photo maven alert (RIP Ferrante Dega)

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

not really Davis Sq and maybe old news but maybe save someone (like me...) a few trips.

I went looking for film cleaner today. Calumet didn't have any (and their "chemical" photo stock is basically what would fit on a normal sized kitchen table. i.e. slim). I tried to go by SBI sales... and they are not in that horrid complex any longer. I went by Ferrante Dega and YIKES they are gone!! They were a fixture in Harvard Sq (and the smell of fixer as you walked by was one of my OPS waypoints (Olfactory Positioning System...;-) Tried the Coop too - no luck. Later someone told me that SBI had merged with Hunt's Photo (?) and is in the building where the x-Tower records is/was. Haven't checked that out yet. Someone also told me about "Zef's Photo" someplace out on the Belmont line - might try that tomorrow.

I guess the days of film are seriously passing/passed- but I still have a fondness for chemically derived images.

Comments

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

the new SBI (now hunts) in Harvard is much smaller, and I think the chemicals were the ones to take the biggest hit.

There is a bigger hunt's in Kenmore now (though not huge) and also across the street is BU Photo or some such thing, which I believe has decent chemicals.

If all that fails, BHPhoto.com is your best friend. They have everything.

I'd comment on the loss of chemicals, but I havent used a darkroom in almost 3 years, and sold all my film cameras (sorry) :)

[spatch]

Yeah, Ferranti-Dege closed at the end of October. I think there was a thread in b0st0n about it back then.

A real bummer for those who shot film. I always even just liked walking by the store and getting a good whiff of darkroom every now and then.

[matthew miller (from livejournal.com)]

I'm not too surprised, though. They were quite obnoxious and snobbish every time I went in there.

[shinxy.livejournal.com]

I can vouch for Zef's. It's near fresh pond. Good selection, especially for camera sales.

thanks

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

Made a run out to Zef and they had what I needed. I guess this is the shadow side of the digital/internet 'revolution'- all these little businesses slipping away into oblivion (along with book stores, cd stores and what all).


Oh well. I still like chemical images...

Re: thanks

[penny-chase.livejournal.com]

When you were at Calumet did you ask them about chemistry? They certainly have chemistry in their online catalogue and I'd bet that you could ask the store to order it for you (when I outfitted my darkroom a couple of years ago the store had to order some items from Chicago). Since they regularly get shipments from the Chicago warehouse and other stores, if they order it for you, you don't have to pay shipping charges.

Another local place to check is Newtonville Camera. Again, haven't been there in a while, but they used to have a good darkroom selection.

And the other store in Kenmore Square is Campus Camera. They should have a good selection of darkroom stuff because they NESOP sends their students there.

Re: thanks

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

They still do have some chemicals and they offered to order the film cleaner I was looking for - but I didn't want to wait (deadline, etc.)

Re: thanks

[matthew miller (from livejournal.com)]

Although, I'm not so certain about the knowledge-to-salesdrive ratio of the employees at Campus Camera. I went there looking for a bounce/swivel flash for my Olympus camera, and they tried really hard to sell me a (Vivitar? Sunpack?) I don't remember now) model which I knew (having been researching already) wouldn't work in TTL mode. Anyway, it wasn't so much that they didn't know some specific random fact, but that I had to insist that no, that wouldn't be fine, thanks, and kind of back out of the store.

[julishka.livejournal.com]

you can now take the silver line out to ep levine on drydock ave way out by the design center. they keep strict business hours, but their selection is huge. also lots of used gear & digital stuff, too.

http://www.eplevine.com/