"America's Premier Leica Specialist" |
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About Stan Tamarkin
The offices - in upper class Woodbridge, northwest
of New Haven, Connecticut - are new. They are cleaner, larger, and nicer than the last
ones. But one has to ring a bell to enter; there are no displays, counters or light boxes
visible; and the offices do not invite a walk in trade.
It does not matter. Stan Tamarkin's business is 95 percent mail order, and his customer's
seek him out because he is so well known and respected. Who are his customers?
"People who love nice things," he says. "Actually," he goes on,
"there are those who love nice things, those who also know a great deal about
cameras, and collectors." Tamarkin & Company's New York Showroom Collectors are
special. They're obsessive like me; they just go crazy to obtain a particular item."
Tamarkin knows of whom he speaks. In the 1970s, with a doctorate in
American Studies from Yale, he was teaching in the New Haven area. But he also collected
Leicas, he would buy two and sell one at a profit to finance his passion, and he went
regularly to Europe to attend photography shows, scout out collectibles, and meet with
other collectors.
Soon, he found that his sideline could support himself, wife and four children better than
his teaching did. By 1984, he was franchised full-time out of the basement of his house.
Three years later, he managed to persuade Leica to make him a dealer. That same year, he
moved the business out of his house. Now, his dealership is one of the biggest in Leica
collectables, and it has a reputation worldwide.
Although most of his clients are in the United States and Western Europe, business in the
Pacific Rim is growing. It is also not unusual at the company to overhear a conversation
in German or see a Fax from Thailand.
A Highly-Niched Market
"Our customers have a certain profile," Tamarkin observes.
"Usually males 50-plus in age, they tend to be college graduates earning a
comfortable annual salary and taking one or more professional trips abroad. They buy high
quality, expensive items and they expect good service. We do everything we can to give it
to them."
He hires people who are educated, experienced, and above all, love cameras. Eric Bohman,
for example, is a fellow Yale PhD and everyone on the staff is a college graduate. Highly
knowledgeable about their products and very articulate, all staff members are willing to
take whatever time required to discuss a customer's problems or needs.
"I myself had an inquiry form someone wanting to sell his collection," says
Tamarkin. I wrote a letter and received the consignment. His wife later told me that I got
the job because she thought my letter was so literate."
Taking No Chances
Still, Tamarkin takes no chances. He used to target the European market;
now, he reaches out to Americans and others as well. His advertisements in Shutterbug
magazine are in color and among the most expensive. He puts 
out one of the most elegant
catalogues in the business. He sends out a newsletter. And he is expanding beyond Leicas
to selected camera makes, although Leica remains the mainstay of his trade.
Business for new cameras, in particular, is booming to the point where Tamarkin has less
time for the collectibles he loves. But they all sit around his office. "I like to
play with them," he says, "I guess it suits my casual approach."
Stan Tamarkin's Favorite Links...
The Leica Historical Society
Agfa's Homepage
Kodak
Leica International
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