Willoughby's, which proclaims itself (the world's) Largest Camera (department) Store,[1] was described in 1997 by The New York Times as "New York City's oldest camera store."[2] It was founded by Charles G. Willoughby in 1898,[3] By 1963 the store operated as Willoughby and Peerless Camera,[4] and simply Willoughby-Peerless (without the word Camera) by 1992; by 2010 ownership had shifted, and the name once again was simply Willoughby's.[5]
Competition
For a while, the 1967-founded 47th Street Photo, about which tourists with a halting English would mistakenly ask for 47th Street Camera,[6][7] was a geographically not too distant competitor, but 47th closed a year before Willoughby's celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Other areas in which the store competed were computers and other business machines, and a film lab.[1]
Ownership
Ownership of Willoughby's has always been private. In the over a century since its founding by Mr. Willoughby, including the period when one or more of "Peerless",[8] "Camera", "Emporium"[9] "Department" and "Store" were part of its name, it has been owned by various others. Most recently these have included:[1]
Erich Hirschfeld,[4] who had formerly managed the business, purchased it in 1963
Berkey, Inc., "which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings"[1] in 1988
Queen Street Camera Inc., a Canadian firm that, eight years after its own founding acquired Willoughby's
