Some news out of NY

ibcrewin · 05-10-2007

According the the Metro Newspaper in New York, B&H announced yesterday that it ill be moving into a 400,000 square foot green building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The article did not say when it would move out of it's 160,000 sqft stores on 9th ave.

kbg32 · 05-10-2007

I believe it is just their warehouse and online purchases. If it is their store, it would be in a most incovenient location. They would lose a lot of in store sales. I know a lot of photographers who would not travel to Brooklyn to purchase supplies. It would definitely not be in their best interest to move their store. If their intention is to just sell online and close their store, it doesn't matter where they are.

nightfly · 05-10-2007

Are they moving out of 9th and 33rd entirely?

It would seem silly to give up a retail location right near a major transportation hub (Penn Station) and central post office and shipping (UPS, Fedex, etc all are right around there) to go to the relatively inaccessible Navy Yard. I live in Brooklyn and I'm not sure how I'd get there.

ibcrewin · 05-10-2007

I'm not sure, but they are going to have a lot more space than they did before. If i'm not mistaken, I believe they have added home theatre to the catalog. That might be part of it.

Scarpia · 05-10-2007

They have had a facility for on-line and mail order in the vicinity of the former Brooklyn Navy Yard for some time and this sounds like they need more space for this purpose. The Navy Yard area is not very accessable and way out of the way for anyone to travel to. I should know, I was brung up in Brooklyn.
Kurt M.

cpborello · 05-10-2007

My last delivery of film from them was sent from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

tedwhite · 05-10-2007

Nightfly and Kurt M:

Would you mind having a look in My Photos of a recent picture I uploaded showing a portion of the New York skyline? It's titled something like "Where was I when I took this?".

I made the photograph in 1971 on my way to Europe, had never been to New York before and mostly never had any idea where I was. However, this image certainly makes it clear that I was not in Manhattan. Possibly I might have been in Brooklyn?

Ted

Scarpia · 05-10-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedwhite

Nightfly and Kurt M:

Would you mind having a look in My Photos of a recent picture I uploaded showing a portion of the New York skyline? It's titled something like "Where was I when I took this?".

I made the photograph in 1971 on my way to Europe, had never been to New York before and mostly never had any idea where I was. However, this image certainly makes it clear that I was not in Manhattan. Possibly I might have been in Brooklyn?

Ted

Ted you were standing on the esplanade in Brooklyn Heights. Underneath is the Brooklyn Queens expressway which I'm sure you saw when you looked down. That is a very fashionable part of Brooklyn and about a mile or so from the former Navy Yard to the right of where you were standing.
Kurt M.

JCT · 05-10-2007

It's definitely the online and mail-order divisions that are being expanded in Brookyln. I was at the store a couple of weeks ago and one of the sales guys commented that they are expanding the retail section to upstairs, my guess is that is where much of the mail order and online gear is currently handled.

Moving the retail to the Navy Yard would really be a bad move sales-wise, non-trivial to get there.

JT

zuikologist · 05-10-2007

From memory, the in store used/second hand gear is upstairs. Is this being phased out?

drewbarb · 05-10-2007

Not to beat a dead horse, but the move is in fact only the warehouse and mail order processing facility. The retail store on 9th Ave. is not only staying put, it is expanding, as JCT noted above. A couple of years ago (while I still worked there) they began moving coporate offices, advertising and support offices, and telephone and internet sales to a new location nearby from the upstairs offices above the 9th Ave store, to allow more room for all operations. They are currently undergoing construction to expand the retail store into the upstairs space that was previously occupied by those offices. When they are done (September? I am told by friends who still work there...), the superstore will have a huge new Lighting department upstairs, and more room for digital sales, home audio, video, etc. etc. etc. downstairs.

They are just growing everywhere. No wonder all our little local shops are drying up. When was the last time film prices anywhere else could beat B&H?

JCT · 05-10-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by zuikologist

From memory, the in store used/second hand gear is upstairs. Is this being phased out?

I don't think so (that would be awful, I love wandering around up there). The used department only occupies a very small fraction of the upstairs -- I think there are offices behind the used Dept at present --- that may be part of what is moving to Brooklyn.

I also dropped by Adorama recently and they have taken most of their used gear to the back-- I gave them a hard time about it (been going there for over 20 years to pick and choose), they swore that they are also expanding (to the back) and wil bring the stuff back out. We'll see.

JT

Joe Mondello · 05-10-2007

Henry Posner confirmed to me in a DPReview thread many months ago that the offices will be moving out of the 9th ave store and the store will expand up a floor essentially doubling the retail space.