What ever happened to....

Yep....maybe they'll make a comeback...like Pearl & Dean advertising in cinemas...
 
da da daa daaa, da da daa daaa, da-da da-da da-da-da dadada, da-da da-da da-da-da dadadaaaa, da!
 
da da daa daaa, da da daa daaa, da-da da-da da-da-da dadada, da-da da-da da-da-da dadadaaaa, da!

Thank God you don't make a living writing music :D ! !! Stick to shooting, if you don't mind me saying.
 
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For those of us that can remember film.
Pelling and Cross, keith johnsons, Joe's Basement?
Any body remember them?

Joe's Basement closed a couple of years ago.

P+C and KJ merged to become KJP and then KJP (Keith Johnson and Pelling) was in turn bought out by Calumet.

All those wonderful companies that gave us real service until either bought out or forced out by the likes of Jessops,who proceed to treat us like dirt

I have a very good friend who was a technical sales rep at the Birmingham branch of KJ/KJP and his major bug bear was customers who came in to bend his ear for an hour looking at a new piece of equipment then went off to buy it at Jessops or the like because they were a few pounds cheaper. This was in the days before Internet shopping - God that makes me feel old.

David
 
I spent many of an hour at KJP in Manchester to get my new gear from they were so helpful but the back up service was always outstanding.
Does anybody remember LEEDS cameras? They were professional dealers only.
 
Firstly, welcome to you, Anthony.

Secondly, is 10 years a thread resurrection record? :p
 
When the first forums were set up their stated aim was often to carry on threads indefinitely. The idea was to form "immortal" conversations. At 10 years this thread is merely behaving as intended.

:welcome:
 
Sad to see that so many old shops no longer exist. We now have just 2 camera shops in Exeter - both chains rather than local independents. We've lost Chris Howe's (quite a few years ago - they packed in/consolidated their stores when their old premises were knocked down to modernise the development), Devon Camera Centre (couldn't compete against the chains or the internet on price - just like the chains and internet retailers can't compete with advice) and Camerex (who were mainly repairers and second hand dealers, now only on e-bay).
 
I spent many of an hour at KJP in Manchester to get my new gear from they were so helpful but the back up service was always outstanding.
Does anybody remember LEEDS cameras? They were professional dealers only.

Whereabouts was it? Or was it just a name, located elsewhere? It does ring a bell in the back of my mind. In Leeds, I used to buy things from the dealer in Albion Place/Albion St (I think it was a corner site); my exposure meter came from Bass and Bligh in Briggate (Dec 1965, still in use). I bought cameras from Dollands (near where the museum used to be) and a dealers down the Headrow from Lewises (by "down" meaning walkng away from Kirkgate Market) as well as Lewises themselves.

I miss a lot of the old adverts for films - the ones long gone like Perutz and Geveart.
 
Wallace Heaton and their Blue Book ...

Joe's Basement devved my Agfa Scala mono reversal film ...
 
Did anyone else hear "Leon Trotsky" in reply to the thread title?

There's a certain irony that That Camera Place in bicester went bust recently, having been run by an ex-Jessops manager - not that I'm happy about it.

Many of these names are familiar. I used to use Colab for my wedding D&P, and liked the guys in the Oxford branch. Pleased to see Mr. CAD is still going with Alex Falk - spent many happy hours in their Windmill Road warehouse back in the 80s, and still have some of the prints made on materials I bought there.
 
I spent many of an hour at KJP in Manchester to get my new gear from they were so helpful but the back up service was always outstanding.
Does anybody remember LEEDS cameras? They were professional dealers only.

I remember Leeds well - bought the original Canon EF 400mm f2.8 off them in the early 90's. Cost about 4k, I still remember my hand shaking as I signed the cheque it was that much money to me! Good company - Wex use the building now
 
Did anyone else hear "Leon Trotsky" in reply to the thread title?

There's a certain irony that That Camera Place in bicester went bust recently, having been run by an ex-Jessops manager - not that I'm happy about it.

Many of these names are familiar. I used to use Colab for my wedding D&P, and liked the guys in the Oxford branch. Pleased to see Mr. CAD is still going with Alex Falk - spent many happy hours in their Windmill Road warehouse back in the 80s, and still have some of the prints made on materials I bought there.
I traded in my Canon A1 for a new T90 at Mr CAD. Alex Falk looked at it and said "This isn't exactly mint, is it, sir?" There was a fair bit of brass showing around the corners and edges so I couldn't really disagree.
 
