New York –
and
recently became featured brands at New York City’s landmark camera retailer
, which has
constructed dedicated selling stations for both brands in its Fifth Avenue storefront.
Pentax and
Willoughby’s held a launch party for the press at the store Wednesday night to
show off the store-within-a-store showcase. Both the Pentax and Leica stations
were designed by Alex McCord, one of the stars of the hit Bravo reality TV
series “Housewives of New York.”
The two stations
face each other at the front of the store’s entrance, flanking a central
corridor that leads into the main selling area. Products are showcased both on
countertops and behind glass in high-end wood-veneer cabinets with illuminated
glass shelving.
The Pentax station
also includes a large saltwater aquarium, complete with fish, coral and a
waterproof Optio W90 all-weather camera.
Other highlighted
products in the showcase are a high-performance K-7 DSLR camera line, premium
lenses, multicolored K-x cameras and a line of binoculars.
Willoughby’s owner
Joseph Douek said the Leica and Pentax
retail stations were built in tandem and launched about three weeks ago
starting with Leica. Willoughby’s wanted “a brand that would complement” the
Leica showcase for the opposite side and selected Pentax, he said.
“We are among the
top 10 Pentax dealers in the country,” Douek told TWICE. “We thought it would
be a great opportunity to showcase a brand that may not be as well known as
Leica, but makes great stuff, too.”
Douek said he expects the stations will generate
a spike in sales, adding that both brands are among the store’s best sellers
with off-the-street purchasers.
As part of a
promotion to celebrate the opening of the Pentax stations, the retailer invited
shoppers to trade in any pre-owned camera for savings on a new Pentax digital
camera purchased over the counter in the Willoughby’s shop between noon and 2 p.m.
Thursday, June 24.
