The shop at the Alte Bahnhofstraße continues to be busy mainly thanks regular customers, who still appreciate local retail businesses and keep urging them to keep going. „Without those we would have not survived this long.“ The married couple took over from the Drake company in 2008, for whom the shop was only one of many branches. This particular one was located at this address for 20 years prior, and in the Fronhofer Galeria before that. Kringels started as an employee and took over the business later.

For 20 years he is also a committed member at the Stadtmarketing. „Stadtmarketing tries to rescue what’s left to rescue“, says Kringels, referring to bad Godesberg’s special image. For that to work, retailers have to stick together. He says about his shop: „The place is an institution in Bad Godesberg.“ Local shops run by their owners are a rare find in Bonn nowadays. „The city centre of Bad Godesberg is still a gem in regard to spending power“, Joseph Kringel thinks. It is better than its image.

The profit margins, he says, are getting less and less, and the required services on the other hand are becoming continuously more, like digitalizing old images. That requires an effort which does not get rewarded accordingly. He doesn’t sell as many photo related items as he used to. „The picture experience is a different one in comparison to the old days“, Kringels says. Today, the customer takes photos with his mobile phone, he doesn’t need photo albums or picture frames any more.

Last year, there was a period of supply bottleneck due to a Japanese camera accessory subcontractor not being able to deliver after a series of earthquakes, not without consequences for the Bonn shop.

Kringels does not know what will happen to the shop, which he had leased. The couple who shared the work tasks – Kringels was in touch with the customers while his wife organized everything in the background – had commissioned a company for 10,000 Euro to find interested parties. Out of 60 possible options, only two remained on the list of likely successors. „The negotiations are continuing until the very last moment.“ He is hoping for somebody to run the shop with all their heart.

Before he locks up for good, Kringels is planning a closing down sale. And then? He is considering to continue the photography courses he already established. „And then I might go and visit my relatives from Canada to Australia.“

(Original text: Stefan Knopp; Translation: Mareike Graepel)