Amidst the frenzy of Black Friday, Photo Central prides itself on being a breath of fresh air and relaxation for customers as they shop.
This is very much by design, according to owner Andrew Toews. “Photo Central is a platform to be a refuge, first and foremost,” he said when he visited Nolan Kehler on Morning Light this week. "I want it to be a place where people can come in and feel like it's a refuge.”
Toews notes that this feeling of refuge originates not only from the friendly, expert service that Photo Central offers its customers as they look for the perfect gear to capture their holiday memories, but also from attention to hospitality that has become a rarer and rarer find in the post-public health lockdown era. This service shines especially bright on a day like Black Friday where consumer and business owner are both more on edge than usual.
“Black Friday for us hopefully is a little bit calmer than some of what you see on social media this time of year,” says Toews, who notes that people are easily able to get in touch with the store via phone or through their website to take advantage of the same deals that are available in-store to help avoid the last-minute shopping panic.
Toews is excited to welcome people into the store as well, but not just for the business. “We want people to come visit us. We’re all about building relationships with our customers. We want to see you in person and we're a calmer, quieter place to be on Black Friday than, say, a mall. So come on in, have a coffee, have a hot chocolate. It’s there for everybody, so let’s have some fun.”
While Toews wants to alleviate the hustle of holiday shopping, he does also encourage people to get their photo orders in sooner rather than later to avoid the last-minute time crunch. “There's definitely a controlled chaos in our print lab, especially this time of year. Orders start to ramp up. Obviously, we do gifts of all kinds people love, whether it’s a photo Christmas tree ornament or puzzle, or just a lot of prints and photo albums. It does lead to a little bit more of a wait time. Right now, we’re not too bad, so if you’re thinking of doing prints this year, get the orders in now rather than waiting until the 20th of December.”
You can learn more about the deals that Photo Central has for Black Friday at their store at 957 Portage Avenue, or online at www.photocentral.ca.