When Trevor Smith, assistant manager of SoMa’s Samy’s Camera, came in to work on Monday morning, he had no idea he was about to lose his job of seven years. Then, he received a call from corporate: It was letting its building lease lapse and shuttering the San Francisco store.
The decade-old photo and video gear store is closing its doors Tuesday at 6 p.m. Smith, who was a stand-in for another store manager during their leave, had to break the news to the rest of the team of nine with just a day’s notice. Samy’s on Bryant Street was no more. And sadly for San Francisco photographers—there will be no flash sale on its final day of business.
Looking back, Smith said he could have seen it coming. During the pandemic, sales had dropped, he said. It had been difficult to supply the cameras retail customers were looking for. In 2019, the company cut back on the majority of its San Francisco sales operations, relying mostly on its photo and video rental business to stay afloat, said Smith.
Samy’s also closed two of its six stores, one in Santa Barbara and one in Culver City, continuing operations in San Francisco, Pasadena, Santa Ana and at its Los Angeles headquarters.
But loyal customers and employees alike say Samy’s Camera was more than a store. Customer and former employee Louie Navarro said the store was a hub for the photo and video community, where people came together to share their passion and exchange ideas.
“This place gave me an immense amount of comfort, [especially] during the isolation of Covid and much needed occasional camaraderie pre- and post-shoot. Super sad to see it close,” customer Elisabeth Fall said.
Roui Israel, director of education and daughter of president and namesake of Samy's Camera—Samy Kamienowicz—said she was sad the company had to leave the Bay Area. She remembered fondly driving up from LA in the 1980s with her dad to Samy’s original San Francisco store.
“You have to support your local businesses if you want them to survive,” Israel said. According to her, Bay Area customers preferred to shop and take photo classes online more often than their LA counterparts.
Tian Luyang, a commercial and editorial photographer, said he found paying a higher price at a bricks-and-mortar store worthwhile for the opportunity to build connections with local professionals. Luyang, who said he’s gone to Samy’s for all of his photo needs since 2016, said the closure was difficult for him to process. “There’s no backup for me,” he said.
The sudden closure left other customers scrambling. John Thatcher, a commercial photographer at Gantri, a designer lighting company, said Samy’s was a core part of his workflow. “We have our own studio but don’t own video equipment, so I rent from Samy’s every couple of months. Especially having my studio be so close to Samy’s, it made pickup and drop off so easy. Now I’m not sure what we will do.”
Israel wondered if the store location, close to Highway 101, might have been less than ideal for foot traffic, but was ultimately not involved in exploring other locations within the city. She declined to comment on the short notice to their employees, some of whom had worked for the company for nine years.
Despite the company’s attempt to disappear quietly, Smith said he’d been fielding phone calls and visits from grieving customers all day. For now, he’s helping clear out the building. After that, he hopes some of the good karma he’s built with the community will pay back as he reenters the freelance videography pool.