Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]As the nation's capital and news center, I imagine that Wash, DC must have one of the denser populations of photographers in the country. And the economic demographic of the surrounding burbs is reasonably impressive. So why is the retail situation so bleak? And in particular, why is Leica so poorly represented? I can understand NYC, but it sounds like the Boston area is kicking DC's butt in this regard as well. It's kinda weird to me. Then again, it's a weird city :-) Scott Ken Firestone wrote: >On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 13:39:49 -0400, B. D. Colen <bdcolen@earthlink.net> >wrote: > > >>The two spots I remember from D.C. - and I'm talking '66-'80 - were a >>camera store (can't remember the name, but I do remember that they got a >>fair amount of my pretty limited income)with both new and used equipment >>on the south side of Pennsylvania Ave NW between 17th and 18th Sts NW - >>and, I believe in that same block, same side, on the second or third >>floor, Images, a black and white custom lab started by the guy who was >>LBJ's WH photographer. >> >> > >BD, >The two shops were probably Potomac Photo, and National Camera Repair. >National Camera Repair started out in a little hole in the wall on the >north side of Penn. Ave, and grew over time, eventually moving across >the street. Charlie Scheer, the owner, fixed most of the cameras for >Washington Photojournalists at one time or another. > >Potomac Photo had the distinction of handling the photofinishing for >Jackie Kennedy when she lived down the street. > >LBJ's photographer, Yochi Okamoto, opened a photo lab as BD mentioned >after he retired from the government. Before his White House stint he >worked for USIA. > >Other camera stores, all long gone from DC included several around 7th >and Penn, NW, several along 14th st and Bakers in what is now called >Tenleytown. > > >