Camera Store Employee In Brookfield To Run In-Store 5K

BROOKFIELD, WI—With all the serious things going on in the world, a Brookfield camera shop decided to opt for some silliness.

Troy Freund, social media manager for Mike Crivello’s Cameras, will be running a solo 5K race inside the store.

The 5K race will be held starting at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The point of the race is to give customers discounts on used gear.

If he runs the 5K in less than 35 minutes, customers get 5 percent off most used gear. If Freund runs under 30 minutes, and customers get 10 percent off most used gear.

The discount time period is one week and starts Nov. 26.

The social media manager is always thinking of ways to attract customers to Crivello's. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Freund and other staff created Zumba and magic show videos. They even made a few videos of Freund dressed as a robot.

Freund said he came up with the idea after he noticed a staff member doing laps around the store to get his steps in.

Freund is a runner and recently completed his own Milwaukee River Greenway Ultra run. He went out intending to run for 12 hours to see how many miles he could get. His result was 11 hours, and got 39 miles.

"I thought it would be funny to do a 5K in the store. It isn't a big store," he said with a laugh.

He plans to stream the 5K on social media. People can visit the store's Facebook page to guess and see who can get the closest to the actual time Freund runs.

“We’ll give them something, too," he said.

Freund said it is just a local business trying to be creative.

"We embrace Troy's quirkiness," Jeff Dobbs, store manager, said.

Photography Flashback

Mike Crivello’s Cameras has been in business since 1969. The store offers photographic equipment, accessories and photographic services.

Freund has been an employee for 10 years. He said there has been an increase in photography enthusiasts since the pandemic started. Last spring, the store sold out of darkroom chemicals.

"I can't remember the last time that happened. We sold out because people were starting to put in their own darkrooms," he said.

He credited social media with the fresh interest in older photography equipment such as cameras.

"A 40-year-old camera will be gone in less than a week," Freund said.

While many people depend on their smartphone's cameras, the store has seen the younger generation take a shine to old-school photography.

"The experience of using an old mechanical camera versus just touching a screen is not the same experience," he said.

Freund said many newer photographers embrace a hybrid of older photography and newer digital photography.

The store has a film developing lab. Young photographers are coming in to have their films developed. Yet many photographers want to be able to share photography right away, he said.

The store has trouble keeping disposable cameras in stock.

Employee Robb Quin said customers are getting younger and younger, which the store embraces.

"I think people are responding to Troy's social media, and they watch it. There is an emphasis on the future," Quin said.