8 - CCP • Destination Delaware • July 29, 2015
CAMERAS ETC.: a mainstay on Newark’s Main Street since 1980 Dain Simons was ten years old in 1980, the year Cameras Etc. opened its second location, on Main Street in Newark. Thirty-five years later, he is the sole owner of a company that continues to defy the odds. The store front is rather unassuming - a flat brick building, nearly unchanged since the 1950s nestled between Days of Knights and the Iron Hill Brewery, two businesses that also have deep roots in the perpetually shifting marketplace of downtown Newark. Inside you will find a bright cozy show room full of new and used camera equipment. Don’t let the age of the building fool you. This is a thoroughly modern shop providing state-of-theart, high-end camera equipment along
with consumer-grade gadgets to fulfill anyone’s imaging needs. “We offer a unique experience here, an honest and intelligent retail environment which brings our customers back to us, time and time again. The kind of experience many people no longer associate with camera or electronics stores. It’s always been that kind of a place. It was like that when I bought my first camera here in 1987, and it’s like that now.” In 2014, Jim Cycyk, the company’s founder, made the decision to close the Wilmington store and retire, leaving the future of the Newark store up in the air. Dain saw the opportunity to continue evolving the business that he has known and loved for over 20 years.
“We are enjoying the recent influx of Wilmington customers who had previously shopped at the Market Street location, and we understand that Newark is a little bit of a hike, so we want to make their trip worthwhile. Plus a lot of these folks haven’t been to Newark in a while and are pleasantly surprised by how vibrant it has become. They’re happy to get something to eat or check out some of the other unique shops on Main Street.” Cameras Etc is one of very few stores in the tri-state area to offer a complete inventory of professional and amateur photographic supplies the core of which is the full line of Canon and Nikon cameras, lenses and accessories. They also stock a large selection of cases
and carrying gear from respected brands like ThinkTank, Lowepro and Black Rapid. Over the years, service has become a large part of Cameras Etc.’s business. They provide video duplication, copy work, scanning, printing, restoration, repair, passport photos, film processing and sensor cleaning.” “I think the secret of our success is that we strike a balance between competence and approachability. A lot of times you find too much of one extreme without the other. We want anyone to feel comfortable walking in here and asking us about photography and knowing they will get an informed answer.”