Bankruptcy Sale At Penn Camera

[cps]

Well, now it looks like I have to walk a little farther to get my C-41 processing done. I have really enjoyed having a last bastion of walk-up processing for my 120 rolls available kind of around the corner from work, but at least for now there is still something in the city. Can't complain too much about that.

On the many occasions I have been in the 18th st. location (that closed), I have noted the feeling of being an odd duck walking in with film to process. Yet, a huge fraction of their floor space was devoted to their film processing and storage equipment. It seemed like a disconnect in their business. When their processor broke down this fall, I was worried it would not come back. It did. But, the film fridge did go away.

Hey, if Kodak bellies up, then I won't have any more C-41 film to process - problem solved.

[Jim Shanesy]

old black-and-white printing papers (Oriental Seagull in the blue-and-white boxes, Agfa Brovira) that's more than a decade out of date, in some cases more than 15 years out of date, and when I asked a price on the graded Seagull, they would only give 10% off of list price for buying it in VOLUME.

I've got some of the Oriental paper in the silver packages, the original stuff that Ansel Adams and Brett Weston used. I last printed on it about 8 years ago, and it was probably 15 years out of date then. However, it produced glorious prints then. It may be like Azo in that it keeps for years and years. I'll have to go down there and take a look.

Dick Baghdadassarian always impressed me as a shrewd businessman. They seem to have weathered the shift to digital quite well by concentrating on their repair business and supplying equipment to the local commercial pro community. Their prices have always beaten the pants off of Penn.

[hmf]

I bought one of six remaining boxes of Multigrade IV FB on Friday for a 50% discount. When I went back on Saturday to get some for a friend, the place was mobbed and the rest was gone.

Plenty of Multigrade IV RC remains in shipping cartons, though.

[tautatis]

Penn seems to be closing rather than reorganizing. Every time I have visited the store, the picture seems to be increasingly gloomier and gloomier. It is a shame that the DC area will now have not camera store that one would smell fixer? The saddest part, it will also pull down a few B&W labs that are around such as The one in Bethesda which did most of Penn's B&W work. Sad period for DC.

Tautatis

[Bob Salomon]

Penn seems to be closing rather than reorganizing. Every time I have visited the store, the picture seems to be increasingly gloomier and gloomier. It is a shame that the DC area will now have not camera store that one would smell fixer? The saddest part, it will also pull down a few B&W labs that are around such as The one in Bethesda which did most of Penn's B&W work. Sad period for DC.

Tautatis

what about here:
http://acephoto.net/acestore.aspx?c=abraaa%3aChemicals

Or here:
http://www.servicephoto.com/index.ph...&cPath=129_187

[Bill L.]

Or Dodge Chrome:
http://www.dodgechrome.com/photofilm...rocessing.html

[Leigh]

Dodge Chrome does excellent work. That's where I have all of my developing done.

Service Photo in Baltimore is a great store. I shop there frequently.

Wouldn't go to Ace Photo on a bet.

- Leihg

[tautatis]

Leigh,

Are you aware of a little lab on Wisconsin Ave in Bethesda, MD? It is called L'Imagerie Photography Center. The owner is French - great couple. They used to do all of Penn's B&W processing & printing. Here is their website: http://www.photographycenter.com/

[Leigh]

Are you aware of a little lab on Wisconsin Ave in Bethesda, MD? It is called L'Imagerie Photography Center. The owner is French

Yes I am. Great B&W work. I don't shoot any color now. (Not entirely true, occasionally Velvia in 4x5 and 8x10.)

I started working with him when he was on Rt. 1 in Beltsville, before he moved to Bethesda.

And I used to teach at the Washington School of Photography, just a couple of blocks from l'Imagerie.

I currently use Dodge Chrome for all my B&W film developing. They're much closer. Traffic in Bethesda off Wisconsin Ave. is terrible.

Thanks.

- Leigh

[tautatis]

I was at Penn this afternoon - discounts are now at 60%. Go and get your fill of RC Glossy papers! I also probed one of the sales staff about the status of the company. He mentioned that there are some interesting developments - an international photography (product) marketing firm may purchase Penn. Sounds great to me if it is true and likely to happen. However, I feel sorry for the staff as it is likely most of them their jobs will be cut. Anyway, that's the news for now!

Tautatis,