Final frame

“We used to do a very high volume of processing, hundreds and hundreds of rolls a week,’’ said Mel Gordon, who owns the store with his son, Jeff. “It’s nowhere near what it used to be.’’ Gordon has owned Scorby’s for 32 years, and he’s seen big changes in the industry.

“The camera business is now an electronics business,’’ he said recently. “The whole thing has changed.’’

What changed everything was digital technology.

“Everything now is on iPods and iPhones,’’ Gordon said. Customers who used to bring in several rolls of film for processing and printing after a vacation now shoot on digital cameras and print what they want at home — if they print anything at all. Why bother if you can download everything onto your computer and post what you want to share on Facebook?

Businesses have gone digital, too.

“A perfect example,’’ Gordon said, is the real estate business. “Realtors would take pictures of houses and bring them to us for processing. Now they take pictures, go back to the office, download them and they’re on their website.’’

Insurance adjusters, schools, and other commercial accounts for the store have also dried up.

“It was a major part of our business,’’ Gordon said.

Thirteen years ago, business was strong enough and the economy was healthy enough that the Gordons were able to expand and renovate Scorby’s. In addition to processing, they sell cameras, accessories, and picture frames. They copy photos and slides to CDs or DVDs, and transfer videos to other formats.

But in the end, the Gordons were unable to keep the business going. A weak economy was the final blow.

“We saw it coming six or seven years ago,’’ Mel Gordon said. “Three years ago it really took a dive.’’

“It’s unfortunate it had to come to this,’’ added Jeff Gordon, 41.

Jeff Gordon cited a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Top 10 Dying Industries,’’ based on an analysis by a California-based research firm, IBISWorld. “Photofinishing was No. 9,’’ he said.

Area stores that haven’t relied so heavily on film processing, such as Newtonville Camera, are surviving.

“We’re holding our own,’’ said Paul Roberts, who has owned Newtonville Camera since 1974.

Seven or eight years ago, Roberts said, he had four people working in his photo lab. Now there is one. And the store dropped its custom framing department, where business volume was closely tied to processing.

“Now a lot of people print themselves,’’ he said. Processing “hasn’t disappeared, but it’s a lot less than it was.’’

But Newtonville Camera has thrived, he said, by offering a wide selection of cameras, camcorders, and other photo equipment. It has built a broad customer base among serious camera buffs, and its size helps it compete with discount operations such as Costco or online sellers.

“Stores that have a lot of customers, a lot of inventory, and a lot of help are going to survive,’’ Roberts said.

It’s tougher for smaller shops such as Scorby’s.

Mel Gordon cites competition from chains such as Walgreens, Staples, and Best Buy, but even tougher is trying to beat the prices that prospective customers can find online without ever leaving their homes.

“Amazon is a big one,’’ he said.

Also, prices have fallen rapidly as technology has evolved and products have become more widely available.

“It used to be that you’d sell a camera for $1,000,’’ Gordon recalled. “Now you can get the same thing for $200. Five years ago we’d sell a memory card for $189.95. Now it costs $5.99.’’

Scorby’s has not been alone in fighting the trend. Smaller camera shops are disappearing rapidly. “It’s an industry that’s gone sour,’’ Gordon said.

Did he consider selling the business?

“If I were able to I would,’’ he said. “The industry has changed so drastically.’’

Generations have come to Scorby’s to buy a new camera or to have pictures of their children and grandchildren developed. Now they’re coming in to say goodbye. Jeff Gordon says Scorby’s last day will be Saturday.

“People are coming in in droves, they’re so upset,’’ he said. “But the business is just not there.’’