Central Camera

Central Camera is a camera shop at 230 South Wabash^[1] in Chicago, Illinois.^[2]

The neon sign above the store in 2010

Inside the store in 2013

The store at night in 2012

The store in 2020, boarded up after the George Floyd protests

A note left on the store after it was burned in 2020

History

Central Camera is the oldest camera store in the city. It opened in 1899 at 31 Adams Street.^[2] It was started by a Hungarian immigrant,^[3] moved to its current South Loop location in 1929^[4] and is currently operated by a third-generation owner.^[5][6] In 2020, radio station WBBM referred to it as "a museum of photography", due to the large number of historic cameras in the store.^[7]

In 2020, it was burned in a two-alarm fire during the George Floyd protests.^[8] The owner stated his intention to repair and reopen the store.^[9][10] A GoFundMe campaign had raised over $200,000 for rebuilding by mid-June 2020,^[11] with the first donation being $1,899 (the number representing the year that the store opened).^[12] While rebuilding took place, the business operated in an adjacent vacant storefront.^[13] The store reopened in June 2022.^[14]