Walked into a camera shop in Portland that still had a darkroom in the back

Found this place called Blue Moon Camera down on Mississippi Ave last Saturday. The front was packed with old film gear but the real surprise was the working darkroom in the back. They had a guy showing a teenager how to develop black and white film right there with a changing bag and spirals. Felt like stepping into 1995 for fifteen minutes. Has anyone else stumbled on a shop that still keeps a usable darkroom open?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_seth1mo ago

My buddy Rob found a spot like that in Denver called Englewood Camera. He went in looking for a lens cap and ended up spending two hours watching some old timer show him how to mix chemicals for prints. He said the smell hit him before he even saw the sink, that vinegar fixer smell. The guy even let him try a test strip of a shot Rob took on his phone, which is weird but kind of cool. He keeps talking about building one in his basement now but I give it a month before it's full of boxing stuff again.

wells.morgan1mo ago

Gotta disagree, basement darkrooms are surprisingly easy to keep going once you get the bug. That vinegar smell hooks you in a way boxing gear never will.