A few years ago Leica
began opening their exclusive Leica stores all over the world. It is a successful concept that is serving
them well. But as new as this concept
might appear, it has been done before.
In 1979, Photo Visuals of
Minneapolis was the first camera store ever to sell exclusively Leica
equipment.
Photo Visuals 1980
In an article about Photo
Visuals in July 1981, Corporate Report Magazine wrote:
FOR LEICA LOVERS ONLY
Of course it wasn’t meant
to be this way. All Heinz Richter, 34
and Ernest De Quesada, 28, wanted to do in February of 1979 was to augment
their income as commercial photographers by selling a few pieces of Leitz (Leica)
equipment on the side.
It didn’t work: sales
exploded, and the German and Mexican immigrant partners stopped taking
photographs to concentrate on selling Leica equipment instead. Their former studio on the sixth floor of the
Wyman Building in downtown Minneapolis became a Leica-only camera shop, Photo
Visuals, that sells new and used equipment to Leica users and collectors in the
U.S. and abroad.
Photo Visuals retains its
studio ambiance. The stark white walls,
high ceilings, natural wood floors, and huge arched windows overlooking downtown
Minneapolis seem a proper setting for the intricate, beautifully crafted
cameras, projectors and other accessories.
Heinz Richter and Ernesto
De Quesada in 1981 (photo: Corporate Report
Jim Kuehl, the local Leica
representative persuaded them that they should apply for a Leica
franchise. Using a list of former
clients, the partners put together a first mailing to about 150 people.
The local region,
obviously, would not support such a narrow specialty, so Richter and De Quesada
went national and international almost immediately. Once the Photo visual name was established
through regular advertisements in magazines with heavy Leica emphasis, like
Leica Fotografie, business began to boom.
Roughly 80 percent of Photo Visuals’ sales are made through the mail or
by phone.
Buyers of Leica equipment
are extremely loyal, and many were delighted to find a camera store selling
only that brand.
Photo Visuals Customer
Lounge
The concept apparently had
a lot of appeal and soon Alvin’s Photo Supply of Pasadena opened California’s
First Exclusively Leica store. They were
followed by The Darkroom “Leica and Leica only” in San Francisco.
The owners of some of the
conventional camera stores that also sell Leica feel that Leica is trying to
compete with them, that they are cutting into their Leica sales volume. I am sure that this is the case in some
instances, but it doesn’t have to be.
With the huge competition from other companies, to sell Leicas successfully
requires a commitment from their dealers.
That includes a representative stock and in depth knowledge of the
brand. Without that, many potential
customers will go to places where they can see the equipment, supported by a knowledgeable
sales staff, before spending the often substantial amounts of money that Leica equipment demands.
To this day there are
independent Leica dealers that sell Leica equipment almost exclusively. I don’t mean to offer a complete list, but
allow me to pont to just a couple of them.
One such store is Tamarkin
Camera in Chicago. Company founder Stan
Tamarkin started collecting, buying, and selling Leica cameras in 1971. Since
1984 Leica has been their full-time focus. In 1996, Stan Tamarkin added a successful rare
camera auction business, Tamarkin Rare Camera Auctions, and since then has held
auctions in New York, Denver, Tucson, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, and New
Haven.
From 1995 to 2008 they
also had a showroom in New York City, however they closed that location to be
closer to their families. Since the
beginning they have been in the New Haven, Connecticut area. Until recently, when they moved to Chicago
after Stan retired and his eldest son, Dan, took over the family business.
Dan Tamarkin is Stan’s
eldest son. He has been a Leica enthusiast since before he
can remember - fascinated by cameras ever since he was about 3 years old when
his dad handed him a camera to play around with.
Nowadays, Dan shoots
mainly with the Leica M Monochrom (CCD version) camera and an M6 TTL, usually with a 50mm or 35mm lens, or with any lens
he can get his hands on. When he’s not answering the phones at Tamarkin Camera,
he is probably out shooting or planning the next big adventure.
