977 F Street NW, Washington, DC. That is going to be the address of the first North American retail store of the super high end German camera maker Leica. The store will be officially opened on May 2nd and 3rd, with a full line of cameras and accessories, plus a gallery for photographs taken using Leica cameras and space for its Leica Akademie workshops. The opening day will see a lecture by photojournalist Peter Turnley, whose work will be the first shown in the gallery.
Leica’s boutique cameras, barring the limited edition white MP-9, are already available through dealers in the US, but the company says it will expand its presence in North America over the coming year. Two more stores have been planned, one in Miami and the other in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. “Boutiques” will ale be opened at existing non-Leica camera stores in Rancho Mirage, California and Richmond, British Columbia.
