Latest business to call Pell City home
Story and photos
by Carol Pappas
orld of professional photography, John and Gale Kirkpatrick are opening a second location for B Photo Supplies and Framing near Cropwell Commons on Stemley Bridge Road in Pell City.
The heavily traveled thoroughfare, also known as Alabama 34, fronts the new store on the curve just a few hundred yards from U.S. 231 South.
In October, the Leeds couple opened its first store in Hoover’s Lee Branch and within a few days had secured a lease-purchase agreement for the Pell City location, formerly housing Well Way, which moved to a new location.
The Kirkpatricks readily admit that their business plan is constantly evolving – an effort to meet the needs and demands of the photography industry. They have capitalized on opportunities when they saw them, and they are filling niches previously underserved.
Within the space, you will find a photography studio on one end with a number of backdrops and sets designed for professional photographers to hold sessions without having to fund and maintain their own space. A retail store of photographic equipment and supplies not available in this part of the state occupies another portion of the building. And custom framing, also not available in the area, is prominently featured.
Their building also provides two short-term-lease office spaces, available for business people to meet their clients in a professional setting. They may need office space only a few hours a month, and the Kirkpatricks are providing those kinds of opportunities.
In their own business, high-end products for lighting, bags, straps, umbrella and backdrop stands, tripods and lenses are among the offerings for photographers. “Photography is a tough market,” Kirkpatrick said. “We wanted to level the playing field” by offering studio space, equipment, reception and back-office support, if needed.
Top names like Savage, Godox, Sirui, Peak Design, Superior and Geekoto lead its photography equipment offerings – equipment not found in this part of Alabama.
The Kirkpatricks know firsthand the struggles of the photography business. They started out as wedding and event photographers in 2003 in addition to their ‘day jobs’ at Briarwood Christian School. The photography business grew rapidly, and they opened their first studio in 2006 in the Birmingham area.
It did very well until 2009, Kirkpatrick said, which was in the midst of the Great Recession. Photography is a luxury item, he said, and they scaled down significantly through that financial crisis.
They kept all their equipment, though, weathered COVID setbacks and delays and then invested in all the inventory when Perry Computer and Camera closed its doors in Birmingham, leaving only a couple of photography suppliers located hours away.
They have added custom framing, a natural fit for the photography business but yet another need for the general public.
As any good entrepreneur will tell you. Find a need and fill it. That’s exactly what the Kirkpatricks are doing. Their investment in Perry’s photography inventory led to the Lee Branch studio opening – already thriving – and now the Pell City expansion with its early indications of great potential.
“We made the investment, so they won’t have to,” Kirkpatrick added. “We want to serve the community because there is a need.”
