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Ultra-Orthodox Jews turn New York camera store into big-time business
AP Wire (direct feed) | November 18, 2005 | ADAM GOLDMAN

Posted on 11/18/2005 11:25:58 AM PST by NYer

NEW YORK (AP) _ Every morning except Saturday, the buses stop in front of a bustling corner of Manhattan. Within minutes, a battalion of bearded men dressed in dark suits and felt hats, some clutching prayer books and speaking Yiddish, step onto the sidewalk and disappear into a brick building.

But this is not a yeshiva or synagogue. This is B&H Photo-Video, a New York institution that has become perhaps the most famous camera store in the world. On any given day, 8,000 to 9,000 people pass through the front door of the block-long store, and B&H ships cameras and other imaging equipment to all corners of the globe.

The devout Jews who work at B&H have one singular mission when they arrive here: They walk with God but their business is cameras _ except of course on the sabbath or important Jewish holidays. ``Maybe some people don't like that we're closed for the holidays but we put our religion ahead of money,'' said Herschel Jacobowitz, the company's chief information officer and business director. ``We are principled people.''

A private company that has traditionally shied away from publicity like the religious Jews working there, B&H has instead relied on smart marketing and its reputation to generate profits. It is a formula that has helped B&H establish itself as one of the biggest and busiest photo-driven retail operations in the country.

``They are the 800-pound gorilla in the photo specialty business,'' said Greg Scoblete, digital imaging and communications editor at Twice, a trade publication that covers the consumer electronics industry. Affectionately known as ``Beard and Hats'' because of the dress and customs of the employees, B&J ``s become a must-see destination in New York, akin to ordering a pastrami on rye at Katz's Delicatessen.

It's a frenetic and loud experience that involves fast-moving lines of customers, all pushing and elbowing to get to the finish line, or in this case, a row of stern-looking cashiers with beards. Above them, conveyor belts move the merchandise from one counter to the next. ``I live in Minnesota and the sensibility is not always Midwestern,'' said photographer Alec Soth, who has been a B&H customer for a decade. ``It's a little more abrupt. But they're cheap and they have a huge selection.''

With plenty of professional photographers like Soth buying there, B&H's customer database is a who's who of the photography world. For many, this quirky store has become indispensable. If you can't find it elsewhere, B&H probably has it.

B&H is famous for stocking the rarest of items from antiquated darkroom supplies, film that is fast becoming a relic and the most advanced devices. Once when NASA needed a rare lens years ago, they turned to B&H. ``We stock every brand and for every brand we stock every accessory,'' says Gary Eisenberger, the store's designer.

But don't expect any miracles when you walk into B&H. Asked recently when the nano iPod would be in stock, a floor salesman laughed. ``When the messiah comes, and then he's going to want one,'' he said.

Company executives declined to discuss financials or the amount of revenue B&H generates. Ask how many cameras B&H sells every year and you get this answer: ``How many quarts of water are in the Hudson?'' Jacobowitz says with a hint of rabbinic wisdom. ``We sell lots of them.'' Ask how business is going and the response you get is this: ``Baruch Hashem'' or ``Blessed be God'' _ meaning, roughly, ``Thanks be to God, things are good.'' Store Manager Eli Daskal said the name B&H originated from the ``Baruch Hashem'' blessing.

One indication of B&H's success that cannot be concealed sits in the Brooklyn Naval Yard: a nearly 200,000-square-foot warehouse that feeds its online division, which represents about 70 percent of B&H's business. Inside, a platoon of pickers glide up and down the aisles, pulling items off shelves to the tune of religious music. Thousands of orders are shipped everyday from the warehouse, providing a sense of how far B&H has come since it began in relative obscurity in Lower Manhattan in 1973.

To some, the venture probably seemed like an unusual blend: Hasidism, a form of mystical ultra-Orthodox Judaism, colliding with a niche business. But the pairing made perfect sense, said Jonathan D. Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. B&H is ql outgrowth of the Jewish mercantilism that flourished during the Diaspora, he said.

In Europe before World War II, Orthodox Jews and Hasidim in particular worked as peddlers. After the Holocaust, many came to the United States. ``It was a skill that they brought with them,'' Sarna said. ``They knew about buying and selling. In the case of the Hasidim, many of them also came with these commercial skills and they looked around for a good product.'' Many fell into the fur and diamond trade. Others gravitated toward photography, where they put their rigorous religious training to good use. ``The Hasidic Jews in high tech have a reputation for understanding their product,'' Sarna said. ``To properly understand something, you have to understand something through and through. This is part of the cultural heritage of people who study the Talmud. You've go an inte seizing Web opportunities to bolster its bottom-line. Already, B&H has outgrown its giant store on the West Side. By April, B&H executives said they hope to double the current location's retail space, bringing it to a total of about 70,000-square feet.

The company employs 800 to 900 people, many of whom are religious Jews. The payroll also includes women despite a widely held belief they don't work there. Many of these Jews are trucked in every morning and trucked out every evening on buses to communities all over the metro area. Another myth: B&H doesn't pay for this transportation.

Everybody, including the Jews, operate under the same guidelines. If any of the Jews working there wants to pray, they can do it on their own time. ``There's no special treatment,'' Jacobowitz says. ``You can't run a business that way. You can't discriminate.'' Richard Spiess, 34, a sales associate in the pro digital department, doesn't disagree with that assessment. ``They treat us well _ never like outsiders,'' he said. Spiess, a self-described camera geek, moved from Seattle to New York 10 years ago to take a job at B&H. He said there are some advantages to being non-Jewish in such a heavily Jewish environment. ``We get a lot of nice holidays off.''


