Film Cameras Meet Vinyl
I rarely make it out to the Kam Swap Meet at the old drive-in theater across from Pearlridge Center. Usually, I don’t feel like driving out there — you have to arrive early to find the best gems. Besides, the only reason I go is to see if someone’s selling records, and that’s never guaranteed.
Thankfully, there’s a another kind of swap meet happening this Saturday (May 30) at treehouse, the arts supply store on Ward Avenue that specializes in film cameras and film-related equipment. At treehouse’s 10th Film Camera Swap Meet, there’s a definite guarantee that records will be for sale: treehouse owner Bobby Asato has teamed up with Hungry Ear Records and Secret Record Store to bring vinyl to the event.
“Hungry Ear moved into town, so I thought it’d be a good idea to collaborate with them,” Bobby says. Secret Record Store had expressed interest in working with treehouse as well.
Bobby’s mission to build and sustain a healthy community inspired by analog technology is evident, as you may have learned in Metro‘s January cover story on treehouse, which you can read at metrohnl.com.
Part of treehouse’s mission, Asato stated in the article, is to “bring the community together,” explaining that his shop has given local schools access to hard-to-find film photography supplies.
Case in point: I recognized a TLR medium format Yashica camera in the shop and mentioned I had bought a similar one from my high school photo teacher years ago. “Which high school?” Bobby asked. “Mililani High,” I said. “Mrs. Sandell, right? She comes in often to buy supplies.” I’m glad to hear they’re still teaching film photography at my school.
“People who appreciate film tend to appreciate analog sound as well,” Bobby remarks. Case in point: Bobby keeps his personal record collection behind the counter at treehouse.
“I actually started listening to vinyl again when I opened the shop in 2012,” he explains. Throughout the early ‘90s, Bobby was buying a lot of vinyl, but that had stopped in more recent years. When he opened treehouse, his wife recommended he bring his records to the shop and listen to them while working. He did, and now it’s all he plays at treehouse: “The shop setup doesn’t have an audio jack, so you can’t even plug in an iPhone. It’s all vinyl.”
He’s hoping to set up a small, vinyl-only sound system at this Saturday’s swap meet and possibly have a DJ spin during the event.
It seems that people are responding to analog sound at treehouse. The younger generation, he says, is curious when they see it in the shop, while older adults are excited to explain to them how a turntable works.
The treehouse Film Camera & Vinyl Record Swap Meet is from 1 to 3 p.m. May 30, in the second-floor courtyard next to treehouse, which is located on the corner of Ward Avenue and Auahi Street. Both Hungry Ear and Secret Record Store will offer a curated selection of new and used records at the event. Visit treehouse-shop.com for details and directions.
Roger recently turned his blog, Aloha Got Soul, into a record label: alohagotsoul.com.
