CHICAGO — Calumet Photographic, which re-emerged from Chapter 7 liquidation earlier last year, has opened a new flagship store here in Lincoln Park.
The 3,500-square-foot showroom replaces a previous pro-focused flagship that was located about a mile away on Goose Island.
In contrast, the new store was designed as “a destination-level environment” that caters to photographers and videographers of all skill sets, from casual shooters to prosumers and professionals, the company said.
“Using a camera isn’t a passive experience like watching TV or listening to music; it’s an interaction that often evolves into a passion,” said Chaim Piekarski, executive VP of Calumet parent C&A Marketing. “Our newest flagship was designed from the ground up to reflect that.”
C&A, a New Jersey-based digital imaging distributor and retailer, acquired the assets of the 14-store Calumet chain in a bankruptcy auction last April.
The company similarly bought remnants of the bankrupt Ritz Camera chain, once the nation’s largest digital imaging specialty retailer, in a fire sale two years ago.
The Lincoln Park showroom joins two other Chicago-area locations, including a renamed Wolf Camera store.
C&A will keep Calumet within the Chicago market, Piekarski said, and there are no current plans for any additional stores. C&A also operates a dozen Wolf- and Ritz-branded camera shops in 10 states.
