Precision Camera Exterior – Austin, Texas
Precision Camera, the only remaining full service camera store in Austin opened a brand new, shiny store last week. Actually they moved from their old store to a new location 4 miles north on Anderson Lane. And what a difference. The old place was cramped and dark. The new place is light, airy and upscale, in a friendly and accessible way. The showroom is at least 2 1/2 times larger and now located in a place with ample parking.
I walked into their new digs last Saturday, a couple of days after the official opening. I saw Jerry Sullivan, the owner, and congratulated him. He was beaming like a proud Papa and he gave me tour of the entire place, including the back offices and the repair and print centers. The store now has the space for people to breath and congregate. Along the left side, a long counter with all the cameras available for personal demos. In the back left, a repair and equipment rental facility. To the back right, a comfortable lounge is positioned in front of a mini camera museum. And on the other side of the museum display, a 70 person classroom.
Precision’s Wall of Cameras – Austin, Texas
Jerry told me that traffic is up noticeably from the old location and, with all the additional space, you no longer feel like you are tripping over people or knocking into shelves. Gone is the dark cave like feeling, replaced by lots of natural light and natural wood tones. The place encourages people to linger and talk to other customers. And talk I did, for 2 1/2 hours. After Jerry’s tour, I ran into my friend, photographer and blogger, Kirk Tuck. We caught up for a while and even helped introduce the wonderful world of mirrorless to one of Kirk’s friends. Of course, Kirk was extolling the virtues of the Sony NEX line and I talked about my love for Micro 4/3.
The Central Aisle, Precision Camera – Austin, Texas
The Lounge and Camera Museum, Precision Camera – Austin, Texas
It’s nice to live in a city with such a resource and I feel, more than ever, it will be the unofficial center of Austin’s photography world. If you live in the Austin area or visiting, you should stop by Precision Camera. Hope to see you there.
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I want to go to there!
Come down to Austin someday and I’ll take you there.
Amazing in a tense economic climate, the crazy world of PC/Computer cameras/Digital where big prices at start up, falling on face later..Brave Owner(s).
says good things about Austin..
Good Luck to All.
Despite the general online trends, Precision Camera is doing well. I think it helps that Austin is a creative place with lots of photographers.
I totally envy you! There’s just one brick and mortar camera store in the Boston metro area. Pathetic for such a big city.
Agreed. We do have a lot of neat things in Austin, especially give it is a mid-sized city.
A friend of mine from Portland was buying a Leica M9, and Jerry was the only place my friend could source it. I miss Jerry and his helpful and friendly staff since moving to Houston. I visit whenever I come to Austin. Looking forward to seeing the new digs. Thanks for posting this Andy.
I can’t wait to get over there and check out the new store. My wife gave me a gift certificate to Precision Camera for my birthday back in early December, and I’ve been waiting for the new store to open before I go use it. Now I just need to decide what I really want to buy first. Will it be that new 60mm MFT macro lens, or a big Scrim Jim diffusion panel? 😉