Re: [Leica] A Chatterton Story-reply

[dci@aa.net (Don Chatterton)]

I would like to take  moment to thank all of you for the suppport, E, .mail
messages, fax;s and calls about the negative things being said about me and
our company on the LUG last week.  Since it is impossible to put the "Genie
back in the bottle", and to take back back anythng once said,it is probably
futile to attempt to make any defense to the number of negative things
said, becaue once an accusation is made, people will always remember it
...accurate or not.

Anyway, to at least make a reply to those who seem so offended, I would
like to make the following statements in the same forum you did, or else
this becomes a kangaroo court where the same people are are judge,
prosecutor and jury. I won't refer to any individual person by name, as we
were not on the LUG at that time, and until warned by many of our customers
as to what was happening. I have read the complaints, qnd send thanks to
the many people who faxed and even hand carried copies of the messages to
me.

I started my collecting Leica in 1963 thanks to neat article in a magazine
called Camera 35, which talked about collecting Leica cameras, and the
history therein. Over the next few years I met more and more new Leica
enthusiasts and together it evolved into the Leica Historical Society in
1968. In 1969, another Seattleite named Glenn Patch, got laid off at
Boeing, and went off to Florida with his wife, kids, total worldy
possessions  and all looking for a job. The next year he started a little
flyer that we all subscribed to call "Shutterbug", and we had medium to
draw other collectors together.

The paper grew like weed, and so did the LHSA. In fact during that time as
Leica declined in market control and Nikon grew to be a giant, it was the
collectors, enthusiasts and users that were about the only supporters of
Leica. By 1978, LHSA wasa  big dyanamic organization, and I left my job in
advertising, due to sickness in my family, to tried selling Leicas full
time. Thanks to Shutterbug and the number of subscribers it attracted, the
business boomed, and was a great success.

In 1983 , I met Jim Kuehl who was selling for Leitz, and we became friends.
Jim would find the used Leicas in his territory, send them to me to sell,
and we would split the profits.  In 1987, I helped talk him into leaving
Leitz and doing what I did, as I was having to curtail my busness due to
serious illness in my family. Since that time, Jim and I have advertised
together in Shutterbug, talk together often several times a day or at least
once or twuce everyweek, from wherever we were. I consider Jim one of my
best friends in the world, and would heartily support all of the wonderful
things said about him. He is a good person to do business with.

In 1992, I restarted the engines and pushed the business back to full time.

As with many of the people in this business, it was started from a hobby
which grew into a business. We started it because, as with so many of you,
it was a wonderful fun hobby, and the business was and is built on the
premise that it will be fun and enjoyable.  Our customers have been
wonderful friends and I know hundreds of you personally. When it gets to a
point where money, greed and anger are the only criteria,... and
friendship, fun and comraderie are no longer the norms....we will be out
the door.

To more speciics, a complaint was voiced about the sale of anew  50mm f:2.8
Elmar-M  lens sold into New York. A few weeks ago, we advertised on our
website, that we would have eight (8) new lens for $555.00 (well below
cost). This was the result of a dealer promotion when an M6-a 50mm f:2.8
and 35mm f:2 old style,were purhase in lots of 10 pieces..

We immediately received 37 orders for the 8 lenses; and not being able to
repeat the miracle of the "loaves and fishes", we took the first eight
buyers, and put the rest on a possible back order