Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In my early days of photography, I had a friend who's father owned a camera shop in the small town in Virginia where I grew up. I used to hang out there some after school, talking photography (and cars and girls) with my friend and his dad. In their shop they sold mostly Nikon and Canon SLR gear. They also did a significant business developing film and making prints. I had all of my film and slide work done there. Over the course of a couple of years, as I got to know my friend's dad a little better, he would confide in me. I guess his son was like most teenage sons, he didn't listen much to his father. Me, I wanted to hear anything I could about photography from a cool older guy (especially one who drove an old Caddy convertible!). Anyway, business was tough, he would say, but he was doing what he wanted to do. One day I inquired about a 28mm lens, my first foray into wide angle. My friend's dad said he would give me very good price, explaining that he was going to sell off most of his inventory. He said that the mail order stores in New York were selling photo gear to the public cheaper than he could get it from his distributor. For about another year the store remained open before going out of business. Even though I knew that business in the store was tough, I was crushed. My friend's dad said the chain discount stores and drug stores were cutting into his film developing business. All sound familiar? Yes---except that I got my last roll of film developed in my friend's camera shop way back in 1979. Gary - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html