A new camera store and studio opening in Oak Creek is raffling $7K in gear its opening day
Say cheese, Oak Creek.
Brothers Shane and Travis Garski, born and raised in South Milwaukee, are opening their own camera store and studio space called Impulse. (stylized with a period after the name) in Drexel Town Square.
The store's grand opening is Saturday, April 20.
The brothers, who used to live in the Emerald Row apartments a stone’s throw from their new store at 7965 S. Main St., said they were looking at this exact space last year after seeing the foot traffic at the location, but their finances were not in a place to open.
Eventually they decided to go for it, which led to their business name of "Impulse."
“This place is very impulsive,” Travis Garski said.
Shane joked he is an “impulsive buyer.”
While the store might be a slightly impulsive move, the brothers bring multiple years of experience to the storefront. Travis Garski said he’s been taking photos and videos since high school ― for the last decade-plus.
“I always had a camera with me growing up,” he said, adding he also worked for Sony in customer service, advertising and marketing for about four years. He credits that time period for helping him learn the equipment and the industry.
Shane Garski said he's been interested in filmmaking for about six years. For the last two years, he’s operated a “film car” business called CAMCAT. Two cameras are mounted to his dream car, a Dodge Hellcat, and he follows clients to film promotional videos, commercials and more.
“I want to be the camera car of Milwaukee,” Shane Garski said.
Thousands of dollars in prizes to be raffled off on opening day at Impulse
During the grand opening event on April 20, the store will hold multiple raffles totaling about $7,000 in prizes. Various vendors will also be available to speak with customers.
“It’s a whole day thing,” Shane Garski said, adding there would also likely be some kind of car show element to link with his CAMCAT business.
The store's hours on opening day and going forward are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the Garskis said customers can email them if they need something outside of those hours.
“Often (photographers) need stuff late at night for the next shoot,” Shane said.
Goals include educating customers on gear, helping them avoid pitfalls
In-store, the brothers hope to help people find the best gear for their needs and avoid pitfalls that the pair have fallen into themselves, at times.
“I’ve screwed up so many times with gear,” Shane Garski said, laughing. “I want to help get you going.”
Travis Garski said their initial focus is to bring products into the store that they know well. Those products range from cameras to tripods, microphones, drones, bags and other merchandise.
“We want to carry things we’ve been using,” Travis said.
The brothers are still working to bring in more inventory and organize the store.
Some of the gear partnerships the Garski brothers have fostered include:
They are also in talks with Canon, Nikon and Panasonic/Lumix.
The Garskis also partnered with David Seigel and Mark Leonard of ProMaster, a photography gear business that has sold products exclusively through independently-owned stores for over 60 years, according to the ProMaster website.
“They saw the vision and how excited we were,” Travis Garski said.
New, used and more than just retail
While the focus now is on new equipment, as they are just getting their stock into the store, Impulse will offer used equipment buying and selling as well as equipment rentals.
The store will offer equipment and space for both still photography and videography, but the brothers said their main focus is to be video-forward since most camera shops focus on stills.
Not just a camera store, the brothers have different elements to the business including "Impulse. Productions" which does music videos and weddings, for example.
"Impulse. Engraved" is a custom engraving service.
"Impulse. Marketing" is a small business marketing service. The Garskis said they have helped clients across the country, including a chocolate company in New York and an autograph and memorabilia store in California.
Memberships with giveaways, tournaments and networking
The store offers an elite membership program for $20 per month which includes 5% off gear purchases, free lens cleanings, and eligibility for monthly giveaways. The first giveaway in May will be for an Apple Vision Pro, Apple's first 3D camera. Those who sign up will have access to a members-only Discord server where the brothers hope to give members direct access to chat not just with each other but directly with Impulse’s vendors.
Inside the store's space are large televisions which the brothers plan to use for video game tournaments in the future including Halo, Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege. Members will play to win various photography and filmmaking equipment.
Members will also have their own portfolio page on the store's website, impulsecameras.com, and space on a wall in the store to showcase their work. The Garskis said the goal of these profiles is to connect people looking to hire photographers and videographers with Impulse members.
Future offerings at Impulse to include large canvas printing
Down the line, the Garskis plan to add large canvas printing to their offerings.
Film photography has been growing in popularity in recent years and the Garskis have various vintage cameras on display as part of the darker, Apple-esque store aesthetic. However, they don’t offer film development ― at least not yet.
The duo is willing to add the service in the future if there’s demand and if they can hire someone with the needed skills.
The brothers said if someone has knowledge of photography and videography equipment, they might also bring on more generalized part-time help.
As a special discount to Journal Sentinel readers, the Garskis said anyone who shows them this article will get 5% off their purchase.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Impulse, a new camera store and studio in Oak Creek, opens April 20
