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Calumet Photo's Last 3 Shops Close, Ending Run That Began in 1939

By Mina Bloom | January 26, 2016 4:49pm
 The flagship location, 819 W. Eastman St., with signs plastered to its windows.
The flagship location, 819 W. Eastman St., with signs plastered to its windows.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom

GOOSE ISLAND — The three remaining Calumet Photographic locations, including the flagship spot in Goose Island, have shuttered, marking the end of the business that opened in 1939, according to the company that rescued it from bankruptcy in 2014.

If this all sounds familiar, it should. 

Chicago-based Calumet abruptly closed all of its U.S. locations in March of 2014 amid filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

News of the recent closings comes after C&A Marketing, Inc., a camera and photographic equipment manufacturer and distributor, bought Calumet in May of 2014 in hopes of reinvigorating the brand.

In addition to the Goose Island location at 819 W. Eastman St., C&A is closing its remaining two Illinois locations: one in suburban Oak Brook and another in suburban Northbrook — all due to poor performance.

"These locations, while profitable, have not performed to the level at which we can sustain their operation over the long-term," said Michael Roth, managing director of Ritz Camera & Image, in a prepared statement.

"Regrettably, in an era dominated by online retailing, these particular brick and mortar locations have not delivered the return on our substantial investment that would warrant our continuing to operate them under the existing business model," he wrote.

With these closings, there will be no more stores operating under the Calumet name.

Seven stores in the Ritz Camera & Image retail chain remain open, but none of them are in Illinois. Those locations are as follows: Homewood, Ala.; Atlanta, Ga.; Dallas and Plano, Texas; Bethesda, Md.; and Salt Lake City.

The company will still operate RitzCamera.com for photography equipment and accessories and RitzPiz.com for imaging services and products.

Open repair orders will either be completed by the time the company has moved out of the space, or will be sent to Ritz Camera headquarters in New Jersey for completion. Customers are encouraged to reach out to the company's customer service with any questions, according to a message plastered to the flagship location's windows.

Prior to its bankruptcy, Calumet Photographic had been in business for more than 75 years. 

The 3,500-square-foot flagship shop offered traditional lighting and lens kits, a location for studio shots and a rental department. 

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