Let me begin by saying that it's March and not April 1st, because what I'm about to reveal is not a joke. After 75 years of business, Calumet Photographic is closing their U.S. stores. This morning they announced through Facebook their "immediate closing in the United States".

After reading this I could barely believe it, I live in Chicago where their major headquarter is, so I picked up the phone and tried calling, but no response. I tried rentals, sales and any number I could find to make sure the information I was reading through Facebook was correct.

After getting in contact with a few assistants in the area, I discovered it was true. Nobody could get their rentals. Nobody is answering the phone. Calumet Photographic is closed. Facebook is blowing up with unanswered questions "What about my rentals?" "What about my orders?" "What about compensation for the employees?" I guess we won't know any answers to these questions until they issue a major press release or someone gets in touch with a Calumet Representative.

What do you think this means for our industry?

As commenters Frank and John Harrington point out below - Chapter 7 Bankruptcy paperwork has been filed.