Hovey’s closes after 61 years

Photography is like fishing—you need proper equipment to capture your target. And when your gear needs to be fixed, you bring it to a professional. But as of July 14, Seacoast residents will have one less outlet for photography products and services. After 61 years of operation, Hovey’s Camera Shop on Islington Street is closing its doors forever.

One of the few remaining camera stores north of Boston, Hovey’s has long been a mainstay in the Port City, providing cameras, accessories, service and audiovisual equipment to municipal, industrial and private customers since 1946. After serving with the Navy during World War II, George (Hovey) Hovanesian started the business as a portrait studio. In 1951, he purchased Winebaum’s News Shop on Market Street and renamed it Hovey’s Camera Shop. In 1959, the shop moved to the old Portsmouth Herald building at 86 Congress Street, where it remained until 1981. As the business continued to grow, Hovey’s relocated to its current facility at 999 Islington Street, which had enough space to house both the camera shop and an audiovisual division.   

Hovey’s general manager John Petroulis sat down in his office for an interview with The Wire on a recent morning. Many paintings had already been removed from the office walls in preparation for the closing. “I’ve had people come in and cry, grown men, people that have patronized the store for 50 years,” Petroulis said. “They don’t know where to go. I feel sorry, in a way, because I’m not able to recommend any place for them to go.” Petroulis said the store is closing for a number of reasons. Judith Hovanesian, wife of the original Hovey who passed away in April, no longer wants the business. Petroulis is now 65, and he is looking forward to an early retirement. But the biggest challenge to staying open has been suffocating competition from big box stores like Best Buy and Circuit City.    

“Half the camera stores in the U.S. have closed due to digital,” Petroulis said. “The big box stores really hit us hard. With digital, every three months there is a new model, and they all cost under $300, so it’s not economical to have them repaired.” The service department is central to Hovey’s business, and Petroulis laments the fact that big stores sell products without servicing them. “If you sell a product, you service it,” he said matter of factly.

Another important component of the business that has been battered by new technology and the proliferation of corporate chains has been film development. These days, people can print their digital photographs at drug stores, retail outlets or on personal printers, which has dealt a deathblow to small camera shops. “There is no profit margin in digital,” Petroulis said. Another challenge has been the lack of product coming into the store. According to Petroulis, camera manufacturers prefer to sell to larger stores that can move an immense volume of product. Big name camera companies like Cannon and Nikon don’t want to sell to smaller stores. “In the early days, it was us who made them who they are,” Petroulis said.

Customers are not the only ones who will feel the negative effects of Hovey’s closing. Most of the employees have been working there for at least five years. Some, including William Nickleson, have been there for close to two decades. “It’s become home after 17 years. There are a lot of memories here,” he said.

It’s not easy for photography professionals to find jobs in their chosen field. Nickleson has taken a job as construction scheduling manager for Custom Pools. Unlike Hovey’s, most big retail stores don’t offer benefits, commission or even a competitive salary, which affects the quality of their employees, according to Petroulis. “At those places, it’s a revolving door. People come and go. A business is only as good as its employees,” he said. He believes the older generation of customers will miss the knowledgeable, personalized service that Hovey’s employees provided. “We’ve been fortunate to have good employees. People respect salespeople who don’t give false information,” he said. 

After the Hovey’s closes, Petroulis plans to donate any remaining inventory to charity. He’s not sure who will move into the 6,000-square-foot facility on Islington Street, but with a large parking lot and a great location, he is confident that someone will move in soon.

Cindy Williamson, owner of Eagle Photo Supply on Islington Street, agrees that a knowledgeable staff is crucial to the photo supply industry. “We may not have washers and dryers or CDs or T-shirts under one roof, but we know photography. All the people that work here are photography nuts in one form or another,” Williamson said. One of the biggest challenges of running an independent camera store is “trying to get the message out that the little guy is just as competitive in pricing as the big box stores, and yet we give you a lot more service. People get the misconception that box stores are always going to be cheaper,” she added.

Williamson jumped on the digital train early, but keeping up with new innovations in digital photography is another major challenge of owning an independent camera store. The fact that people can view and print photos from home has affected the entire industry. Williamson admits that there are benefits to taking digital pictures, like only having to pay to print individual shots.

Eagle Photo Supply has been in business for 92 years. With the departure of Hovey’s, Eagle Photo will be the only remaining independent camera store in Portsmouth. Williamson’s father took over the business right around the time that George Hovanesian was opening Hovey’s. “We have always had a very friendly competition in town, and I hate seeing the change. I hate seeing them go,” Williamson said. “It’s like the old guard, the end of an era. I’m definitely going to miss them.” 

Petroulis started taking pictures at the age of 12. After graduating from the New York School of Photography, he started working in a photography studio to learn the trade. He is sad to see the store go. “I’m going to miss the customer interactions and learning about new products and techniques,” he said. After July 14, Petroulis plans on taking a few months off before traveling to Alaska, where he wants to go fishing and take nature photographs. “I’m taking my camera and a fishing pole,” he said.