In San Mateo, CA.
My son has been learning karate for some six years now at a place on 25th Avenue in San Mateo, so it’s a street I have known for a long time.
The appeal here is that of an America of yesteryear. No chain stores, no big box outlets and no urban blight from the likes of Starbucks yuppies or McDonald’s trash. The feel is that of an old, comfortable shoe. Maybe not in the first flush of youth and, yes, the soles could use some work, but it is real and warm and welcoming.
My son also got his first haircut on 25th Avenue for no other reason than I also used to get my hair cut there and Nina had been in the same place for 45 years. Longevity is very much a feature of the businesses here.
One of the sublime pleasures of visiting 25th Avenue is to drop by Kaufmann’s Cameras to chew the fat with Bob who has been running the place for 53 years now.
Bob at Kaufmann’s Cameras. Strictly a shirt and tie man of the old school,
with manners to match.
This is like photo hobbyist stores used to be, complete with darkroom supplies and used film-era gear for sale at modest prices. It’s packed to the rafters with memorabilia and if you ask nicely Bob will let you go in the back to sift through drawer after drawer of old boxes in search of a piece for some project or another. I am, in truth, a lousy customer, having only ever bought a few Nikon film-era lens hoods, filters and a splendid used 75-150mm Series E Nikkor zoom over the years, but Bob always has time to chat and there’s little about the photo business he does not know. It’s fascinating to learn how he is adapting to the online era and the brute competition of the likes of Amazon, and surviving happily. Long may he do so. In an era of incresing gear complexity, this business proves that expert advice remains valued by many.
Darkroom supplies.
Darkroom supplies and film SLRs are a nice profit center for the store, the teachers at the nearby College of San Mateo for some reason insisting that their students learn traditional techniques. Quite why anyone would actually pay to learn to use film is a mystery to me, but whatever.
Memorabilia everywhere – and lots of film!.
Kaufmanns reminds me of my happy days as a student working photo retail in my vacations and it’s a pleasure knowing that such places are still around.
Cross the road and you will find yourself in Vinyl Solutions Records which has been here thirty years. Whether it’s vinyl, cassette tapes, traditional reel tapes or even large format LP-sized Laser Discs, Vinyl Solutions is the place. With vinyl newly in vogue, the store is enjoying better times. And yes, they will sell you a new ‘needle’ for your gramophone.
Vinyl Solutions.
Italian has long been the dominant ethnicity here and you can eat happily on the broad sidewalk while the locals regale you with thrilling tales of the construction and garbage businesses.
Lanterna Ristorante.
Lanterna Ristorante will be pleased to provide you with the finest in local Italian fare. If you like earthier Italian, cross the road to Luceti’s where the bartender will make sure to disregard you while chatting with his buddies, their hair just that bit too perfect, about whatever ball game they have money on. Probably better not to interrupt, Sicilian ancestry being what it is. The wait staff appear related to the barkeep given their demeanor, but the food is consistently good.
25th Avenue is very much a community and its business owners get into the spirit of the season:
Halloween celebrants.
Some new age businesses make you wonder – what on earth is a ‘Brow Bar’? Can’t see this one surviving for long, though I wish it good luck.
Mazzy Brow Bar.
New ethnicities abound, and while the older locals will grumble under their breath, they will adapt as they have for the past century.
Kobeya Japanese restaurant.
Other new arrivals make no bones about their origin:
The Mao set. No MSG, but canine delicacies on demand.
The Patio Coffeee Shop may change its opening hours from time to time, but having been here some forty-nine years it’s reasonable to conclude that the owner knows what he is doing. Typography is clearly not one of his skills:
Times change. Seems like Cappuchino is no more. iPhone5 snap.
He’s Lebanese and as nice a man as you could meet, though he wisely keeps his origin under wraps. On a Saturday morning you will generally find some Harley types at the bar here, their mild demeanor in perfect contrast to their noisy machines. This is a traditional greasy spoon and health food nuts are definitely not welcomed here.
Down a couple of stores from the greasy spoon is a traditional cobbler where you can actually get your shoes repaired:
At the cobbler’s. Panasonic G3/kit lens.
Cross the road and you are in the land of tamales and burritos. There’s no wealth on display in this unmarked joint – to see the Rolex set try the Italian places – but the food and aromas are mouth watering.
Hispanic diner. Panasonic G3/kit lens snap.
The sole ceiling fan here is so out of alignment that it goes ‘clunk-clunk-clunk’, which seems perfectly in keeping with the demeanor of the place, where English is most certainly a foreign tongue.
All snaps on the Nikon D3x with the 20mm UD Nikkor unless stated otherwise.
Sad update March 2016:
Kaufmann’s Cameras is no more after 60 years, a greedy landlord having tripled their rent. As of July 2016 the place remains ‘for rent’ testifying to the victory of greed over economics.