the boys at Lisle-Kelco in 2000 after acquiring Leica and Minox
Toronto. After Leitz sold its Midland plant to the American military contractor Hughes Aircraft (Los Angeles), Leica sales and repair in Canada bounced from one distributor to another, landing briefly at Lisle-Kelco who closed in 2003. The brief article accompanying the photo shown here stated, “In a major shake up for Leica Camera AG some eight distributorships throughout the world have changed hands.
“Feeling they should have a much better position in the market, the moves are aimed to rejuvenate interest in Leica precision quality products which defined the 35mm field during the 20th century.
“The Japanese dominate the SLR marketplace and might turn aggressively to the rangefinder segment to cause more pressure on Leica’s weakened financial condition [far more robust in 2025].
“Major changes and mergers may yet be in the future for European survival. Lisle-Kelco is already recognized for its “cadillac” line of photo products like Hasselblad, Gitzo, Broncolor, Durst and Leaf, etc.
“President Andy Petersons, delighted to add another diamond to the L-K crown, announced, ‘We are proud that the Leica product line will be part of our offerings to the photo industry. In addition, Minox, a subsidiary company of Leica, with a range of miniature cameras and 35mm compact cameras, plus a range of binoculars and other unique instruments, will also be part of our product offering.'”
An early product was the replica UR-Leica shown in a gorgeous brochure from Lisle-Kelco. Eventually Leica departed from Canada. Teaneck, NJ is now their North American Headquarters.
Note: the post title is a riff on Willie Nelson’s iconic song “On The Road Again“.
