Abolins May Be Closing
The TNT is reporting that Abolins, the photographic supply, audio, and visual retailer, may be closing. The 40 year old Tacoma based shop is struggling to compete against big box retailers and a changing consumer. From the tone of the article, the inevitable is coming soon with the doors finally closing and layoffs just around the corner.
Abolins has been one of those shops that has been there for us. We’ve found obscure film gear. We’ve found A/V projectors. They’ve been part of Tacoma and we’ll miss them if they are to go. So … shop local!
Link to Abolins
Link to The News Tribune
Filed under: General
17 comments
J jamie from thriceallamerican August 20, 2008
I think they should try one more thing as a last ditch effort: stay open in the evenings, say until 7 or 8, and open the store on Saturdays, too. Us common people have to go to work during the hours that they’re open (9-6 weekdays).
Sad to say I’ve never visited (due mostly to hours), but they’ll definitely be missed…that building will be hard to fill, and once it’s vacant it will, I’m sure, become a popular target for taggers. Anyway, we’re in the market for a new digital camera, so maybe we’ll have to make an effort to stop by some evening soon before they go T.U.
P Pat August 21, 2008
Agree with Jamie. I’d love to have a local camera store close by, but they have to be open when I can get to them. At least part of the day on saturday would be nice.
J Jake August 21, 2008
that building will be hard to fill
Food Co-Op???
B Brooks August 21, 2008
A locally-owned alternative is Robi’s down in Lakewood, near Lakewood Town Center. In my experience, they are several steps above Abolins.
J jamie from thriceallamerican August 21, 2008
Huh…I like how Jake is thinking.
T TheGulag August 21, 2008
Ever since R&K in Auburn closed, I’ve been going to Robi’s in Lakewood. Apart from their full stock of darkroom supplies, they’re the only store around that always has Fuji Provia, K-64, and 4×5 sheet film on hand.
J Jenyum August 21, 2008
12th Street is an impossible place for a business (or a residence) right now. The cars just fly by, you need a permit to construct a sign anyone could actually see, and the zoning is just nonsensical.
The street consists of isolated pockets of commercial surrounded by residential that no one wants. (Would you want to live on a speedway?) The houses go on the market, come off for a month or two and go right back on the market again. It really ought to be a mixed use zone, convert some of those homes to small business/offices and get more life and foot traffic in the area. Construct some curb bulbs or other measures to slow down the traffic, and ease the ridiculous parking requirements. (There’s plenty of available street parking on the side streets.)
There’s not a single business along South 12th between Sprague and Alder that is not looking like it’s on its last legs.
J Jen August 21, 2008
I was in there on Tuesday and the person behind the counter said they are closing at the end of the month.
I Ian Harding August 21, 2008
Stevie Wonder could have seen that coming. As I recall, Abolins was in an off-street hole in the wall, then they built that inappropriate building in that undesirable location. They could have gotten big into selling on the internet, moved somewhere with better prospects, etc. I guess it’s admirable to stick with the old neighborhood, but it seemed like a bad fit for that store from the beginning.
I use 12th as my expressway to get downtown. I would still use it if they gave it the treatment UP gave Bridgeport, take it from 4 lanes to 2, plant trees, mark crosswalks. They called them “Traffic Calming” measures. You could move twice as many cars in half as many lanes if you also TIMED THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS!!! I cannot even imagine how much gas we could save by timing traffic lights.
T tom waits August 21, 2008
when i first moved here i thought that abolins was some sort of “mall area” type nondescript southwestern restaurant. that’s just what the building, its signs, etc reminded me of. like chevys, qdoba….i think i must have driven by many times before i actually looked more closely at it.
i thought, well that’s interesting, i wonder how they do?
J jamie from thriceallamerican August 21, 2008
Regarding S 12th, the city is in some of the final phases of designing traffic-calming and beautification changes to the S 12th corridor between Sprague and Union…for a sneak preview, hit the neighborhood meeting on Thursday, 8/28, 6pm, at Epworth LeSourd Church (710 S Anderson).
E Elliot August 21, 2008
Robi’s in Lakewood is amazing, I’d say they’re the second best camera store in the northwest. However, unlike “Big G”, you can actually get good service there.
Anyway, I must say that I agree with the folks above on the issue of store hours at Abolin’s, and half the local businesses in Tacoma for that matter. Being open at 2pm on a Tuesday but closed all day Saturday is a rediculous way to run a business, unless you’re really just looking for the pro market.
But I digress, and I’m always sad to see a local business go, particularly a camera shop close to my house…
Y You're Welcome August 21, 2008
Can’t we wait until they go out of business before we talk about the next idea to fill that space.
Rude! You must be tons of fun at funerals.
T tct2326 August 21, 2008
What about the Camera Shop downtown? I noticed some construction going on a week ago or so. What up with that?
R RR Anderson August 21, 2008
Perfect spot for a chucky cheese!
H Hilltop Guy August 22, 2008
Tacoma has some pretty ugly main streets. I am always giving my friends and relatives from out of town convoluted directions to my house so they don’t get a bad impression of tacoma by driving on hideous streets like sprague and s 12th. We have two major east west corridors in Tacoma that should have vibrant commercial and retail, those being 19th and 12th. Instead they are ugly, disjointed, dangerous, roads. At a minimum reduce 12 to two lanes (think of 45th in Seattle as it runs from the u district to Fremont) and drop a light rail extension from downtown to tcc on 19th. Problem solved.
B BC August 22, 2008
The former camera shop downtown is supposedly becoming an insurance office. Hopefully their employees will pay for parking instead of clogging up the block like the few other businesses in the area.