Wells Camera & Sound is Moose Jaw’s oldest photo printing business and is now operated by the third generation of the Wells family. The company has stayed relevant since the end of WWII by embracing innovation.
“My grandfather started the company originally, post-war,” explained Chad Wells, current operator of Wells Camera. “Kitch Wells was an aviation photographer, and he photographed from aircraft during the Second World War. Post-war, he took his skill and opened a photography company.”
That initial company was called Excello Photo. The storefront was on Main Street in downtown Moose Jaw. In 1973, when the Town ‘n’ Country Mall opened, he, his wife Margo and their son Bob decided it was time to expand.
“And that’s where we brought on the combination of the photo industry and television audio,” Chad said. “We operated at the mall until 2001. September 2001, we bought this location.”
Mac Anderson has been an employee of the company since 1978. He remembers the Town ‘n’ Country location having the first colour photo lab in Saskatchewan.
“There was a big tumbler, huge tumbler, and all the prints were in that dryer just circulating around, all just stuck to it,” Anderson remembers. “And we picked them off, they were all numbered, and the girls would sort them into envelopes. And then Bob, Chad’s dad, and myself would deliver them to Kitch’s network of corner stores. I delivered the South Hill location.”
That same eagerness to be at the forefront of technology in the field is what has sustained them, Chad said, along with their commitment to their customers.
“What’s really kept us going has been trying to stay ahead of the curve. Not necessarily being the first, but being one of the first, and seeing the trends and trying to go with that.”
One photo company that famously lost its top market position through a reluctance to innovate is Kodak. Kodak dominated the photographic film industry for many decades, but had to file for bankruptcy in 2012 after failing to embrace the digital revolution.
“It’s interesting, Kodak used to be one of our biggest partners,” Chad remembers. “Kodak was the very first company to use the internet professionally. In 1986, we had our first internet connection to the Technet Centre, which was operated out of New York City. So every morning they would run test strips through the photo lab and read them with a densitometer. We sent those numbers to New York, and they would tell us how to adjust our chemistry in order to keep the colours consistent.”
At the time, Moose Jaw was one of the first Canadian cities to be part of that network, along with Vancouver and Toronto.
One-hour on-site photo development followed, then digital cameras in the mid-90s. Now, cell phone cameras are everywhere, but Chad said cell phones had the paradoxical effect of increasing interest in dedicated cameras and photography rather than keeping customers away.
“It had an interesting effect, because it brought out an interest in photography that wasn’t there before. There’s a lot of people now who are really into photography with their phone.”
Since one of the three aspects of the store is photo printing, that’s meant a lot more business. The store can print practically any size of photo — on photo paper, or wood, or acrylic, or metal.
“It’s really opened the door on what you can do with your photos,” Chad added.
Steph Stephens, another long-time employee, is the photo lab expert. She specializes in restoring old photos and cleaning up photos according to customer requests. Her job has gotten increasingly busy over time.
“I can’t keep up,” Stephens laughed. “I mean, I can keep up, but it’s a challenge.”
One of Stephens’ favourite parts of the job is watching multiple generations of families growing up. Privacy is obviously a concern. Stephens and Wells agree that a serious part of the business is not discussing photos, ever, with anyone.
“Respect for privacy is one of the reasons we’re still here,” Chad said.
Another big shift in technology this year in particular is that all the new Samsung TVs are coming with PC-grade processors and Xbox software built in.
“All you need to do is buy a controller, subscribe to Microsoft, and you can play hundreds of games on your TV, without a console,” Chad said, shaking his head.
“We’re just constantly upgrading. It’s one of our biggest expenses, unfortunately, but we want to maintain the best quality and the best user experience.”
Check out Wells Camera & Sound Fotosource at wellscamera.ca for all your photo-printing needs. And if you’re in the market for a new high-end television or camera, look no further — they have the top brands.
