Camera Shop The Camera Shop ( trading as " E . Bishop ( Photographic ) " ) was a outlet run by Ernest Bishop from at least 1967 until 1976 . The Rosamund Street shop , which was located close to the canal , sold cameras , film and other provisions and housed a darkroom where Ernie and his staff developed photos . Ernest was also a photographer - for - hire and his studio where he carried out photo shoots was located in the rear of the shop . Business history . In June 1969 , with business booming , Ernest hired Emily Nugent as his assistant and Ena Sharples as caretaker , providing the latter with accommodation in the upstairs flat . Ena served Ernie well until May 1971 when she left to take up an equivalent post at the Community Centre . In January 1970 , Ernest ' s landlord Willie Piggott granted him permission to have the studio converted into two rooms . Piggott attempted to blackmail Emily into finding out Fairclough and Langton ' s tender for a student hostel contract by threatening not to renew the shop ' s lease . Emily grudgingly spied for Piggott , betraying Len Fairclough and Ray Langton , before confessing her actions to the men . Len and Ray were sympathetic and sold their low - cost materials to Roscoe & Pitts , allowing the latter to undercut Piggott . 1975 was a bad year for the shop as Ernest was forced to close the studio after a 30 % rates increase . A year later , Ernie ' s accountant Arnold Pettifer delivered the terms of the new lease with the news that the landlord was trebling his rent . Ernie considered finding new premises but , disheartened after being turned down for a bank loan , he took Pettifer ' s advice and went into liquidation . He and Emily cleared out the shop on 21st July 1976 . The Camera Shop was robbed twice . In July 1969 , Cliff Stone broke in during the night and stole the petty cash . He was carrying the £74 he ' d previously stolen from a post office , which when confronted by Ena he said were his savings that he ’ d deposited on the premises some time before when it was a junk shop . He was arrested by Cyril Turpin the following day . In July 1970 , while putting up shelves on behalf of Fairclough and Langton Frank Bradley and Judd Johnson stole a £30 camera from the shop . Ray retrieved the camera when the men let slip where it was . Photo engagements . Ernest was also a photographer - for - hire , having caught the bug from his father George Bishop who ' d started out in the trade with just £50 and an old German camera . Until 1975 , the shop housed a studio where he conducted photo shoots . He was often called into action at weddings but his eye for the unconventional was also recognised ; in July 1969 , he won a prize for his photograph of Ena Sharples which he entered in a competition in the " Exotic and Bizarre Studies " category . In October 1971 , Ernest undertook an engagement for Willie Piggott , taking photos for travel brochures on the continent . While in Spain , Ernie was caught adjusting model Karen Spencer ' s bra strap by the police and charged with offending against the public morality . He was eventually released , charges dropped , and completed the assignment in Malta and Holland before making his return to Weatherfield . From then on , the firm only worked with fully - clothed models , with one exception : in April 1973 , Emily photographed Terry Slade ' s strippers , a job Ernie had refused on moral grounds . That same month , Ernest took on Rita Littlewood as a rep , interesting new parents in having child portraits taken . Rita showed promise by getting six orders with eight possibles on her first day but these were then cancelled by the wives of the husbands she ' d spoken to . Rita stayed on at the shop until June that year when she left to run The Kabin . The following November , Ernie hired Andy Simpson as an amateur photographer part - time on £10 a week .