STILL TRADING.

On the west side of Wabash Avenue by the Adams and Wabash L station is Central Camera.

The store got caught up in the Biden riots of May, 2020.  "Yes, when the protests following the death of George Floyd came to Chicago, the wilding followed the peaceful assembly.  It wasn't limited to the liberation of shoes and mobile phones from the Magnificent Mile or flat-screen televisions from the big box stores."  Central Camera was not looted, although its building tempted the firebugs.

The destruction came at a difficult time for Central Camera Company, which has faced adversity in recent years. Our basement was severely damaged by flooding following the ‘Polar Vortex’ deep freeze of January 2019, and we’ve faced a substantial rent increase by the store’s building owner. Central Camera has been closed since early March 2020 for the Covid19 public health emergency, which has severely impacted business.

However, our customers are extremely loyal, and the resurgence of film photography has helped business to remain strong. Central Camera Company celebrated its 121st year in business this year, and we plan to be around for many years to come with your help.

Wednesday, during the convention, it appeared a few old-school photojournalists were stocking up on film, and there were boxes of print paper for the darkroom wizards to buy.  I bought one of the fund-raising tee shirts.

The weather was fine for outdoor drinking, but I saw almost nobody outside, and no delegates with their credentials, the way they were enjoying Milwaukee.