Life and business amid COVID-19
This was originally written on March 23rd during a rapidly evolving situation. Exact circumstances will change. We will do our best to update this as events evolve.
Update: 6 October, 2021
The rains are back and the leaves are turning; it feels as good a time as any to share a quick update about Covid safety in regards to our little shop. As of early Summer of 2021, every member on our staff has been vaccinated against the coronavirus. We encourage members of our community, far and wide, to do the same if it is accessible to you. Per the guidance of the OHA and the CDC, masks are required for all people who enter our shop, regardless of vaccination status. We are doing our best to look out for our community and keep one and other as safe as possible throughout this ongoing pandemic.
If you are curious to learn more information about Covid vaccines, please visit https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/
If you are interested in getting tested for Covid, call 2-1-1 or visit https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-19-testing
Take care out there!
BMC
Update 4 January, 2021
Well, we did it! We have made it to 2021. Happy New Year everyone. The last six months of 2020 were really busy for us and as summer waned, and the nice weather with it, one of our most debated questions was whether to reopen the storefront to customers or not. Ultimately we decided to play it safe and kept all business via curbside pick-up and will call appointments. It wasn’t ideal: Lombard Street is loud, the rainy weather came and then the cold weather came, and it is always awkward trying to sell a camera on the front sidewalk. But with your help and patience, we managed. We have had no cases of COVID-19 among our staff (knock on wood) and business kept plugging right along. In fact, this past December saw as much gross business as the December of 2019! That is pretty amazing, and we couldn’t have done it without your help.
As we enter into 2021 we are hopeful. The rollout of the vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel even while a more contagious strain of the virus gives us concern. For the time being we are going to keep business as usual, relying on will call pickups and sidewalk service. It’s less than ideal but it is also the best way we can think of to fully protect our staff, as well as you. And this business is nothing without either of those two groups. So while there will continue to be days of pouring rain and chill temperatures, and while you will still be itching to come in just to take a peek at our inventory shelves, and while we all miss hanging out at the counters talking film photography, we ask your patience for just a little bit longer. We really do appreciate it.
In the meantime, we are working on further additions and improvements to our website to make your virtual stay there as pleasant and effective as possible. Don’t forget to pay us a visit there. Our website inventory is a live inventory, updated moment to moment and is pretty extensive. Practically every item on our shelves is up there for you to find. We also have a broad selection of items on eBay. For those of you who have made use of our boxes of random camera accessories and the like over the years, eBay is now where you will find this. And we continue to add dozens of items to our eBay store every week.
We are looking forward to 2021, while certain it will still present its fair share of challenges. Nonetheless, we are optimistic! We look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year and thank you for being the best customers anywhere.
Update 4 August, 2020
And so we are suddenly into August! It has been a busy summer for us here at Blue Moon Camera and we have all of you to thank for that. Seriously, all things considered we are doing alright and that is without a doubt due to the support we have seen from our community and customers and friends. Thank you.
At this time our storefront remains closed to the public but we are keeping business hours Monday through Saturday, 9am-5pm. During this time you are welcome to stop by with questions or give us a call on the phone just to hear our familiar voices. Our touchless, storefront will call system continues to allow us to get you your fresh rolls of film or processing orders while maintaining a safe distance. We are also using this system to once again take in consignments of gear. Our lab is running at full speed and most turnaround times on orders are at one week. Sarah and Tracy at our National Desk are killing it in making sure your web and phone orders get shipped out promptly and Film Fridays keep popping up every week on social media to give you a little extra enticement to try a different film each Friday.
In short, considering everything going on, we are doing ok and you have played a large role in that. This update is to let you know that business continues as “usual” and also to say a heartfelt “Thank You!”. We hope you are all doing well, staying healthy, and making lots of photos.
Update 27 May, 2020
Hey folks! Just a quick update to let you all know what is what currently. Everyone at Blue Moon Camera is doing well and we keep trucking right along. Your support over these past months has meant a lot and we thank you for every bit of business you give us, be it a camera purchase or even a single roll of film. Thank you!
As we move into June we are looking at slowly ramping back up our internal staff both to restore us back to our pre-COVID-19 work force as well as prepare us for opening the store back up to customers. We are not setting a specific date for the reopening of the store as yet while we wait for Multnomah County where we are located to enter Phase 1 of reopening. We are also in the process of creating and installing the necessary systems in our store that will allow us to safely work with all of you in person once again. In short, we are moving in the direction of reopening but we are not there yet. Our focus at the store is the safety of our staff and customers, having a responsible response to the pandemic’s conditions, and delivering the best service to you that we can. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding on this.
In the meantime, we remind you that we have a contactless pick-up system for will call and phone orders that has been going very smoothly. Our lab and darkroom are running at almost normal speed and capacity, so keep those rolls of film coming. We continue to offer a steady stream of content on both our Instagram and Facebook feeds for your enjoyment and keep tuned in for our Film Friday features where we talk about a film in inventory and offer it at a discount for the day.
