Hunt President Scott Farber with Dorian Color owner Alan Asadorian, left.
UPDATED, May 1: After more than 40 years in town, Dorian Color of Arlington is taking its high-end color-photo services to Hunt's Photo & Video in Melrose.
Hunt's, which calls itself New England's leading retailer of digital-imaging equipment, announced its acquisition and merger in a news release Friday, April 27, describing Dorian as the region's foremost full-service professional photographic printing company.
All of the Dorian Facilities in Arlington will move to Hunt's Photo's 100 Main St., Melrose, location, a representative for Hunt's told YourArlington April 30. Shattuck's Hardware, above Dorian's Mill Street address, plans to use the old Dorian space for its business, wrote the rep, Melody Howard Ritt.
The new onsite partnership will open at Hunt's flagship store in Melrose the 17th annual Spring Imaging Expo and Sale from Thursday, May 10, through Saturday, May 12.
Dorian Color owner Alan Asadorian will become director of photo finishing at Hunt's Photo, and Jim Munn of Dorian will become a lab technician.
How Dorian has served
The new collaboration will bring the full array of Dorian Color's specialized services into Hunt's Main Street headquarters.
Serving amateur to professional photographers, artists, corporations, museums and others, Dorian Color offers state-of-the-art digital photographic printing; corrected and color-balanced scanning from negatives, transparencies and flat art; production of professional quality promotional displays and décor for banks, restaurants and retail businesses; custom mounting and framing; black-and-white film processing; customized print mounting; and other services.
"In the past, Hunt's Photo and Video focused solely on the sales and servicing of digital cameras, camcorders, accessories and related equipment," Hunt's President Scott Farber said in the news release. "With the marketplace shrinking and other camera stores closing, we found ourselves drawn into the digital-image processing and -printing arena.
"The addition of Dorian Color's capabilities to our menu of services means we will be able to provide photographers at all levels with the highest-quality professional services with a faster turnaround time and expanded capabilities from scanning and printing to mounting and framing."
Hunt's declined to disclose the price and terms of the sale.
Dorian's typical customer
Asadorian describes his typical customers as "still photographers, advanced amateurs, even average guys who want a canvas.
"Our customers don't want to come here, make a print and then take it somewhere else for framing," Asadorian said in the release. "Because we do the printing, we also get the first shot at matting and framing. We're not a high-priced model, and we are very customer-service oriented.
"We want our customers to walk away saying, 'I had this done at Dorian Color or Hunt's Photo & Video and they were great to work with.' The whole thing is very collaborative."
Dorian Color's services will be available to Hunt's Photo customers in all locations -- Boston, Cambridge, Hanover and Holyoke, in Massachusetts; as well as Manchester, N.H.; Providence, R.I.; and South Portland, Maine.
Hunt's Photo & Video serves photographers at all levels with competitive pricing, unparalleled expertise and exceptional customer service. Stop by Hunt’s Photo during the 2018 Imaging Expo & Sale to enjoy free educational seminars, exclusive sale pricing and instant savings, hands-on product demonstrations with factory reps, and event pricing on all cameras and lenses.
Declining camera presence
Two camera stores remain in Arlington -- New England Photo, in the Center, and Sanford Camera Repair, in Brattle Square.
Camera's Inc, across from Arlington High, closed in April 2012, after 56 years in greater Boston, and became the mortgage center for Leader Bank.
This news summary was published Monday, April 30, 2018, and updated to clarify that the move is to Melrose. Updated May 1, to clarify the length of time the business has been in Arlington.
