PROCAM Photo & Video Gear has soft-opened its fourth retail store, offering a range of imaging products and services for hobbyists, students, and professionals alike.
“Our biggest thing that we do is that we have most everything in stock if it’s available from the manufacturer,” says Frank Padyjasek, the manager on loan from the flagship store in Livonia for the start-up. “A lot of places you go into, and they say they’ll order it for you. And to us it doesn’t really make sense, because at that point what’s the difference from them just being home and ordering off Amazon or something like that?” In addition to checking out often-expensive gear in person and consulting with experienced staff, customers will also be able to rent items for one-time or trial purposes.
The company, started in 2011 by George Haddad, a former wedding videographer, bought the west-side building for $2.26 million in 2022 from an entity connected with Ace Barnes Hardware. Ace left twenty years ago for a new center shared with Arbor Farms Market just up the road, and Great Lakes Cycling & Fitness and Advance Auto Parts came and went in the meantime. PROCAM has split it into two units and is seeking a tenant for the front one.
Padyjasek says that the company was already in negotiations to buy the building when the independent CameraMall moved from downtown to W. Stadium in 2020. With other stores in Aurora, Illinois and Cincinnati, they chose Ann Arbor because “we wanted to be a little bit closer for the students to service them,” he says. “But also just it’s a very artsy town.” A grand opening event with manufacturers’ reps and specials is tentatively planned for early December.
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The spacious showroom is filled with cameras, lenses, lighting, audio equipment, video gear, tripods, background paper, and accessories. But Padyjasek says that an older technology—film—–is seeing “a big surge” these days. They’ll soon offer on-site lab services for film developing and printing.
“It’s crazy what a boom we’re seeing, everyone wanting to shoot film again,” he says. “A lot of the kids that never grew up with it are now wanting to kind of check it out. A lot of the schools still teach it, just to kind of slow everybody down.”
PROCAM Photo & Video Gear, 2015 W. Stadium. (734) 977–6226. Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Sun. procam.com
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