Roberts Camera celebrates 60 years in business

Writer: Jon Shoulders
Photographer: Brian Brosmer

Roberts Camera’s ability to thrive in the photography, lighting and electronics retail business for 60 years has involved much more than just keeping up with industry technology that seems to evolve almost daily.

Meredith Reinker, marketing and human resources director, says the Indianapolis-based, family-owned company’s willingness to adapt its business model to customer habits and shopping methods has been just as important to its success as keeping up with the camera and lighting industry’s ongoing technological advancements.

The company, which offers a full range of new and used photography, audio, video and lighting gear and currently operates two brick-and-mortar locations in Carmel and downtown Indianapolis, was founded by Reinker’s grandfather Robert Pallman as a modest jewelry business on South Capitol Avenue in August of 1957. Almost immediately, Pallman began adjusting his business concept to meet customer demand. 

“The jewelry wasn’t doing great at the time so they started to pick up additional lines – service merchandise catalogs were how people shopped back then so they basically became a catalog showroom,” Reinker says. “One of my grandfather’s employees at the time was a high schooler who was taking a photography class and told my grandfather he could sell cameras. It was good timing in the sense that film was really evolving at that point and film cameras were getting popular, and then, of course, eventually digital took us into the next era.”

Since its founding, Roberts Camera has continually found effective ways to reach beyond its Indy customer base, from a thriving mail-order business through the 1970s and 1980s to a successful sales presence through its official website, which was launched back in 1997. In 2012 the Roberts staff began a buy, sell and trade sister company called UsedPhotoPro, which deals exclusively in used camera equipment primarily online.

Reinker says her father Bruce, who has run the company for the past 45 years, has brought an open-minded approach to sales and customer service that has helped Roberts Camera stay in business in a time where many camera shops have closed their doors due to dwindling sales.

“Over the past 10 years, the evolution has been going fast with how people shop,” Reinker says. “Retail has changed so much as it’s gone from people having to walk into a retail store to shopping online – our sales now are about 60 percent online and 40 percent retail. So again, it’s that combination of staying with the technology and then how people actually approach retail.”

To commemorate 60 years of service in Indianapolis, Reinker and her 64 full-time and part-time Roberts co-employees – many of whom have been with the company for 20-plus years – held an in-store celebration in August with special deals and promotions as well as free photography classes and camera cleanings.

“Twice a year we also do a spring and fall photo expo where we bring in our manufacturer representatives, and tech reps from Nikon, Canon, Panasonic and all those types of brands,” Reinker adds. “We offer free classes all day long, which helps to promote the classes that we offer regularly. We usually have anywhere from 10 to 12 classes a month for every level of photographer from fundamentals of photography up to specialty lighting and that kind of stuff.”

Reinker adds that the explosion in iPhone camera use has had a two-pronged effect on her industry, phasing out less expensive, point-and-shoot cameras while at the same time increasing interest in higher-end equipment and accessories.

“The iPhone has gotten a lot of people interested in photography that otherwise might not have been, especially with social media where everybody is a photographer now,” she says. “So, we have people coming in now that have been using their iPhone for a long time but want to take that next step and get better images with better equipment.”

Reinker believes the company is primed for another 60 years of success as long as it remains adaptive and flexible in the face of an ever-changing marketplace.

“As Indianapolis has grown we’ve received a ton of support. Indianapolis has a very strong and vibrant community of photographers,” Reinker says. “In a time where photography has changed drastically, I think our customer base and the support we get from Indiana as a whole is awesome. Indy is a great place to be.”

For more information on Roberts Camera including details on equipment rental and photography classes, visit robertscamera.com.

Roberts Camera’s downtown store is located at 220 E St Clair St or you can call them at 317-636-5544. The Carmel store is located at 12761 Old Meridian St, or you can call them at 317-818-9800.

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