TAMARKIN CAMERA
300
West Superior Street, Suite 202
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(800) BUY-LEICA | (800)
289-5342
Probably the most unusual
Leica dealer in the us is Ken Hansen in New York City.
With the prices of Leica
equipment what they are, it is important for many of us to select a Leica
dealer that is no just out to make a profit.
Knowledge and service are two aspects that are extremely important. Besides the many Leica stores, Leica dealers
range from huge camera stores in the bigger cities, especially New York, to,
what with any other venue, might be called a mom and pop store.
Many people wish that the
small stores, with trustworthy employees from days past, would make a
comeback. But big box stores have all
but made an end of that era. Add to that
the ever growing business of mail order and today’s marketplace looks quite
different.
The same is true with camera
stores and, especially Leica dealers.
Sure, if you know what you need, mail order might save you a few bucks
and you might walk away, happy with your purchase. But what if you need some advice? Making a mistake with the purchase of Leica
equipment can be quite costly.
This is where a dealer you
can trust is invaluable. One such dealer
is Ken Hansen in New York City. Not only
does he have a stellar reputation of being totally trustworthy, he also has all
the advantages of a mom and pop store of years gone by. Ken Hansen is a tour de force one man
operation in a town that has made mega stores, photographic megastores, a
household word.
Ken Hansen
Ken Hansen is the largest
Leica dealer in the US without a website or even a store. He operates strictly with just an e-mail
address. As improbable as that might
sound, it works. It works because Ken
Hansen has a huge fan base of Leica owners who consider him to be the
friendliest and most easy going person in the world.
According to one customer,
“Ken Hansen is a legendary Leica dealer, and my go to guy for all things Leica.
I have been dealing with Ken for years and never once have I encountered an
issue, problem or ANYTHING similar to that.
His customer service is 2nd to none and he usually has everything in
stock.”
Another customer stated,
“One of the most popular purveyors is Ken Hansen. The man has a reputation for
setting the standard. You're virtually
guaranteed to walk away happy.”
And finally, “Ken Hansen
did introduce me to my first Leica and every Leica I have acquired since then.
Ken said something like, “These are the best lenses in the world, choose your
f/stop, set your shutter speed, start shooting, and throw away the owner’s
manual. It’s that simple.” What got me excited was that it became about
shooting images in their purest form. My mind became free of what I like to
call the technical waste. Other cameras have that, and I do not want it.”
Ken Hansen with Danish writer and photographer Thorsten von Overgaard
Ken Hansen was born in
Kiel in the very Northern part of Germany.
1961 he boarded a ship to New York and got a job the same day he
arrived. He worked in that camera store until 1973, when he decided to start
his own business. He borrowed $20,000
from his family and began to purchase used equipment from every camera store he
could find.
“I knew what would sell,
so that was what I was buying."
He stated at a later
time. “I placed a $350 ad in the New
York Times every weekend with 10 items for sale, and by Monday they were sold
out.”
Twelve years after that
beginning Ken Hansen opened a 600 square-foot office on the 10th floor, across
from the Empire State Building on 34th Street.
Next year he expanded to 1,000 square feet on the 11th floor, then a
little later, the whole floor of a building on 21st Street.
In an interview with
Thorsten von Overgaard Ken said, "It was a large photography store with
really competent staff. Everybody was well paid without commissions. The
business of photography wasn't an honest one, but we were. That's what made me
open my own store and what worked the best about it. We tried to be straight
and honest. Everybody came in our store. All the great photographers and
everybody else."
Even though Ken does not
like to drop names, he did let it slip that the last lens he sold to Helmut
Newton was a Leica 50mm Summilux-M f/1.4 lens.
Ken does not operate a
large store any longer. He told me that
the rent alone was over 30 thousand dollars plus the salaries of his 18
employees. Instead he is running his
business as a home office. He likes
email because "the phone is ringing constantly." But his expertise and service are just as
invaluable today as they were in the past.
Anyone interested in the purchase of any Leica equipment, new or used,
would do well to e-mail Ken and ask what he can do for you, tell him I sent
you.
E-mail: khpny19@aol.com
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