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View Full Version : Please help save MV Photo Labs in NYC



Larry Kellogg
16-Apr-2015, 15:46
MV Photo Labs is looking for a new space because the building is being torn down and turned into a hotel.

Jim Megargee has started a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the cost of the move. People who contribute to the campaign get a credit against future lab work, such as film developing or printing.

The campaign is here:

http://www.gofundme.com/q5feac

Any amount people can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

MV is a special place. Jim has aways been gracious with giving his time and expertise to help photographers improve how they shoot and print their work.

All of us who work at the lab would like to see Jim continue his work. There aren't many black and white labs left in the city, help us hold onto this one.

Thank you.

Larry Kellogg
16-Apr-2015, 16:09
I just realized that I might have put this in the wrong place, and that the thread should be in KickStarter campaigns, but I'm not sure because this is not a KickStarter campaign. Moderators, please advise.

peter schrager
16-Apr-2015, 20:26
Amazing how this thread gets no play...I surely have never used them but anyone contributing to the good of Photography is worth supporting in some way
DONATE!!
best,peter

Larry Kellogg
16-Apr-2015, 20:35
Thanks Peter. Hopefully, people will help keep the lab going. Like I said, the contributions can be applied to future work.

Bill_1856
16-Apr-2015, 21:01
They've done good work for me in the past with LF negatives.
If they can't survive in NYC, then there's no hope for the future of silver photography.

Larry Kellogg
17-Apr-2015, 02:25
They've done good work for me in the past with LF negatives.
If they can't survive in NYC, then there's no hope for the future of silver photography.

Hello Bill,

Thanks for the kind words. I think the lab would have been fine if the landlord had not sold out to a hotel chain, thereby invoking a clause in the lease that allowed him to throw out all the tenants and tear down the building.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that losing MV would mean the end of silver photography, but businesses that work with silver photography are in a niche market, with slim profits and high costs. Still, many small enterprises like MV hang on in the city, giving the city its unique flavor. It is possible to survive by shrinking your square footage or moving to one of the outer boroughs.

Jim is trying to find another space, but that requires money to sign onto a new lease and build out a new darkroom. Like I said, Jim is willing to take any contributions as credit against future work, so it is mainly a cash flow issue.

All of us who work at the lab still see the beauty of silver gelatin printing and are trying to keep it alive.

Sal Santamaura
17-Apr-2015, 03:58
I just realized that I might have put this in the wrong place, and that the thread should be in KickStarter campaigns, but I'm not sure because this is not a KickStarter campaign. Moderators, please advise.The moderators cannot and do not read every thread, so asking them something in a post has a very real possibility of going unnoticed. The appropriate way to get their attention is by using either the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of each page or the small black exclamation-point-in-a-triangle at the bottom left of each post. I'll use the second method to let them know of your uncertainty right after submitting this reply.

Larry Kellogg
17-Apr-2015, 05:50
Ah, thanks Sal, I never really noticed that exclamation point or knew what it was for. Hopefully, the moderators will move this to the appropriate place.