We’ll keep you updated with any news as it comes up. Til then, stay healthy everyone and keep making those film photos!
Update 21 April, 2020:
We've had a month to refine our “touchless-transactions” and are pleased to announce that we are re-activating the Will-Call option on our website. You may also request this over the phone or via email. We will continue to be extremely diligent protecting the safety of our staff and our customers and doing our part in flattening the curve of the virus. This means that we are still not allowing customers to enter the store, but that we have developed a system for curb-side pick up that we believe meets the criteria for safety and responsibility.
Please be advised of the following procedures:
All will-call orders must be pre-paid, either through our website or over the phone. We will not be accepting in-person payment (or interaction) until government restrictions are lifted.
Once your order is placed, please give us at least 30 minutes to fill it. An e-mail notification will be sent once the order has been filled and is ready for pick up.
Outside of our front door is a six-foot perimeter line and a small typewriter table that we are using to conduct “touchless transactions”. Upon arrival, please call us in the store at 503-978-0333. A staff member will open the door, set your order on the table, and then close the door again. At that time, we welcome you to retrieve your order.
We have marked out circles at six foot intervals in front of our store. In the event of a line, please practice safe social-distancing procedure and remain at least six feet apart from your fellow customers.
Any questions, inquiries or concerns must be handled via phone or email. It is imperative that we all maintain responsible social distancing. Until restrictions ease, we will not be offering any face-to-face interactions with our customers.
Thank you for your continued support.
We are doing what we can to maintain our business, while always keeping our main emphasis on the safety of our staff, customers, and community at large. We are all in this together.
Update 10 April, 2020:
A month into the COVID-19 pandemic and we are happy to report all remains well at Blue Moon Camera. Our staff continue to work remotely or in the store on a skeleton crew staggered to limit their exposure to one another. Despite this, our photo lab is running at normal capacity and we are not experiencing any delays in finishing orders. We are receiving film via mail and our front door drop slot. We continue to have staff in the building to answer phones Monday through Saturday from 10am until 4pm. Orders placed through our website are likewise shipping out daily. Our online inventory is a live inventory and is always current to what is in our shop. Please make good use of it!
Business has definitely taken a hit, but not nearly as bad as we feared it might. Thank you for all your support. We are fortunate to all be healthy and well and we are doing everything we can to keep that up. We hope you are as well and we look forward to one day seeing all of you again.
Update 23 March, 2020:
Greetings everyone. We hope you are remaining healthy, staying sane, and taking care of yourselves as best as possible during these challenging times.
We are writing this to update you regarding life at Blue Moon Camera and Machine. As of March 19th our front doors have been closed to the public. We still have staff in the building most business days to answer phones, process website orders, receive and ship mail. We are no longer allowing customers in the store in order to help responsibly curb the spread of the coronavirus and to protect our own staff. As of March 23rd, in accordance with the directive ordered by our state government, we are suspending the Will Call option and will no longer be allowing storefront pickup. We appreciate your understanding in this regard.
This is a stressful and scary time but we do plan on keeping some things here at Blue Moon Camera running as usual for you. This is a great time to become further acquainted with our website, which has a fully functional and live inventory. While it is not the same experience as standing at our counters pinging Mike, or Arthur or Young David with questions, it does let you browse through every camera, lens and roll of film in our shop. We will continue to ship orders out as long as we can, and as long as the Postal Service continues to operate. You can count on us to do everything in our power to keep you well stocked with everything you need to be a creative photographer at home.
Our social media feeds will also keep rolling along. The content will be influenced by the ongoing events, but we intend for it to be a bit of a distraction as well. There is a lot of fear and anxiety out there, much of it for good reasons, but we don’t see any harm in giving you little breaks from that here and there. We want to continue to highlight the interesting cameras in our inventory, or share bits of inspiration with you.
This is a big problem we are facing, but we can all do our part to be socially responsible as we deal with it. We want you all to stay safe and healthy. We also want you to know that we are here, and not going anywhere. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line virtually, send a photo, or reach out. We’ll be here to help, inspire, reassure and assist.
To recap, here is what we are NOT doing at the moment:
Our store is not open to the public.
We have suspended Will Call orders and front door pickup.
But here is what we are STILL doing right now:
We are answering the phones weekdays between 10-4pm.
We are taking in mailed film and film dropped off in the night drop slot.
Our lab and darkroom are still running, but on reduced hours as staff social distance.
Web and phone orders are being shipped out. Place those orders online please!
Social media will feature something new daily, stay tuned!
E-mails and direct messages are a great way to communicate with us.
We hope all of you stay safe and healthy. You are all in our thoughts and we look forward to a time we can see you again in person!
Your friends and family at Blue Moon Camera and Machine