St Louis, MO—Creve Coeur Camera of St. Louis, Missouri, purchased Columbia Photo Supply in a transaction completed on March 31, 2010. Tom Atkins, owner of Columbia Photo, which has been serving Columbia, Jefferson City and the mid-Missouri region for over 42 years, announced in February that the store would be ceasing operations.
Founded in 1968 by Atkins, Columbia Photo was originally a small camera store that expanded over the years into a variety of additional product categories. In February, Atkins contacted Stephen Weiss, president of Creve Coeur Camera, to see if there was any interest in acquiring the company. Shortly after, the two met and a deal was reached.
Weiss said most of the Columbia Photo staff would remain and the store would continue operating at its 111 S. Ninth Street location in Columbia. Customers will be seeing a larger variety of products and manufacturers at the Columbia store, including Canon, Pentax, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic and Sony cameras, as well as new and expanded lines of camera bags, tripods, lighting and other accessories. Weiss added that Columbia Photo’s photofinishing offerings, which already include a custom lab with digital imaging and video production services, indoor and outdoor banners, and event/location photography services, will be expanded.
Creve Coeur Camera, founded in 1974, has eight stores and 90 employees in the St. Louis metropolitan region.
