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Longtime Cal’s Cameras owner Cal Stilley, 90, dies

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Cal’s Cameras & Video founder Cal Stilley, whose downtown Costa Mesa storefront was a longtime community fixture for shutterbug hobbyists, has died. He was 90.

Stilley’s family said he died Dec. 15 at a hospital in Orange, with his loved ones beside him.

Calvin “Cal” Stilley was born in 1924 in Dormont, Pa., and raised in nearby Bethel Park, outside Pittsburgh. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

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In 1962, Stilley and his wife, Helen, purchased what became Cal’s Cameras, at 1780 Newport Blvd. It grew and prospered enough that they moved to nearby 1770 Newport Blvd. by 1970.

The store once boasted a massive inventory of more than 1 million units, various photography supplies and annual sales of about $10 million, according to Daily Pilot archives.

After nearly 50 years in business, the Stilley family closed their Newport Boulevard store in November 2011. His family cited the difficulties of an independent, neighborhood business competing against Internet-based competitors and large chains, but they prided themselves on having knowledgeable staff and offering friendly service.

“Big-box stores and the Internet have drawn tremendous retail profit from conventional stores,” Stilley told the Pilot in 2011. “We tried to remain competitive, but the problem for the legitimate camera store is that all our basics are gone.... It was very enjoyable. People came into the store because they wanted to be there, because it was their hobby. They always had a smile on their face.”

Cal’s Cameras maintained its mom-and-pop roots, which began with Stilley as the salesman and Helen as the bookkeeper. By the time the store closed, all six of the Stilley children had worked there.

“It’s been a long, good run,” son Mark Stilley said before the store closing. “The business has been good to the entire family, and we couldn’t be any more grateful.”

The elder Stilley also helped start a local golf shop, Cal’s Caddyshack, which closed in 2006
after 15 years in business.

Stilley is survived by his six children — sons Mark and Kurt and daughters Pat, Roberta, Becky and Lisa — as well as 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

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