Sarber's to Close Solano Storefront

Wednesday will be the final day in business for a camera shop that's had a presence on Solano Avenue for decades. 

, which relocated earlier this year from Berkeley to Albany, will close its Solano Avenue shop for good this week, though it will maintain a storefront in Oakland, said owner David Sarber on Monday. 

Through Wednesday, shoppers can find discounts on photo accessories, bags, frames, albums and lighting .

Shopowners David and Jessica Sarber announced the closure via an email blast to customers on Oct. 22:

"After 18 years of providing you with professional photographic supplies and services on Solano Avenue, the Sarber Family regretfully announces the closure of our Albany location. We sincerely thank you for sharing your memories with us through photography over the past two decades."

Sarber said Monday evening that the decision was prompted by several factors, from the economy overall to problems with overseas manufacturers, as well as the store's relocation to Albany.

"The move hurt," he said. "People still don't know where we're at. They'll walk in and say, 'Oh, I just found you because the new tenant told me where you were.'" 

He said the shift toward internet purchasing also hit his business hard. 

"People would rather save 10 percent online than keep a camera store in business," Sarber said.

"For every person that walked in here and took all that information that we gave, and went somewhere else..." he added, trailing off.

Natural disasters have also sunk, literally, factories in Thailand for Nikon and Sony, he added, making it hard at times to stock the shop's shelves. As a result, much of the shop's profits went toward paying employees and keeping the space open so that, when more goods became available, there just wasn't the money to pay for them, he said.

"It's just been bad news after bad news after bad news," said Sarber. "We're going to regroup, buckle down in the Oakland store and get the job done as best we can."

He also acknowledged that it was a combination of choices, by himself, his employees, his past and current landlords, as well as customers, that led to what he described as the "emotional decision" to close.

"I've really tried to do what I said I wanted to do: operate a camera store here," said Sarber. "I feel bad. I feel really bad. I'm not a sore loser by any means. I just wish I could have kept it going." 

SOME HISTORY, AS RECALLED BY DAVID SARBER

Sarber's opened its doors in downtown Oakland in the 1920s; David Sarber's father bought that shop in 1958, and moved it to Montclair in 1963. In the 1940s, Sy Gershenson opened a camera store on the Berkeley side of Solano. Sarber's family eventually bought that shop. David Sarber said he was the fourth owner of that store. He later moved it to its location of 17 years, at 1749 Solano. In April, the store moved into Albany due to problems with the former landlord.

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