We sat down with Roland Wolff, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Retail for Leica Camera, Inc., to discuss the grand opening of the Leica Store San Francisco that takes place August 15 – August 17. Roland is responsible for all Leica branded retail outlets in the Americas, including Leica boutiques and stores. Below, Roland shares what to expect from Leica’s newest retail location.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about Leica Store San Francisco? What can visitors expect?
A: Leica Store San Francisco has been designed to embody both the unique character of San Francisco and the essence of Leica. There are beautiful wood floors, exposed brick walls, historic wood columns that are combined with Leica’s minimalistic black and red leather lined fixtures.
The store will carry the full-line of Leica Camera products, host exhibitions, workshops, lectures and will become a destination for photographers and enthusiasts in the Bay Area. If you’re in the San Francisco area this weekend, I encourage you to stop by and see it for yourself!

Q: Are there any special events taking place in conjunction with the grand opening?
A: Absolutely. There are some great photographic experiences going on. The Leica Akademie is hosting an M Owners Workshop Experience along with Leica M and Leica T walking tours that will be led by Leica Akademie instructor, Tom Smith and Leica’s Tom Brichta. Ben Ross, our S-System Product Specialist will host an indoor and outdoor fashion shoot with the Leica S-System on Saturday, August 16, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to test the S-System. All events are fully booked but we still encourage people to come by. They can still look over shoulders or talk to the good people of the Leica Store.

Q: Can you tell us about the first photography exhibition in the gallery?
A: Yes, images from Peter Turnley’s latest book “French Kiss – A Love Letter to Paris” are currently on display and will be up through October 31, 2014. Coinciding with the exhibition is a Leica Master Class taught by Peter that will be held October 24 – October 26. It’ll be an exciting weekend for participants as they get hands-on shooting sessions and important tips from Peter on how to overcome timidity and anxiety photographing people. You can register for it here. Peter is a renowned photojournalist so we’re thrilled for his photos to be the first exhibition and have him teach a workshop. Overall, the Gallery will feature five to six exhibits annually.

Q: Will the store offer Leica Akademie workshops?
A: Yes, it will. As mentioned previously, we have a few workshops going on in conjunction with the grand opening. We’ll continue to do so and there will be additional workshops on printing, editing and lighting as well as product demos and other related events. You can learn more about upcoming events on the Leica Akademie website and the Leica Store San Francisco website. There are actually two Leica M Owners’ Experience workshops coming up on September 7 and September 10.

Q: If people are interested in checking out Leica Store San Francisco, where is the store located and when is it open?
A: Thoughtful consideration was given to the selection of the location for Leica Store San Francisco. It’s located at 463 Bush St, near the corner of Bush and Grant. The store is adjacent to the restaurant Le Central and Chinatown Gate, only one half block from the Sutter Street garage.  Our goal was to capture the essence of both Leica and San Francisco in an engaging environment so that’s why we chose this location.
The hours are Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Thank you for your time, Roland!
– Leica Internet Team
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