B&H Photo Video
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For other uses, see B&H (disambiguation)
| B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Retail |
| Founded | 1973 New York, New York |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Cameras, Video, Film, Audio, and Electronics. |
| Website | bhphotovideo.com |
B&H Photo Video, founded in 1973 and located in New York City, is the largest non-chain photo and video equipment store in the United States.[1]
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[edit] Overview
The store is patronized by professional photographers and videographers, serving 11,000 to 12,000 customers per day, while a considerable amount of the company's business comes from their internet operation. They also run a warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[1] On its website, B&H claims to be the "world's leading retailer of imaging products". The store carries an extremely wide range of products as well as professional and specialty equipment. NASA once purchased a lens for a Hasselblad camera to photograph space.[2]
The business is owned by Herman Schreiber. Schreiber and many of the store's employees are observant Satmar Hasidic Jews who close the store on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The online store is also closed during these times. [1] Surpassed only by the Diamond District in terms of Orthodox employment, the company is a vital part of the community's financial health, with hundreds of Orthodox Jews on staff. An Orthodox Jewish bus company provides daily service to and from Kiryas Joel, a Satmar village in Orange County, New York.[3]
In 2007, Google announced that they added B&H as a merchant accepting Google Checkout. When discussing their third-quarter financial results on a October 18, 2007 conference call, Sergey Brin, President and co-founder of Google, said that B&H is his favorite camera store.[4]
[edit] History
B&H opened as a storefront film shop on the Lower East Side run by Herman Schreiber and his wife, Blimie (the store's name comes from their initials). The store quickly outgrew its space. B&H moved to a large loft on West 17th Street in the Photo District in the 1970s. Catering to the needs of neighborhood artists, B&H expanded to selling film equipment as well as photo products. In 1997 the store moved to its present location. It now has a staff of over 1,500 employees.[2] B&H's flagship store is located in West Midtown Manhattan at 420 Ninth Avenue (at the intersection with 34th Street) While its corporate offices including phone sales, advertising, and website operations are located on the next block at 440 9th ave (between 34th and 35th st). On Tuesday October 30th, 2007, B&H officially opened a second floor above its original sales floor making a total of 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m²) of sales space. The first floor encompasses pro lighting, video, audio, darkroom, film, and both home and portable entertainment; the second floor focuses on both analog and digital cameras, printers, scanners, and related accessories. .[1]
[edit] 2007 EEOC Lawsuit
In October 2007, it was announced that B&H Photo agreed to pay $4.3 million USD to settle allegations that it discriminated against Hispanic workers.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Goldman, Adam. "New York camera shop combines 18th-century Jewish traditions and the hottest digital technology", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 12, 2005.
- ^ a b Karni, Annie. "B & H Photo Emerges as a N.Y. Institution", The New York Sun, February 5, 2007.
- ^ Santos, Fernanda. "Reverberations of a Baby Boom", New York Times, August 27, 2006.
- ^ "Google Q3 2007 Earnings Call Transcript", October 18, 2007.
- ^ "EEOC AND B & H REACH $4.3 MILLION SETTLEMENT IN NATIONAL ORIGIN DISCRIMINATION CASE", EEOC, 2007-10-16. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
