Central Camera Co.

230 South Wabash Avenue image by Dr. Philm (Image rights)

Central Camera Co. is a camera shop in Chicago, founded in 1899 by the Hungarian immigrant Albert Flesch. In the 20th century it moved to Wabash Avenue. His sons took over the shop, and now it's in the 3rd generation. Unwillingly it became part of National History since it was burnt down in the 2020 unrest that followed the police-method-caused death of George Floyd. Two years later it could reopen, thanks to a big crowd-funding initiative. From the beginning it always was a service-orientated distributor, with services including camera repair, film development and making photo prints.

Old ads of CCC are documents of the presence of imported cameras in the American market, for example many German ones.

1936 catalog, German cameras including Leica and Contax models image by Nesster (Image rights)

1936 catalog, offers of fine lenses of Rochester's lens makers Gundlach, Bausch & Lomb and Wollensak, as well as shutters of a Californian shutter maker image by Nesster (Image rights)