Local Camera Store Closing.

[Sherman A1]

While this won't affect most of the people in this group. I thought I would pass it along as just another indicator of how tough it is in Niche Retailing and The Retail Sector in general. This small local chain operated about 9 stores at one time headquarters in Creve Couer, Missouri (a St. Louis suburb) but with stores in Columbia,MO and Springfield, IL as well. The did classes, hosted seminars, photo printing and alike.

Dear Creve Coeur Camera Customer,
The camera business has been tough, so rather than fighting it…we are closing it!
After 40 years, we had made the decision to take our business another direction.
As of today, all inventory in the store is going on sale.

Our sale hours will be Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Don't miss out on this last opportunity to capture great deals on all photo gear!!!
All Sales Final.

[Throck]

1. I don't know of any full time camera stores in my area.

On line e commerce has killed them off. Big box stores have absorbed them. Back in the 70s I use to shop 35mm Pentax gear in Manhattan. Times have changed.

My K1000 Pentax still working. No film in it for years.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Forty years ago, almost every town had a photo-camera store, like a dry cleaners.

[DemoTex]

3. Showcase Photography in Atlanta

Showcase closed their retail store and photography school several years ago. I bought cameras there and took classes from the school for years. Showcase was a victim of Amazon, B&H, and - to a lesser extent - Best Buys (and, maybe, cell phone cameras).

It is not so much that it is the death of another smaller retail outlet, as it is the death of expertise. Nobody wants to pay for knowlege anymore.

[Sherman A1]

5. You hit the nail on the head

Nobody wants to pay for knowledge any more.

[Quemado]

4. Two words: smart phones.

People still take photos, but more and more, they take them with their smart phones.

Sales of cameras like compact cameras and DSLRs have fallen over the past several years, primarily due to the smart phone camera.

I've purchased photography equipment over the past 10 years. I rarely bought from the local photography store. Why? Photography equipment is expensive. Online retailers offer lower prices, and in some cases, no sales tax is collected on online purchases. That can add up to several hundred dollars.

I'm sorry to see any retailer go out of business, but as we have seen in other areas of the economy, disruption is taking place. Besides retailers, workers in certain occupations are going to be replaced by automation.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Sorry to see a local store go under

In general, local stores are struggling because there is NO enforcement of anti-trust laws since Raygun.

I see it in farming a lot. A local farmer starts a popular vegetable stand. They get bigger and better. They have a thriving customer base. And suddenly, customers stop coming. Sales drop off. They get smaller and more specialized. Eventually they close. What happened?

A corporate chain grocery store opened up down the road. The farm built up the business. They were there to provide farm fresh food when no one was willing to touch that market. Now that the local store has developed a thriving business, now that the farmer did all the hard work of getting customers to come out to buy, the chain store takes it all away because they sell cheap stuff from China and Mexico.

And then the grocery store raises its prices....especially with trade wars going on....but it's too late the farmer went out of business. The profits have moved outside the local area. The people have become poorer and can't afford the specialty foods so they are stuck going to the company store.

And if by some special quality of their produce or management, the farm still hangs on, the corporate grocery store still makes money. Just not as much as they want. So, the corporation can keep their extra low pricing until the cows come home because it's coming from overseas at rock bottom wholesale prices, grown by farms with no restrictions on chemical use, environmental restrictions or sanitary requirements... which the customer doesn't know about.