It wasn't a passion for astronomy that put Craig Weatherwax on the path to owning Oceanside Photo & Telescope (OPT), one of the top telescope and optics retailers in the world.
In fact, Weatherwax, whose business card refers to him as the "boss" of the well-known business near Oceanside High School, admits that while he is amazed by looking up at the stars and recognizing that they suggest events that happened millions of years ago, his interest of astronomy remains "mostly from a business perspective."
It was a series of well-timed events, as well as an uncanny ability to anticipate future markets, that have helped this institution, a member of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce since 1991, thrive and expand. Transitioning the business from its original focus in cameras to telescopes, and becoming an early adopter of web-based sales have kept OPT competitive.
In 1974, Weatherwax was in his 30s and was a rock concert promoter who also worked in canneries in Alaska and South America. One day, he walked into the Oceanside Photographic Center on Oceanside's Hill Street (now known at the Pacific Coast Highway) to get a camera repaired.
Donald Penning, a World War II fighter pilot, had opened the store in 1947 and told Weatherwax that he was looking to get out. Weatherwax said he didn't have any business experience.
"I always wanted to own a camera shop," Weatherwax said. "I thought that if I could get the (film) processing for free, it would be a hell of a deal."
Weatherwax, along with a friend whose father owned a camera store in East County, decided to buy the business.
Weatherwax didn't envision a long-term future as a camera store owner. Still, the camera business prospered, outgrowing its location in 1974 and 1977.
It wasn't until 1982 that Weatherwax sold his first telescope, when a salesman offered to let him borrow some telescopes to sell for 90 days.
"After the 90 days, they all sold out and people wanted more, so I figured that was the way to go," Weatherwax said.
At first, the telescopes were only about 10 percent of the store's offerings, with cameras and photographic equipment taking up 90 percent. Now, telescopes and astronomy products make up 95 percent of the store, which changed its name to Oceanside Photo & Telescope in 1985 to reflect the change in focus.
"If we didn't have the telescopes, I'd be out of business," Weatherwax said. "You can get cameras anywhere."
Today, the store is on a 12,500 square-foot, two-story building at 918 Mission Ave. in Oceanside, in what was once a bank. It's one of the largest telescope and optic showrooms in the world.
More than just a store, OPT also acts as a sort of resource hub for those who are interested in Astronomy.
During significant stellar occurrences, the store holds well-attended events. For the transit of Venus last month, more than 500 people visited the Oceanside store.
“Our biggest event was in March 2004 (when NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission reached the red planet),” Weatherwax said. “We had 3,000 people in the parking lot of the store and they had to shut off the freeway. It was just spectacular.”
On weekends, OPT sets up telescopes for daylight sky watching, and it holds an annual expo that draws visitors from all over the world (see sidebar).
Another key to the business success is its website, www.optcorp.com, which was launched as an information-only site in 1994, but started practicing e-commerce in 1999.
Now, about 80 percent of OPT's sales are driven by the website, Weatherwax said.
OPT is also a go-to source of telescopes for enthusiasts, professional photographers, colleges and universities, the military and government agencies.
In fact, Weatherwax, whose business card refers to him as the "boss" of the well-known business near Oceanside High School, admits that while he is amazed by looking up at the stars and recognizing that they suggest events that happened millions of years ago, his interest of astronomy remains "mostly from a business perspective."
It was a series of well-timed events, as well as an uncanny ability to anticipate future markets, that have helped this institution, a member of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce since 1991, thrive and expand. Transitioning the business from its original focus in cameras to telescopes, and becoming an early adopter of web-based sales have kept OPT competitive.
In 1974, Weatherwax was in his 30s and was a rock concert promoter who also worked in canneries in Alaska and South America. One day, he walked into the Oceanside Photographic Center on Oceanside's Hill Street (now known at the Pacific Coast Highway) to get a camera repaired.
Donald Penning, a World War II fighter pilot, had opened the store in 1947 and told Weatherwax that he was looking to get out. Weatherwax said he didn't have any business experience.
"I always wanted to own a camera shop," Weatherwax said. "I thought that if I could get the (film) processing for free, it would be a hell of a deal."
Weatherwax, along with a friend whose father owned a camera store in East County, decided to buy the business.
Weatherwax didn't envision a long-term future as a camera store owner. Still, the camera business prospered, outgrowing its location in 1974 and 1977.
It wasn't until 1982 that Weatherwax sold his first telescope, when a salesman offered to let him borrow some telescopes to sell for 90 days.
"After the 90 days, they all sold out and people wanted more, so I figured that was the way to go," Weatherwax said.
At first, the telescopes were only about 10 percent of the store's offerings, with cameras and photographic equipment taking up 90 percent. Now, telescopes and astronomy products make up 95 percent of the store, which changed its name to Oceanside Photo & Telescope in 1985 to reflect the change in focus.
"If we didn't have the telescopes, I'd be out of business," Weatherwax said. "You can get cameras anywhere."
Today, the store is on a 12,500 square-foot, two-story building at 918 Mission Ave. in Oceanside, in what was once a bank. It's one of the largest telescope and optic showrooms in the world.
More than just a store, OPT also acts as a sort of resource hub for those who are interested in Astronomy.
During significant stellar occurrences, the store holds well-attended events. For the transit of Venus last month, more than 500 people visited the Oceanside store.
“Our biggest event was in March 2004 (when NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission reached the red planet),” Weatherwax said. “We had 3,000 people in the parking lot of the store and they had to shut off the freeway. It was just spectacular.”
On weekends, OPT sets up telescopes for daylight sky watching, and it holds an annual expo that draws visitors from all over the world (see sidebar).
Another key to the business success is its website, www.optcorp.com, which was launched as an information-only site in 1994, but started practicing e-commerce in 1999.
Now, about 80 percent of OPT's sales are driven by the website, Weatherwax said.
OPT is also a go-to source of telescopes for enthusiasts, professional photographers, colleges and universities, the military and government agencies.