Update: some pictures from the event can be found here.
Photo credit: Willoughby's
NEW YORK (June 3, 2010) – Leica Camera Inc. is proud to announce the opening of the Leica Boutique at the Willoughby’s Imaging Center on June 8, 2010. The new boutique marks the first Leica designed retail space in New York City and a marquis partnership between two historic brands in the photography industry.
Set within New York’s oldest photographic emporium, the Leica Boutique at Willoughby’s Imaging Center will provide a new source for information on all Leica-related topics and offer Leica’s full product portfolio, from point-and-shoot cameras to rangefinder and medium format systems and binoculars. Similar to all Leica products, this new retail setting will utilize premium design and materials to offer a memorable and interactive experience.
“We are proud to offer Leica clients and fans this distinctive new venue to explore our products,” remarks Leica Camera Inc. President Roger Horn. “Both Willoughby’s and Leica have a significant place in the photography industry’s rich history and we are excited to bring lasting synergy to both our brands through this partnership.”
To celebrate the grand opening of the Leica Boutique, Willoughby’s, along with photo enthusiast and actor Matthew Modine, renowned event photographer Patrick McMullan and Alex McCord of Real Housewives of New York, will host a VIP “cocktails and cameras” party. In addition to showcasing the new Leica retail setting, the event will exhibit the latest work of renowned fashion photographer and Leica Camera fan, Nevil Dwek.
The Leica Boutique at Willoughby’s Imaging Center is located at:
298 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
800.378.1898
Store Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Sat-Sun: 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
ABOUT LEICA CAMERA
Leica represents a union of craftsmanship, technology and experience. It is at once an extension of art, knowledge and philosophy, providing a state-of-the-art optical experience in a precision, hand-made photographic instrument. Leica Camera has a simple mission: to provide users with an incomparable experience, an instrument that defines an unsurpassed heritage and sets a standard of excellence for the industry to meet.
Throughout the world, Leica enjoys recognition and customer loyalty, because of its achievements in the photography industry and its uncompromising pursuit of high-quality standards. Leica products are appreciated by discerning clientele; the hand-crafted designs are fabricated with unmatched mechanical and optical precision and yet they have an extraordinary aura that can evoke feelings and emotions. For more than 150 years, Leica has maintained a tradition of precision manufacturing and consistent innovation, which have steadily reinforced its preeminent worldwide reputation.
ABOUT WILLOUOGHBY’S IMAGING CENTER
Willoughby's is proud to be NYC’s oldest photographic emporium serving consumers through three centuries. Over 110 years after famed lensman Charles Willoughby opened his camera shop in 1898, Willoughby's still sells a large selection of cameras and photo equipment for every budget and skill level–from simple point-and-shoot models to high-end single-lens reflex cameras. Willoughby’s also stocks a wide selection of camcorders for both the pro and consumer market and has a full selection of binoculars.
ABOUT NEVIL DWEK, PHOTOGRAPHER
Nevil, a native New Yorker, graduated from the Tisch School at NYU where he was twice awarded for excellence in Filmmaking. Today Nevil is an accomplished Fashion and Advertising Photographer, shooting with the Leica S2, as well as a director and producer of films.
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19 Comments
Boo. It’s distasteful that Leica would get in bed with a retailer who marked up the Leica products so much during a time of shortage.
I’d never go into Willoughby’s. It’s was known as a bait and switch shop, lousy service, dirty and grimy place (I personally know because I lived in NYC and knew all the camera stores–B&H on the other hand has always been professional, even way back from when they were on 17th Street). I can’t imagine what Leica would be thinking with those dirtbags. I would never go into Willoughby’s, even if its to buy a lens cap (which they’d probably try to rip me off).
As annoying as it may be to pay a premium for hard-to-find Leica equipment like the Summilux 50mm ASPH, it is just down right insulting to pay a marked up price of $10,000 for a M9 to a slick dealer like Willoughby’s who obviously took advantage of it’s relationship with Leica to get the stock, and then charge a scalper price for the stock. Why Leica would do business with such a dealership is puzzling. I would NEVER buy Leica from Willoughby’s (or any camera equipment for that matter), and I admonish Leica for doing what they did. Indeed, I wonder whether some executive at Leica is getting a kickback from Willoughby’s.
NEVER GO IN TO Willoughby’s!!!!!!! m9 they want 7600 per piece + you have buy a 35mm 2.5 from them, x1 they want 2400 per piece, v-20 800 during the shortage or when it just came out.
also they lie, they buy from other store then sell it higher in their own store. once i was in fotocare i saw 2 m9 and i wanted to buy all, but they told me one is sold but i copyed down the boxed # anyway, few days later i was told from Willoughby’s they have m9 and they want 7600 so i said ok, i am coming. when i was going to pay and i took out my little book and i saw the box number match and before i swip my card they want me to buy 35mm f2.0 with the m9 or they wont sell!!!
AGAIN~~NEVER GO IN Willoughby’s!!! BLACK STORE Willoughby’s!!!!!!
