We were lucky to catch up with Mark Comon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Mark thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Our business is 100% dedicated to serving the Photo Enthusiast community and building a thriving Creative Community. Yes, we need to be aware of sales, costs and maintaining a healthy business but that is not our focus.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am the 2nd generation owner of PAUL’S PHOTO.
My dad started in 1961, I joined the team in 1974. My wife and I “took over” in 2011 when Paul retired.
We are most proud of
1- survival in a hostile business environment. Managing the transition from film to digital. Gaining strength when online sales and big-box stores have driven many of our friends out of business. Navigating the COVID years and growing by offering what others do not.
2- building a community of award-winning photographer’s who support each other in success and growth
Have you ever had to pivot?
on March 17, 2020 we fired the entire staff so they could apply for unemployment as COVID closures were mandated. Sheryl and I, the LAB manger Jeff and general manager Boyd kept the store running on skeleton crew. We were able to be here for the news media, first responders and our creator customers.
We pivoted all of our closes from in-person to online in 5 days. I leveraged my relationships with professional photographers to have them teach online classes as they had zero income. It was a win-win for them and us.
Our loyal customers rallied to support us thru the closure and as we re-emerged from the COVID cloud
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The transition from in-store shopping to online shopping was hard on many small businesses. Especially us in the consumer electronics space. Big-box stores dominated the media. Online stores gathered market share with pricing, free delivery. We maintained our focus on customer service, community and sustainable business practices to continue to grow. It’s a dedication to our Team and our loyal custoemrs THAT WE HAVE SURVIVED.
Contact Info:
- Website: paulsphoto.com, creativephotoacademy.com
- Instagram: paulsphoto,incm creativcephotoacademy
- Facebook: cpaatpaulsphoto, paulsphoto
- Youtube: pauls photo
- Yelp: pauls photo
Image Credits
mark comon