Richard Caplan closing down

[nf3996]

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I see from the latest issue of Amateur Photographer magazine (the Christmas/New Year issue), and from Richard Caplan's website, that the shop in London's Mayfair is closing down on 21 December. How many official Leica dealers will that now leave within central or Greater London?

Alan

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[pgk]

It has been announced on their website (http://www.richardcaplan.co.uk) too. Very sad to see yet another small independent dealer finish. When I was a student in London there was a myriad of such photographic dealers, and wandering from one to another in search of something elusive was very enjoyable. Today there are so few, and those that remain are much further spaced out, so it is far harder to visit more than just the odd one on a visit.

[wattsy]

I guess it is inevitable. Of course there are big questions about the general viability of town/city centre retail nowadays. But even leaving that aside, unless younger players enter the market, these specialist shops will close as their ageing owners retire or die.

[Charles Morgan]

That's sad. I remember when they were in one of the arcades off Jermyn Street and pressing my nose to the windows to look at all this very expensive stuff. Little did I know that I'd buy my first Leica, my current M3, from them in their Pall Mall store. It's a horribly expensive place from which to operate, and I had noted how little stock they had online whenever I looked this year.

 

[willeica]

It is the laws of supply and demand that dictate the market and at the moment they are against small retailers, particularly ones with high ground rent. The fact that Leica has its own bespoke stores does not help. As largely a vintage collector, with only the digital Ms being of interest to me in the current range, I have never bought anything from Leica owned stores, but I have bought items from Leitz Auctions (owned by Leica AG) and, indeed, other auctions. Here in Dublin, our only Leica dealer resigned as one last Summer, but he continues to do very successful business selling most other major camera makes. 

The decline in camera sales, the changes in buying habits and the retail landscape and Covid must have been the 'perfect storm' for Richard Caplan.

William 

[masjah]

That's a great pity. I confess I was a bit put off by the Where the elite meet and greet bit, but I once walked into their store and was treated extremely nicely. (I bought immaculate Elpro 1 and Elpro 2  R close-up lenses for a very reasonable £50 the pair, which I used until I bought a 100/2.8 Macro R + dedicated Elpro from Frank Foster at Photo Design Studio.)  Sign of the times I fear.

[Rosebud55]

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Sad news. I purchased the often derided XVario from them and my M246. Very helpful people. It’s a shame as they were an easy walk from Charing Cross for us. So I shall miss them when I eventually am able to travel to London again.

[Rupert Greenwell]

Very sad to see another Leica dealer retire. I too used to press my nose up to the windows of the Leica sellers in the Arcades wondering if I would ever be able to walk in and buy one some day. I bought a Minilux, which was my first Leica from Richard Caplan and remember how well I was treated despite not being of the "elite" !

       He used to open at 9am which was early for London and I would get a early train into London and he would be my first port of call. I bought both my Monochrom 1 and M246 and Q there. I bought quite a few used items which were always of high quality except for a secondhand  Noctilux F1.0, he told me that the lens had belonged to a portrait photographer who specialised in photographing children, the focus action he said was a bit sticky as it had been used at the same distance over time. A bit of use will soon free it up . Like a fool I bought it.

     When I received the lens , it was in mint condition and I could not detect any resistance in the focussing but every photo was out of focus at every distance !  I took the lens to Malcom Taylor, who laughed at the story of the portrait photographer, Malcom took the lens apart and said that it was unusable as it had been assembled from new incorrectly ! He said that he would speak to Richard Caplan and pull his leg. The Noctilux now performs beautifully. 

[LocalHero1953]

I'm also sorry to see Richard Caplan go, though I was also put off by the St James address and atmosphere around its advertising - anyone selling from that address would see a hefty proportion of turnover go to the freehold owner (Duke of Westminster?). I occasionally bought from there as my third choice London Leica retailer after Red Dot and Leica themselves. On one occasion I went to Leica late in the afternoon looking for a particular lens; they did not have it but rang up Caplan on the spot, who found one, and kept the shop open as I ran from Bruton Place to Pall Mall.

We now have less choice for browsing and fondling the small objects of our desire, but that has gone in parallel with the wonderful opening up of the online market, allowing us to buy easily and tax free from across Europe.
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Wait a minute........what's that you say?.......really?........ what d######d made that decision? 

Edited December 16, 2020 by LocalHero1953

[farnz]

Yes, what a shame - Len retired and closed down RG Lewis a few years ago and now Richard Caplan too.

