Located just off Michigan Avenue across the street from the Water Tower, Leica has opened its first-ever Midwest flagship in Chicago.
"There's a lot of wood, a lot of glass, a lot of hard edges," said Raymond Moore, sharing his first impressions of the store.
He said he stumbled upon the store's soft opening Tuesday while visiting Chicago from Birmingham, Alabama.
"We were walking through doing the Mile and we saw a Leica store and I'm a Leica shooter, so it was exciting to see a brand I've always seen online actually in the flesh," he said.
Raymond Moore of Birmingham, Alabama, poses with his Leica camera and purchase from the flagship store in Chicago. Moore made the very first sale of the store, which opened Tuesday, April 14.
Carolina Garibay
Moore said Leica is a "halo brand" for him. He already owns a Leica camera but wanted to purchase something from the store in-person, so he opted for a keychain, becoming the store's first sale.
"I wanted a keepsake to mark the occasion of being able to buy something from Leica," he said. "Even though I already had the camera, I wanted to buy something from them."
Leica's flagship store at 800 N. Michigan Avenue had its soft opening Tuesday. The store is the brand's first-ever Midwest flagship.
Carolina Garibay
Along with selling cameras and equipment, Deputy Manager John Sisson said the store also includes a gallery on the second floor with rotating photo exhibitions and offers workshops for novice and advanced photographers.
"Our goal really is to be a hub for photography in Chicago, so a hub for creativity, design, photography, everything that's associated with photography here in the heart of Chicago," he said.
He noted the significant role Chicago has played in the photography industry, making it the perfect city for a Leica flagship.
"Chicago has such a unique and strong history with photography," he said. "With the Institute of Design being here, connections back to the Bauhaus in Germany. We've just always been a very strong photography town."
The second floor of Leica's flagship store on Michigan Avenue is a gallery space, which will host rotating exhibitions throughout the year.
Carolina Garibay
He said there's something for everyone at the store, whether or not they're Leica shooters or even know anything about photography.
"Everybody's welcome," he said. "People will learn from us, we'll learn from them. Inspire each other and just share the love of photography and images."
Leica will host the official store grand opening on April 30. This is also the first day of the store's first exhibition titled "Life Unposed" by photographer Craig Semetko, whose work "captures iconic moments with a distinctive visual voice."
