Erik Olesen 1942 – 1995
Toronto. I remember Erik since my user camera at the time was a Leica M4. As a Leic a rep for Walter Carveth, I often saw him in camera shops buying used cameras in good condition. Erik (briefly a member of the PHSC) attended our fairs both as a buyer and a table holder.
The photo at left is from the Journal, upscaled in Topaz Photo AI and adjusted with both Topaz AI and Focus Magic.
In 1979, Erik opened his own shop, Queen Street Camera Exchange, saying it was time Toronto had a true camera exchange store once again. I first visited the recently opened shop in May of that year.
A few years after the tremendously successful opening, the shop expanded to encompass a facility just east of the store. Later, it began to struggle, and later still disappeared. Erik opened another store called Hayden Camera.
Erik himself was in poor shape after the Queen Street facility closed and died a short time later. Ev wrote a brief memoriam for issue 21-4 as follows, “Always to be seen at our Fairs with interesting items, Erik Olesen was well known across Canada to both amateur and professional photographers. Born in Bowmanville, ON, he became associated with Walter Carveth when the Leica was introduced [to Carveth], later becoming Sales Manager for Leitz.
Seeing a wider market, he opened the well known Queen Street Camera Exchange, a professional and amateur supply house, and later, Hayden Camera. There was always a large historical display in addition to a vast Leica case and the latest items on the market, about which he displayed encyclopedic knowledge.
Erik died at the age of 53, leaving his wife, Kelly, and their children, Colleen, Philip and Erin.
