Why We Love Roberts Camera

by Dan Wagner

Vintage Photo of Mark Pallman and Meredith Reinker at a Roberts Camera Kodak Promo

Known as the crossroads of America, Indianapolis is also the capital of Indiana, the birthplace of Kurt Vonnegut, John Dillinger, Wonder Bread, and the Indy 500. But, what’s really impressive is that Indianapolis is also the home of Roberts Camera. Founded by Robert and Rose Pallman in 1957, passed down to their son Bruce, and now in the capable hands of Bruce’s daughter Meredith and her husband, Corey Reinker. Roberts Camera continues to build on its early success. Small enough to know your name, yet large enough to stock photo gear at affordable prices, while offering a wide selection of related services such as rentals, processing, and education classes, it’s no wonder we love Roberts Camera. 

To prove Roberts Camera is loved by those both near and far, Bruce Pallman related the following anecdote from a recent trip to New York City.

“I’m on a subway wearing a polo shirt that says Roberts. A guy standing next to me says, ‘Roberts, is that the camera store in Indianapolis?’ I said, ‘yeah!’ And he said, ‘I buy from there all the time.’”

To find out how Roberts Camera became so beloved, The Cranky Camera interviewed Bruce, Meredith, and Corey. In short order, it became apparent that they spoke with one voice, or in Bruce-speak, “we sing in the same choir.” For this reason, their replies are denoted with the letters RC, short for Roberts Camera, of course. Here’s what they had to say:

History

DW: I enjoyed watching the Roberts Camera Celebrating 60 Years YouTube video. This might be an unexpected question to begin with, but what’s the deal with the photo of the woman and boy standing in front of a Kodak racecar? Is that Meredith? Did your friend, racing photographer Mike Levitt take that photo?

RC: Yes, that’s Meredith and her younger brother Mark. I don’t think Mike Levitt took the photo, because it’s in focus! Kodak brought one of their NASCAR racecars to our store for a promotion. Mark, who had a Matchbox collection featuring about 100 Kodak racecars, was thrilled to pose next to the real thing.

DW: There’s also a photograph in the video of Robert Pallman standing in the store surrounded by old televisions and hi-fi stereo gear from the 1960s. Was it hard for Robert to make the transition to a photography only store?

Roberts Camera founder, Robert Pallman

RC: I don’t know that Robert ever made that transition. That decision was probably made after he passed away. Roberts made a few transitions. We made a transition from a straight jewelry store to what became known as catalog showrooms. Catalog showrooms were stores that sold giftware, electronics, sporting goods, small appliances, luggage, and other items. That was from the 60s to the mid-80s. We didn’t get deeply involved in the photo business until around 1987. It wasn’t until 2005 that Roberts went fully photo.

We kind of owe our initial foray into photography to a sixteen-year-old budding photographer named Carl Kelley, who also happened to be Roberts’ first employee. Carl convinced Robert to add photo gear to our inventory, and the rest was history. In fact, Carl often drops by the store.

DW: They say behind a great man is a great woman. Or maybe it’s the opposite, or some blend of the two. Anyway, I’m enchanted by the photo of Rose Pallman dressed in hat and veil. She reminds me of my grandmother Rose. Did she like photography, too?

RC: Rose also wasn’t interested in photography. But she was the driving force of the business. She was a very strong woman.

DW: Do you have a shrine in your store with photos of the founders and such?

RC: Yes we do! It’s right by the store entrance.

Roberts Camera cofounder, Rose Pallman

Roberts Store Locations

DW: The photos of the original store are charming. Was it at the same location as your current downtown store at 220 E St Clair Street in Indianapolis, Indiana? How large is the store?

RC: After 44 years, we moved to our current 35,000-square-foot store six years ago.

DW: Besides location, how does your North store at 12761 Old Meridian St in Carmel, Indiana differ? Do the stores serve different types of customers such as pro and amateur?

RC: The suburban Carmel store is more of your traditional camera retail store, and generally caters to entry-level photographers. Our headquarters are located at the downtown Indianapolis store. That’s where we have our web and professional sales teams, shipping department, and warehouse. Despite being only fifteen miles apart, the two stores draw very different clienteles. The downtown store is very popular with professional photographers.

The Indiana Photo Scene

DW: As a New York photographer, I’m curious to know what the photo scene is like in Indiana. How would you describe it? Also, what are your local customers’ photography interests?

RC: We’re blessed with a very vibrant photography community. There’s everything from sports, to commercial photographers and everything in between. People are often surprised that a small metropolis could have this much variety.

We’re very thankful for our loyal customers, who have been coming to the store for decades. In fact, many photographers bought their first camera from us. Over the years we’ve become a destination store. Photographers from Nashville and all over the Midwest visit us on a regular basis. One reason for this is our excellent used department.

There’s also a large demographic of younger photographers who are discovering the joys of shooting with film—which is very exciting to see. They come in to buy vintage cameras, film, and often get their film developed here as well.

Roberts Online

DW: Roberts has an impressive Internet presence, and serves photographers throughout the US and beyond. What percentage of your business is online? How does Roberts serve online customers?

RC: Approximately 50 percent of our business takes place online. We sell a lot of used gear online through our usedphotopro site, Roberts’ main site, eBay, and Amazon. By never forgetting our local camera store roots, we strive to make both in-store and online customers feel welcome.

The used camera division helps drive traffic to new gear. Understandably, we can’t outspend companies such as Adorama and B&H on first-page Google ad listings.

Used Gear

DW: As a fan of vintage cameras, I often check out Roberts’ eBay offerings. Recently I purchased a like-new prism finder for my 1961 Rolleiflex. Thank you for the fast shipping and perfect transaction. Please tell me more about how you find, evaluate, and sell used gear.

RC: Thank you. One great thing about our high-quality used gear is that it’s unique to us, and represents an added reason for shopping at Roberts. Unlike many other stores, we don’t use stock photos of used gear. To help photographers know what they’re getting, we take photos of every used item we sell. The philosophy is to under promise and over deliver.

Since 2012, we’ve sold used gear online to almost every country. We don’t know why, but Greenland is the only place we haven’t sent a package. Probably 10 to 15% of our used orders are international.

We find gear by visiting trade shows, camera clubs, conventions, and retail stores throughout the country. Our team of seven buyers utilize a database of over a hundred thousand items to decide what to buy, how fast it can sell, and how much to pay for it—99% of the time, what we offer for used gear is what we pay. Unlike some other companies, we don’t try to renegotiate after we receive the gear. Honoring our word and treating people right are paramount.

DW: What is the intake process for used gear? Do you have to service it? And what is the warranty period?

RC: We test, clean, and warranty our used gear for a full year—which is among the highest in the industry.

DW: Do you often wind up having to replace the foam seals on vintage 35mm film cameras?

RC: Yes! Almost 90% of the time we ask our technicians to replace the seals. And we advertise these cameras as having new seals.

DW: Speaking of vintage cameras, I see Roberts features a nice selection of film and home development offerings. Is this a growing percentage of your business?

RC: We’re the official US Ilford distributor and we carry CineStill, Dubble pre-exposed retro-look film, and other brands as well. We love this stuff, and it’s definitely a growing percentage of our business. Prior to COVID-19 we had planned to hold a huge event for film photographers. Hopefully we can reschedule for next year.