If your region is anything like North Texas, you are experiencing a contraction in the number of small photo stores and Mom & Pop labs that were, in many cases, the places where information and knowledge flowed to the novice photographer and the humble professional alike. Now, in the new world of photography, the Mom & Pops are trying to find their way or in some cases going away. Locally, the old stand by lab - The Photo Place - closed last July 15. Inside are still sitting several machines for processing film including a FUJI FRONTIER which was probably a 250-thousand dollar machine new, and now according to another lab owner may, may be worth 30-thousand. This is a state-of-the-art machine and looks new!
A photo supply store manager nearby may have hit on something "Did you see the show on PBS the other night? Wal-Mart just opened its one-hundredth store in the Dallas Fort Worth area! What does that tell you? We're surrounded by a bunch of cheap a$$es! There aren't even a hundred stores in the entire State of California!"
Not many people realize what the margins are in the photography. For the most part, the area of supplies (film / paper /chemicals) and camera sales, margins are less than ten percent. So, when I was cornered yesterday by a dissatisfied customer of the previously mentioned "local photo supply store", an idea I had been considering once again boiled to the surface: open an online supply sales site aimed specifically at University students. However, a quick call to owner of one of the largest stores n Dallas brought me back to earth quite quickly - "There's no profit in it! People don't care anymore! You can't make any money anymore!" OK, case closed - I hung up the phone and the cyber dollar signs disappeared from my eyes once again.
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