In the circumstances it's perhaps worth noting and celebrating that after 60 years Reg Roach at 89 is still a welcoming, smiling face behind his counter at Croydon Photo Centre* that stocks used Leica cameras, lenses, and accessories and his son Paul is ready to take over when Reg might decide to take a well-earned retirement.  *Don't be caught out by the opening times when you decide to visit.

Pete.

[pgk]

5 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

We now have less choice for browsing and fondling the small objects of our desire, but that has gone in parallel with the wonderful opening up of the online market, allowing us to buy easily and tax free from across Europe.

And being serious about this for a moment, retailers who are adept at making their products (especially used) clearly and easily available online with as much relevant information clearly displayed, are going to potentially be the survivors. Personally I would suggest simple things like a weekly or dated update, newly included items shown obviously at the update and clear condition descriptions are those that I look at most. Simplicity is also the key - a single, bookmarked, dated, alphabetical listing take a lot of beating if you are looking for something specific.

[Musotographer]

Very sad news - I bought my first Leica from him, a lovely M9-P with a pre-Asph Summicron 50 and a slightly battered Tele-Elmarit 90 'thin' thrown-in to the deal for peanuts. I was a little nervous of going in to such a posh shop to spend such a lot of money (as it seemed to me at the time - I've become a little more used to Leica prices over the years) but they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, as indeed they were with further purchases. One begins to wonder if there'll be any bricks-and-mortar independent Leica stores left in London in a few years' time.

[farnz]

30 minutes ago, Musotographer said:

One begins to wonder if there'll be any bricks-and-mortar independent Leica stores left in London in a few years' time.

Hopefully Red Dot Cameras will be around for a while yet since it seems to have its priorities about right in terms of minimal overheads - family owned and run, inexpensive premises in EC3 compared to Mayfair or some other London locations, minimal staff, the owners spend much of their time behind the counter, they're very knowledgeable about Leica equipment, they're pleasant to do business with, and they trade well online too.  Long may they continue.

Pete.

[Musotographer]

1 hour ago, farnz said:

Hopefully Red Dot Cameras will be around for a while yet since it seems to have its priorities about right in terms of minimal overheads - family owned and run, inexpensive premises in EC3 compared to Mayfair or some other London locations, minimal staff, the owners spend much of their time behind the counter, they're very knowledgeable about Leica equipment, they're pleasant to do business with, and they trade well online too.  Long may they continue.

Pete.

Hear hear - if anyone’s going to survive it will be Red Dot, and deservedly.

Christopher

[Red Dot Cameras]

Thank you for all your kind words. PS we also have a dog on the team.

[masjah]

18 minutes ago, Red Dot Cameras said:

Thank you for all your kind words. PS we also have a dog on the team.

Ivor, I hope the crocodile security guard is also still there somewhere in the back office. 😀

[earleygallery]

Always sad to hear of a camera shop closing up. I visited a few times and bought a couple of items over the years. I was once very tempted to impulse by a s/h M8 they were offering for £600 but I didn't have £600 to spare at the time, but it was a great buy for someone.

As already mentioned, their overheads in that area must be massive, and with the Leica store nearby I guess they just weren't selling enough.

 

[Anbaric]

Very sorry to hear this. They were always polite and helpful, and their secondhand gear was surprisingly reasonably priced, despite the posh locations. I bought a 90/2 at their current place quite recently, and my M6 from the previous shop. I hope Red Dot (Hi!), Aperture, and the other independents will be around for a long time to come, though it must be very hard for all of them right now. I've had a chat with Reg in Croydon a couple of times (he's hugely knowledgeable), and am glad to hear he's still going strong.

I see the AP article is online:

https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/london-leica-specialist-to-retire-after-60-years-closing-down-sale-144098

Edited December 17, 2020 by Anbaric

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[earleygallery]

3 minutes ago, Anbaric said:

 I've had a chat with Reg in Croydon a couple of times (he's hugely knowledgeable), and am glad to hear he's still going strong.

I have been going to that shop on and off since I was born! My Dad used to buy a lot of his stuff there (I still have his Retina lllc and B&O tuner bought from Reg!). It's a real treasure trove of a shop.

The other shop in Croydon was Mr Cad who are now based in Pimlico and still going strong (and was also my first employer! Happy times).

[Pintpot]

Always sad to hear of a reliable photographic dealer closing down, I too have paused to look in Caplan's window when in London. It's not just the loss of service to customers but the potential loss of jobs as well (I started my 'photo life as a sales assistant in one of Manchester's oldest Photographic shops) I remember the time when there was a 'Photo Dealer' on most High Streets all over the country. On the plus side for us up here our Leica Store seems to be doing well, always good to deal with, I've been a customer for many years

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