Aug 13, 2025
When Dominick Lewis launched a GoFundMe in July 2020 to support his dream of opening a camera store in Brooklyn, he set a modest target of $25,000. However, within just a few days, he had nearly doubled that amount.
“A lot of people were supportive of the efforts to make something that was Black-owned and very personal to the community that we served,” he told CNBC Make It. “Being a photographer, to me, means responsibility because with that camera you have a responsibility to tell the truth.”
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The campaign ultimately raised nearly $40,000 — enough to kickstart Photodom, a brick-and-mortar camera store that generated more than $1.1 million in revenue in 2024.
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By the end of 2021, the shop had earned $726,910 in sales. That figure grew to $1,096,319 in 2023 and $1,146,737 in 2024, as Lewis expanded his team to 10 employees and increased his salary to $97,000. Here’s how he did it.
Inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs
The timing of the store's launch proved pivotal. In 2020, amid ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd, Lewis felt there was an opportunity to address a sustained local interest in analog photography — and the stories a camera could tell.
“I felt that starting something at that time, especially a physical camera store, could have been very impactful for the community,” he said.
Photodom has since expanded into a 1,400-square-foot space that includes retail, workshops, and a gallery.
Its success highlights how lived experience can spark powerful business ideas. Lewis didn’t just build a store — he created a community hub that reflects local needs and provides resources often lacking in historically underserved neighborhoods.
“Being one of the only Black-owned camera stores is a big responsibility,” he explained. “I feel like it’s a very important thing to have this belonging because, in the past, it could mean violence if you went to a space that was not meant for you.”
Location plays a critical role in small business success, with access to talent, community engagement, and market demand all contributing. For Lewis, Brooklyn — home to more than 2.7 million people and a growing hub for Black entrepreneurship — offered the ideal environment.
There is also power in agglomeration economies: the benefits businesses gain when clustered in dense urban areas with strong talent pools, suppliers, and overlapping customer bases.
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This clustering effect lowers costs, fosters innovation, and strengthens market appeal — advantages that cities like Brooklyn consistently deliver.
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The takeaway
Looking ahead, Lewis plans to add a darkroom and is exploring a second location in Harlem or the South Bronx.
His top advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Learn every aspect of the business you’re building — which is exactly what he did. “Don’t depend on a singular person to do it,” he said, adding that he immersed himself in everything from sourcing products to creating websites.
“Those are all skills necessary for my business to be able to operate successfully,” he added.
He also warned against putting all your eggs in one basket. After his first studio closed within a year in 2015, it became the “catalyst” for exploring multiple revenue streams.
By 2017, his then-online-only camera shop sold accessories rather than relying solely on studio bookings. “If you don’t have a product, you can’t sell it,” he said. Today, he sells everything from cleaning kits, bags, and jackets, among other accessories.
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With a writing and editing career spanning over 15 years, Emma creates and refines content across a broad spectrum of industries, including personal finance, lifestyle, travel, health & wellness, real estate, beauty & fitness and B2B/SaaS/tech.
