He raised $40,000 to open considered one of few Black-owned digicam shops in NYC

Lewis took a while off to determine what precisely he needed to do subsequent. In 2017, he began a images model and on-line retailer referred to as “Photodom.shop.” He offered gear for photographers and merchandise that he designed himself.

“I taught myself how to make T-shirts in a little storage unit in South Florida that me and my brother were renting. I realized the brand needed to be in a bigger market, so I decided to move back to New York,” he says.

As a baby, Lewis lived in New York however spent loads of time Florida. When he dropped out of faculty, he went again to the Big Apple for a bit earlier than formally shifting himself and the enterprise again there in 2018.

In New York, Lewis lived along with his grandmother whereas he labored to develop Photodom. At the time, Lewis was promoting personalized merchandise and organizing “photo walks” and get–togethers with different photographers.

At the start of 2020, Lewis’ bed room was overrun with manufacturing supplies, so he determined it was time to signal a lease for a correct studio. That February, he secured his first studio house in Brooklyn and since the pandemic compelled so many movie labs to shut, folks turned to Lewis to develop their very own movie. He began taking on-line orders and increasing his providers.

When protests in opposition to George Floyd’s homicide started throughout New York City later that 12 months, Lewis felt it was important for him to doc this historic second.

“I took my spare time to go to a lot of the protests. One of the things I definitely noticed was that there was a lack of support from the businesses that were directly benefiting from the George Floyd protests,” Lewis says. “I felt that starting something at that time, especially a physical camera store, could have been very impactful for the community.”

That summer season, Lewis signed a lease for a second house in the identical constructing that housed his studio. Around the identical time, he launched a GoFundMe to assist open the storefront. His preliminary aim was $25,000, however he raised nearly $40,000 inside just a few days, in response to paperwork reviewed by CNBC Make It.

“A lot of people were supportive of the efforts to make something that was black-owned and very personal to the community that we served,” he says. “I knew the GoFundMe would be something that could help make the space feel more personal. I was shocked because I didn’t think that many people knew about what I was doing.”

Lewis used the cash from the GoFundMe to buy stock for the shop and rent some workers. The brick-and-mortar location of Photodom formally opened in September 2020.

“My vision for the store was definitely to make it a one stop shop for photographers, especially analog photographers,” Lewis says. “I wanted a space that carried a lot of different things. I always envision Photodom as an institution. A place that is very necessary for all purposes around it.”

The GoFundMe fundraiser launched Lewis to different images followers who had been keen to donate their time and stock to the shop.

By the top of 2021, slightly over a 12 months after opening, the digicam retailer introduced in $726,910 in whole gross sales, in response to paperwork reviewed by CNBC Make It.

At the time, Lewis was paying himself about $50,000 a 12 months and had 5 workers.

“It felt really good because I was able to find my own apartment and move out of my grandma’s house. That was a big change for me; [I was] able to have a different lifestyle than what I was used to before,” Lewis says.

It’s now been nearly 5 years since Lewis opened his storefront and he says Brooklyn has embraced the enterprise as a result of it gives providers which can be onerous to come back by — like passport photographs, for instance.

“The neighborhood loves us being here. People can feel comfortable going to and asking any type of questions that they want about cameras and photography,” Lewis says.

“Being one of the only black owned camera stores is a big responsibility. I feel like it’s a very important thing to have this belonging because in the past, it could mean violence if you went to a space that was not meant for you,” he provides.

Recently, Photodom moved into a bigger house and expanded its choices to incorporate courses and workshops.

The enterprise elevated its whole gross sales from over $700,000 in 2021 to $1,096,319 in 2023. By 2024, the entire gross sales elevated to $1,146,737. Lewis has been capable of improve his employees to 10 workers and his yearly wage to $97,000.

Photodom goes into its fifth 12 months, and in that point, Lewis has seen his enterprise go from promoting merchandise out of his grandmother’s home to designing his personal digicam and creating extra of his personal merchandise.

Next, Lewis needs to put in a darkish room within the retailer. He additionally hopes to open a second location in Harlem or within the South Bronx.