We've lost Chris Howe's (quite a few years ago
...and don't forget Hinton Lake where I worked for several months. We weren't the most go ahead outfit in the city but boy were we good on S/H prices! :LOL:
 
A few names from the past in the Cheshire area include Marple Photo Centre, Lawton's in Wilmslow that later became a branch of Wildings, and Crewe Camera Exchange that later became a branch of Jessops. I bought cameras from all of these shops over the years and always used to look in the window when I walked past to see if there were any bargains calling my name. Sadly, none of the above shops still exist.

A few names from the adverts from back in the days when Amateur Photographer magazine used to be about as thick as a phone book: Mackinnons. Eric Fishwick, Photomarkets, Capital Cameras Crawley, Dixons and also Comet, who would in those days promise to beat any genuine advertised price.
 
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Another name from those days - Polysales. Long gone, but Alec Fry was still around a few years ago, as he posted on a photo forum.

I still have some of the items bought there.
 
...and don't forget Hinton Lake where I worked for several months. We weren't the most go ahead outfit in the city but boy were we good on S/H prices! :LOL:


The name rings a bell but I can't remember where they were!
 
I was 8 when the business was sold! Maybe the name lived on above some of their other shops.

Thanks for the link - clicked through to Cornish's and was reminded that the son (Joe) is a renowned photographer and the other son (Ben) is still juggling (I knew him reasonably well some years back, when he was getting started on the pro juggling path!)
 
there used to be lots of useful little shops in Londons Tottenham court road that sold used cameras and surplus goods some might be there still for all I know . but the one place that really sticks in my mind from back in the 60's and 70's was a shop in Kingsland road dalston, that used to sell printing paper ,chemicals and darkroom equipment all around about there sell by date . the name of the shop is long forgotten but every Saturday it was worth a rummage to pick up supplies for the darkroom . even after I moved out of London it was always worth a return trip to visit some of these shops and buy something that might come in handy one day but very often never did .oh to go back in time now and do it all again ..
 
the name of the shop is long forgotten
Would that be Marston and Heard who at one time were selling off Reid copies of the Leica III for very low prices?
 
Would that be Marston and Heard who at one time were selling off Reid copies of the Leica III for very low prices?
That does ring a bell ,it’s over 50 years ago now LOL
 
I could invoke G L Robertson's photographic shop in Ffrances Passage, Lancaster in the 60's, and Malcolm Snaith's in Stramongate, Kendal ...
 
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Wallace Heaton! I bought a Noris 6X6 projector there in the 1960's which I still have. In those days WH tested all equipment before the customer was allowed custody of it, what company could afford service like that now? And Mr Cad who're still around being now located just south of Victoria station. I've bought many a camera and much darkroom kit + real advice from Alex Falk over the years in their Croydon & Bromley days and the shop's still a goldmine of interesting bits. Bought my first SLR from Jessops of Leicester by mail order when they just had the single outlet. Polysales although mainly mail order had a small shop I think in Woking and I went one, some years ago... There's still a small camera shop towards the top of Tottenham Court Road or there was last year.

Little left now that we all value cost over service until something goes wrong.
 
A lot of very nice shops have gone over the years. Anyone remember Photo Craft in Hampstead? The sort of place where you got a lot of free advice and where there was often a second hand bargain to tempt you!
 
I worked at Cine Equipments in Stratford Upon Avon. They had a small chain of photo shops around the West Midlands. The owner Peter Rowlands sold out to Alan Jessop.
 
My first job when I left school was working for The Piccadilly Photo Centre in Piccadilly arcade. Delivering Hasselblads to studios around London by foot. Loved my time there
 
I've just remembered EFC - Euro Foto Centre - in Yiewsley, between West Drayton & Uxbridge. I got my first SLR, a Zenith E, from there for my 18th birthday.
 
Anybody from Wigan remember JDR Cameras? I used to prefer them to Liz Wilding, until my old woodwork teacher went to work for Wildings, then I got discount and bought a new Nikon FM from him.
 
Or Eric Fishwick at Haydock?
The people from whom to buy your wedding albums and portrait folders. I suppose they’ve gone fishing now... :coat:
 
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