“Used Cameras etc.” might not seem to be the most creative name for a used cameras (and more) store but there’s no use whining to the owner – that ship has sailed, my friend. What remains is a pleasingly painted, gently deteriorating building that, as late as May 2014 (according to Flickr user Kevin Dooley), only offers opportunities to passing photographers as a subject and not as a supplier.
According to VisuaLingual, the store is located on the corner of 1st Ave. and North 24th St. in Billings, Montana, and features a Montana-themed mural painted in 1999 by R. Capser along its tall brick side wall. It’s not stated how long Used Cameras etc. was in business but in hindsight it’s obvious the owner would have enjoyed more success as a dental floss tycoon.
Originally Pipkin’s Cameras, Pippy’s Camera Shop on Classen Blvd was an OKC institution for decades. Moving the above shop to a site with more parking spots couldn’t help arrest the business’s decline, however. Credit Flickr users Debra Jane Seltzer (roadsidenut) and ro (dorsia) for capturing the state of the store in May 2012 and February 2007 respectively… yep, zero changes in over five years!
Ohba & Out
According to Japan Exposures, Ohba Camera Co. in Tokyo “were certainly never the friendliest, but had a solid selection of used cameras in all formats including large format at reasonable prices.” After 60 years serving Tokyo’s photo fans, however, Ohba lowered the shop’s corrugated shades for good on April 30th of 2008.
Processing…
This is either the flag of the Ukraine or jwebbermedia‘s super-saturated photo of an abandoned “1 Hour Color Processing” facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. Why not both? Seriously though, it wasn’t all that long ago that completing a service like photo processing (or martinizing) in “just” one hour was something worth bragging about. These days it’s a recipe for bankruptcy. What’s cookin’, North Carolina?
