managed to stay in business, and their twice-yearly expo/tent sales are generally worth a look.
 

Swissblad

Well-known member
Interesting thread - brings back good memories....drooling for a Nikon F3 or Contax RTS.

Most of my favourite haunts have gone the way of the dodo..... owners either retired or cannot compete with internet stores..... of course there are 2 Leica boutiques locally....
 
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