Dear Bob--
Not to start a flame war, but you really should check out your facts before
you start accusing people of spreading "false information." In this case,
you owe Samuel an apology, because he has the correct information, not you.
I'll bet he's actually *visited* this store, just like he said in the post.
Have you?
FACT: KEH is/was a camera store in Dallas, as well as in Atlanta. So far as
I know, the Atlanta operation continues in operation, but I haven't checked
for sure. Somebody else on this list suggested (or maybe stated
authoritatively?) that the two locations of the KEH's were the result of a
marriage ended some time ago, with the husband taking the Atlanta site, and
wife opening the Dallas location.
FACT: KEH Dallas may have been a "fine CO" (company?), but they ain't
anymore. Following Samuel's earlier posting, I also visited the store today.
It was shuttered tight, blinds drawn, lights out. Small black-and-white
sign on the front door that said, Thank you Dallas for ten wonderful years.
My guess is this was not a come-on for their ten-year anniversary sale.
I just looked at my checkbook, realizing that the last time I was there was
March 1, 2000. Just a small purchase, a very rough T-20 adapter for $10.00
that did not come with their usual 90-day warranty. How's that for irony?!?
(And it worked just fine when I got it home, but it isn't a pretty piece!)
The day I was in was mid-afternoon (late lunch). There was one other
customer, trying to unload a couple of Russian copy gold-plated Leica
knock-offs. Allegedly W.W.II-era copies. I know nothing about these
(Doris?) , but they were fairly garish (and clean). (According to the store
personnel, he had the wrong lenses on them to command a really good price.)
At one point, he was speaking to the owner (I do not recall her name--always
very personable), and told her he had heard that she would soon be listing
the whole store on eBay. Very little laughter. Then she asked him where he
had heard that rumor. He demurred, and after some footkicking, she said
that she would be listing some items (could have been like "half the store"
or something, I don't recall the specific quote here). I didn't pay it much
mind at the time, and was more interested in the bargain bin. The Oly
section had recently been beefed up a little, with the addition of an OM-3
(not 3T or 3Ti, I don't think), but even before eBay, I had found some of
their prices on the steep side (experiences of other list members?). Recent
policy change on pricing in the last several months: they had gone to not
listing the prices on items, as previously. Just title of the item. To get
a price, you had to get a salesperson to run it on the company computer. I
don't see how this would have helped them, except maybe to give them better
control over casual browsers--you don't get a price unless somebody working
for the store actually deals with you.
Anyway, it would be fine if they did stage a grand reopening. The owner had
a marvelous collection of cameras in several large glass display cases; at
least one of them contained a red XA-type camera w/ original case. (Also a
tan snakeskin K-1000, for the reptile crowd!). The day I was there, they
still had lots of medium format, and some of the new Contax stuff, including
one of the new 645 autofocus cameras. It will be a shame to loose them. As
Gary Edwards can testify, Arlington Camera's Oly section is just pitiful
(hey, he lives out there. Maybe he's WHY it's so pitiful. Gary????)
Anyway, sorry for the long-ish post, and the antagonistic beginning, which I
am not inclined to change even now.
Best regards to all,
Tom Moynihan
Dallas, TX
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