Questar and the Need for a Generational Handoff

On this Cloudy Nights online discussion forum in the spring of 2024, rumors began swirling about the future of Questar Corporation, the maker of fine telescopes that has been in business since 1950. Recent transitions at the company prompted many to assume the worst and say that Questar was on its way out. Rumors fed other rumors in a kind of vicious cycle that is only possible on the internet.

Although I read those discussions with a grain of salt, I grew concerned nonetheless. I have written extensively about the history of Questar telescopes, and I regularly gush about how awesome it is to use and enjoy them. It’s a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. I would hate to see one of the hallmarks of amateur astronomy disappear after 75 years of operation.

When one reads anything online, it’s always important to distinguish fact from speculation. In spite of all the internet rumors, the simple fact remains that the company continues to operate. And I’m glad about that.

To a large extent, I think it’s in bad taste to comment publicly about the fortunes of a small business. Anyone who has the courage and wherewithal to start an entrepreneurial undertaking will tell you all about the stress and personal risk that goes into it. The efforts they exert and the risks they take deserve respect.

That said, I thought it might be appropriate to add some constructive comments here and here to an ongoing discussion thread concerning recent developments at Questar Corporation. In a nutshell, I made some observations about the rate of production and sales for the Standard and Duplex Questar since the 1950s. Acknowledging the fact that I am not an entrepreneur and that it’s easy for me or anyone else to offer opinions without the willingness to act, I added some comments about the need for a generational handoff to occur if the company were to survive over the long term.

In a nutshell, I believe that there is still a viable market out there for a small company like Questar to continue to flourish. That market can be found among those in younger generations. And younger entrepreneurs are best suited to do that.

One thing I’ve learned after having earnestly shot film these past few years is the way in which the medium has become a metaphor for differences in generational experience. Whereas many older folks would never return to it, twenty- and thirty-somethings often seem the most excited about gravitating to film photography and its low-fi nature. A guy at Pro Photo Supply in Portland expressed it to me best: “We’re all kind of tired of screens.”

Just like members of younger generations are propelling the resurgence of interest in film photography, it’s these same folks who represent the future market for high-end heritage brands like Questar.

I believe that there is beauty to be found in mechanical precision and that younger individuals often see and appreciate that beauty. Leica offers this in spades, albeit at very high prices (though at prices that are not dissimilar to what Questars cost in the mid- to late 1950s adjusted for today’s dollars). They have been producing the MP and the meter-less M-A, two mechanical film rangefinders, for years. They also recently re-introduced the M6 film rangefinder, another mechanical camera. Put any of those cameras next to a 10- or 15-year-old digital Leica camera, even a functional one, and you can see the desirability gap between them. Yes, even an older digital camera is easier to use, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bet that the mechanical cameras have more longevity.

At risk of having undue reverence, I sometimes ask myself what Lawrence Braymer, the designer of the Questar telescope and the founder of the company that built it, would have done had he been active today. What kind of machining techniques would he have used? How would he have marketed his product? Where would he have sourced his parts? A big reason why he worked with master machinists who did their work manually, used magazine advertising, and went through domestic parts suppliers was because that is what was available to him in the 1950s.

What would a company like Questar do if it were being started today? I confess that I don’t really have any idea of the true inner workings of a company like Wrensilva, the maker of high-end record consoles. But I can see similarities between the two. Even a casual perusing of Wrensilva’s beautiful website reveals that they use modern marketing techniques that includes a presence on Instagram. On the other hand, if you want a physical print catalog to read and hold in your hands, that’s available, too. After all, Wrensilva is marketing itself to enthusiasts for vinyl LPs, a physical medium.

The latter certainly reminds me of the famous Questar booklets that could be requested by prospective customers. I bet that a twenty-first-century version of the Braymers—Lawrence was a highly-driven amateur astronomer, tinkerer, and professional commercial artist, and his wife Marguerite worked in advertising and wrote for various magazines—would have a keen sense of modern marketing channels and would know how to use them effectively.

For all these reasons—a generational fatigue with tech and an enduring appreciation for artisanal craftsmanship—I truly believe there is still market viability for a company that offers the kind of product that Questar has been offering us all these years. There are young entrepreneurs out there who are doing things that are similar to what Questar did three quarters of a century ago, and there is still a demand for the kinds of products those entrepreneurs make. The question now is whether a generational transition can happen for Questar so that it can continue as a business.