Gallery, Leica Store – San Francisco, California

The plane landed 15 minutes late. Not bad these days in the age of congested air travel. The challenge was, I need to disembark, get my rental car and navigate rush hour San Francisco traffic all in about an hour. The Leica Store was closing at 6pm, and it was already a quarter past four.

For my Bay Area business trips, I usually fly into SFO. There, I head up to San Francisco for photography and have dinner at an authentic Chinese restaurant. The Leica Store was a departure. Something I added when I remembered that they opened the store, a year and half ago.

Imagine a loft like space that’s half museum and half gallery. That’s the SF Leica Store. Except, unlike a museum, you can buy the exhibits. They have the complete line, of course, each in their special red cubby surrounded by minimalist black cabinetry. The modern digital Ms are there, as well as the SL, the X and the T. But the older film cameras entice. Works of German precision from a bygone era.

Yes, I made it there in time, but barely. 15 minutes is not enough time. Two hours, maybe. My visit coincided perfectly with a ritual. Like a fine jeweler, the precious pieces are put away at night.

Carts of Leicas, more than most people will see in a lifetime. Be warned, this is extreme Leica camera porn. These are aspirational for most, though, I’m sure, the occasional well-healed might find these a sufficient San Francisco souvenir. Nothing for me, thanks. Just looking. Dreaming.

The Leica Store is located at the mouth of Chinatown. An interesting neighborhood for street photography and no doubt a nice place to test one’s prowess and their latest Leica purchase. Ironically, a stone’s throw away on Grant Street, there are several camera stores of the opposite kind. The low-end kind that prey on tourists with perpetual fake sales. Not interested in cameras, no problem how about some luggage or trinkets instead.

I vote for the Leica store.