You might have noticed that I began including affiliate links for Nuzira. Most likely you’ve never heard of them, so let me introduce you—it’s actually a fascinating story.

Located at 9420 East Doubletree Ranch Road—a nondescript industrial business park in Scottsdale, Arizona—is Nuzira. Walking in the door to Suite 107, I was immediately greeted by Lollipop, a kind and gentle dog with a short tail that wags quickly. As I stepped inside, I shook hands Lucas, who has a warm smile and an affinity for fedoras. This isn’t a typical camera store.

Nuzira began in 2009 when Lucas and Jennifer White, a husband-and-wife team, began supplying materials for government contracts. When certain agencies, such as the U.S. military, need specific items that they don’t normally have on hand, Nuzira can find and supply those. They’re a purchaser, a middleman between manufacturers and organizations. One day, they were contracted to provide some videography equipment, and that was an aha moment for them. You see, Lucas and Jennifer are hobby photographers, and they thought, why don’t we sell cameras? Why not include their personal passion in their business? So they decided that their company could also be a camera store.

Lucas and Jennifer put together an e-commerce website—Nuzira.com—as their main storefront. Their driving philosophy is to empower creators to thrive, and they have some big ideas for how to achieve that. While Nuzira has been around for 15 years, they’ve been a camera store for less than one, and a lot of their plans are still developing, and will take time to become reality. After speaking with Lucas, I have no doubts that it will get there. Their mission to foster a community of visual enthusiasts is in the early stages, but expect it to grow into something substantial.

Going back to Suite 107 in Scottsdale, Nuzira doesn’t look like a camera store. The front door opens to a small waiting room that is also the receiving room, where UPS, FedEx, and other curriers are the regulars. Next to that is a shipping room, where packages are prepared for transport. In the back are a couple of storage and supply rooms—the warehouse. To the right of the front door is Lucas and Jennifer’s office, which is currently doubling as the physical Nuzira store. You can walk in and buy cameras and lenses and accessories, but it’s not necessarily a good place to browse. It is, however, a great place to discuss photography with Lucas, who loves to talk shop. And if you need something specific, he might just have it in stock. One day they will have a more proper store, Lucas told me, but they’re still working out the details.

Nuzira is an authorized Fujifilm dealer. Both Lucas and Jennifer primarily use Fujifilm gear for their own photography, so that’s mostly what they carry. They also sell products by Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Blackmagic, Manfrotto, NiSi, and more. Largely, though, it’s Fujifilm stuff. If you are anywhere in the U.S. and are buying Fujifilm gear, Nuzira.com is a great option. If you are in the Phoenix area, consider stopping in—Lollipop will give you a friendly greeting, and Lucas will be very happy to talk cameras with you.

For those wondering about the pictures at the top, they were captured with my Fujifilm X100VI using the 1976 Kodak and Kodak Tri-X 400 Film Simulation Recipes.