NEW YORK — Pentax and Leica recently
became featured brands at New
York City’s landmark camera retailer Willoughby’s
Camera, 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 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 d-SLR
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.”
