Spiratone

Spiratone (defunct)

Company type	Company
Industry	Imaging
Founded	Manhattan, New York
Headquarters	Manhattan, New York
Key people	Fred Spira, Founder
Products	Accessories for cameras and film development equipment

Spiratone was a company specializing in low-cost lenses and filters for cameras, lighting, and darkroom equipment.

The company was started by Fred Spira in 1941 in the bathroom of his parents' apartment where he developed film. In 1946, it relocated to a large loft on West 27th Street in Manhattan and then grew to a successful multi-million dollar company. Mail orders were filled from their larger warehouse store on Northern Blvd. in Flushing, Queens.

It was an innovator in the industry, being one of the first companies to import Japanese photo equipment to the United States.

The company was very successful during the 1950s and 60s and then eventually declined due to competition, closing after being acquired by another company in 1990, three years after Mr. Spira retired in 1987.

References

• Hevesi, Dennis (2007-09-14). "Fred Spira, 83, Who Made Photo Gadgets Accessible, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)