Competitive Cameras is one of the largest camera specialty retailers in the United States. Located in a nondescript retail strip on Irving Boulevard near downtown Dallas, the store has customers from around the country.Under the leadership of Jabbour and now his son, Eugene, who took over the store in 2012, Competitive has managed to remain true to its name by offering specialized service and hard-to-get equipment in a world where everyone has iPhones.
She bought her first lens from him when she was 19 — a 135mm 2.8 for her Nikon. “My mom went with me. It’s a special memory.”In 1980, Jabbour, who was born in Lebanon, and his wife, Mary, who was pregnant with their second child, spent their vacation touring the country looking for a place to relocate from Minneapolis to raise their son and soon-to-arrive daughter.
When they saw the Dallas skyline, the couple decided there was no need to look further. They thought the shining skyline of Big D looked like the Emerald City. “Dallas was looking new and booming,” Jabbour recalled in a 2003 interview. “Growing up in the Middle East, everything was antique … you know, 2,000, 3000 years old. Having all these modern buildings was very, very impressive to me.”In the interview, Jabbour admitted to friendly Old World negotiating but drew the line at calling it haggling. “Our price is earth-bottom, so there’s nothing much left to negotiate.
Ramsey Jabbour is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary Jabbour; son Eugene and his wife, Melanie Jabbour; daughter Gina Park and her husband, Jonathan Park; his brother Gabriel Jabbour; niece, Gigi Jabbour; grandchildren, Preston Ghafar, Caitlin Jabbour, Olivia Jabbour, Jackson Park and Sam Park; and grandnieces Isabella Uban, Sophia UbanCobbs appeared on television shows including “The Sopranos,” “The West Wing,” “Sesame Street” and “Good Times.