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: New York
KEYWORDS: bhphoto; camera; hasidic; jew; photography
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Official web site: B&H PHOTO VIDEO
1 posted on 11/18/2005 11:26:00 AM PST by NYer
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To: NYer; Cacique

I've shopped here, as well as certain other electronics shops in Borough Park. The service was gruff but great!


2 posted on 11/18/2005 11:26:58 AM PST by Clemenza (Ticking Away the Moments that Make up the Dog Day)
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To: Convert from ECUSA; Alouette

Great story; hope you enjoy it.


3 posted on 11/18/2005 11:27:05 AM PST by NYer (“Socialism is the religion people get when they lose their religion")
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To: NYer

A good store for pros, but the amateur better know exactly what he wants before he walks in the door.


4 posted on 11/18/2005 11:28:21 AM PST by durasell
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To: NYer

Since I visited this store many years ago I have always wondered what would happen to a non-Jewish or non-Orthodox job applicant, and whether this violates any laws.


5 posted on 11/18/2005 11:30:38 AM PST by wideminded
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To: durasell
"...but the amateur better know exactly what he wants before he walks in the door."

Or...it's "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"

6 posted on 11/18/2005 11:34:35 AM PST by DCPatriot ("It aint what you don't know that kills you. It's what you know that aint so" Theodore Sturgeon)
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To: NYer

"You go to B&H!"


7 posted on 11/18/2005 11:37:29 AM PST by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: DCPatriot

Basically that's the deal. They're not big on having people say, "Can I look at that one? Oh wait, how about that one? May I say that other one?"


Conversely, I saw one of the best electronics salesmen ever at the circuit city on 14th. A black kid about 19 or 20. I went in to buy an MP3 player as a gift and I swear, the kid have every spec on every product memorized, along with the features. He talked me up twenty bucks from what I intended to spend, playing the nerd thing. As I'm checking out, he waits on some black kid his own age and become "instant homie." He was without a doubt the best salesmen I've seen in years.


8 posted on 11/18/2005 11:38:43 AM PST by durasell
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To: wideminded
I have always wondered what would happen to a non-Jewish or non-Orthodox job applicant

Probably the same thing that happens to non-Asian applicants for jobs at Chinese restaurants. (Ever seen one?)

9 posted on 11/18/2005 11:41:16 AM PST by dollar_dog
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To: durasell

Yeah, I learned a long time ago NOT to call places like B&H or Adorama when you are not sure about something, LOL. I always, always do my homework first; decide exactly what I want. And I order online. I stick to B&H. I got scared away from Adorama a long time ago when I had my phone order ready and the guy (Middle Eastern as best I could tell) interrupted me and said, "No you don't want that. Why do you want that? What for? What for?" Somehow I didn't end with what I really wanted, but got some equipment that was quite good. Still I was flumoxed and wasn't really ready to argue or haggle, sheesh!


10 posted on 11/18/2005 11:41:46 AM PST by macamadamia (The great dangerous non-sequitur du jour: oil-independence will stop terrorism.)
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To: durasell
As I'm checking out, he waits on some black kid his own age and become "instant homie." He was without a doubt the best salesmen I've seen in years.

Reminds me of the Judge Reinhold character in "Ruthless People."

11 posted on 11/18/2005 11:42:26 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Clemenza; NYer; Cacique
I've shopped here, as well as certain other electronics shops in Borough Park. The service was gruff but great!

There aren't many high end camera stores anymore in medium size cities.

12 posted on 11/18/2005 11:42:29 AM PST by Paleo Conservative (Hey hey ho ho Andy Heyward's got to go!)
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To: macamadamia

B&H makes the old 47th street photo look like a day spa.


13 posted on 11/18/2005 11:43:43 AM PST by durasell
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To: dfwgator

The stereo salesman. Yeah.

I tell you, this kid was good. Absolutely knew his stuff and very personable. It's only a matter of time before he waits on someone who recognizes that talent and makes him a bazillionaire.


14 posted on 11/18/2005 11:45:15 AM PST by durasell
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To: Paleo Conservative

Yet another reason I miss New York. Radio Shack and Best Buy just don't cut it.


15 posted on 11/18/2005 11:46:02 AM PST by Clemenza (Ticking Away the Moments that Make up the Dog Day)
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To: durasell

Ditto for Adorama. Amateurs are served by the likes of Wolf and Ritz camera chains.


16 posted on 11/18/2005 11:47:12 AM PST by GSlob
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To: Clemenza
The service was gruff

Boy, that really is a rare trait of Manhattan retail isn't it?

Whatever happened to 47th Street Photo?

17 posted on 11/18/2005 11:48:04 AM PST by wardaddy (Captain Spaulding .....the perfect dinner guest)
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To: NYer

Excellent store. I highly recommend them.


18 posted on 11/18/2005 11:52:20 AM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone)
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To: durasell

Yeah, they have a lot of high end stuff, so it could be confusing. I've only shopped online and knew exactly what I was looking for. They are far better to deal with than other similar stores. You can trust them.


19 posted on 11/18/2005 11:53:57 AM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone)
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To: wardaddy
Unfortunatly, with all of the douchebags who have moved into Manhattan since the Giuliani era, you actually have people who want "nice" service. I'm naturally gruff, so I was HATED by the douchebags in question when I worked retail.

I haven't been to 47th Street photo in years. They shut down their store on 47th street and have now become an "e-tailer" online, although I believe they still have a retail store on Kings Highway in Brooklyn.

I look forward to visiting NYC again in two weeks. Still hope to return permanently.

20 posted on 11/18/2005 11:57:09 AM PST by Clemenza (Ticking Away the Moments that Make up the Dog Day)
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