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With hopes of finishing the studio move this afternoon, I set out this morning to Houston Camera Co-op for some new gels and perhaps some hardware. Much to my dismay, the Co-op was vacant and it's former retail storefront seemed to be under some major renovation. I'm not that savvy on retail competitors in the area since B&H gets most of my business and I didn't feel like exploring, so I headed to Houston Camera Exchange. I have historically avoided that place like the plague due to their non-competitive pricing and piss poor customer service, but I felt it was a logical second for this directed journey. Guess what? Those elitist fucks are just as snooty and unhelpful as always and I would almost say their prices are even further inflated. For example, a 42" 5-in-1 collapsible reflector kit you can buy for $49.00 anywhere else on earth is about $85.00 at HCE. They pride themselves on 18,000 sq feet of inventoried shelf space to cater to the professional photographer, yet all they had in the line of light gels is a single, generic, 6-pack of quasi-questionable quality gels. What a freakin' joke! Ugg! The only seamless paper roll stands they had were cheap-o flimsy and started around $140.00... they didn't even carry background material. I wouldn't say the trip was a complete flop because I did sit and enjoy a delectable turkey and avocado sandwich from Café Brasil accompanied by a most scrumptious latte. I had planned on stopping and shopping for motorcycles on the way home, but I know I won't buy one now, so why bother? I'm off to finish painting.