This is a total disappointment. I live in NYC and buy my Leica gear from Photo Village or Fotocare because they are good, honest boutiques. There is obviously some type of nepotism at work here. From price gouging to “forced package deals” Willoughby’s may not run an illegal operation, but it is as close to criminal as I can imagine. Maybe once Leica finds the dust collecting on their new shop, they will hand it over to a real NYC boutique with a true customer following. And is there really such a shortage of celebrities willing to back Leica that Mr. Sex and the City and a New York House Wife is all PR can put together?
It’s very disappointing that Leica is “rewarding” the behavior of a store such as Willoughby’s. If Leica were do to this they should have cooperated with Adorama or BH Photo. I don’t get it, other than as Karen suggests, someone at Leica is getting a kickback.
I agree with all of the above. Willoughby’s has always been “low-rent”. Wake up Leica. You are a premium brand. You are better off locating your boutique inside a Herme’s store or a more classy operation. Total Fail on the part of management.
Leica is probably doing it based on sales volume – all those tricks sell a lot of equipment and at the end this is what they both (Leica & Willoughby’s) care for.
I hope someone at Leica is reading all of this.
Both thumbs WAY DOWN to Leica on this one. I’m never shopping at W again. These days I get my Leica gear from honest and reputable dealers in Japan. It seems to me that Leica is spending way too much resources on these stores and stores-in-stores. I have been to three Leica stores in the last two weeks and none of them had products I wanted actually for sale. A complete waste of time.
‘Willoughby’s is proud to be NYC’s oldest photographic emporium serving consumers through three centuries…..’, reads the press release.
In fact Willoughby’s went bankrupt in 1993, after years of decline and several changes of ownership. The company was liquidated, and the Willoughby’s name sold in 1994 to Joseph Douek, for $200K, according to a New York Times article of the time.
Today the ‘Willoughby’s’ name is attached to what is commonly referred to in New York as a ‘Syrian store’, characterized by a particular approach to doing business, as has been chronicled on this forum and elsewhere.
Leica is I’m sure fully aware of who they are in bed with. I personally find it rather surprising considering Leica’s brand equity and aspirations.
I’ve forwarded this thread to Clara Kroher, who is media relations at Leica. She indicated that she has forwarded my message to Leica management. We’ll see if Leica responds; I doubt it because, what can they really do at this point? What they should have done is better homework on Willoughby’s. But I suspect Paul is right, Leica knew, but didnt care.
Maybe Leica should have taken a look at Yelp’s review of Willoughby’s before they got so cozy with them: http://www.yelp.com/biz/willoughbys-new-york-2?rpp=40&sort_by=date_desc
Yes, W. are crooks and I am sure Leica is aware of it, but if they can sell even more products with the new store, Leica will be happy because making money is more important than what customers think – this is valid for every company, not only Leica.
@JJ: I don’t disagree but doesn’t customer satisfaction (or more precisely, what customer think) and the profitability of a company have a direct relationship, at least in the long run? Moreoever, at the moment, Leica does not appear to have any problem selling all of its products; it’s bigger problem it keeping up with the demand rather than having enough number of distribution channels. Again the only explanation I can think of is someone at Leica management is taking a kickback.
I have no idea what the commenters above are talking about. I’ve always found the people at Willoughby’s to be super knowledgeable and the prices fair. When Leica only makes a few M9s available and everyone wants one, the price will rise. Supply and demand. We should be clamoring for Leica to release more stock to the retailers.
@VC: You clearly work for Willoughby’s. Get off the comments!!
@VC: All comments are welcome and I am sure there have been some positive experiences at Willoughby’s. If that was your personal experience then of course you have the right to share it as does anyone else on this thread. And, I do not disagree that there are employees at Willoughby’s who are very informed about photo equipment. However, though supply and demand certainly can affect the price of a rare item, that does not make it acceptable for Willoughby’s, an authorized Leica dealer, to jack up the price of the item (for instance, $10,000 for the M9), or bundle the item with another less desirable good (a practice that, when conducted on a large scale, is illegal under antitrust laws). All of the other dealers, like Adorama, BH Photo, etc., act honorably and sell the items at MSRP no matter what the demand; this is the honor they uphold as an authorized dealer. Willoughby was (and for I know may continue to) abusing its allocation privileges and, by doing so, raised the prices for the consumers on average. I have no problem with individual or non-authorized deales who buys items from other sources and tries to sell those items at a higher price; those people do not get allocation in the first place and they take on inventory at their own risk — that is free market. But what Willoughby’s did, when they WERE getting allocation, is taking advantage of their position with Leica at the expense of the consumer. That practice is, in my opinion, not acceptable. This, in addition to bundling of items as a pre-condition to sell otherwise desirable items, and less than 100% honest advertising pratices, compel that I would never buy anything from Willoughby’s.
some pics from the event:
http://blog.leica-camera.com/leica-news/grand-opening-of-the-leica-boutique-at-willoughby%E2%80%99s-new-york/