AnAladdin’s CaveofNikon

There isa mecca in central London for passionateNikon users; it is called Grays of Westminster and is one of themost iconic camera stores in theworld.…

G RAYS ofWestminster is a name that will be familiar to many AP readers. A Nikon specialist in an exclusive and very historic part of central London, it was founded over 32 years ago by Gray Levett. His vision was to create a world-class camera store, offering a service second to none, and the store still follows this ethos. Grays ofWestminster has won awards from Nikon, the wider photographic trade and magazines. For the past two years it has also won the prestigious Amateur Photographer Platinum Good Service Award as voted for by the public. Aproud heritage When he was starting out, Gray Levett scraped together £100 and placed ‘tiny, inexpensive advertisements’ in the classified section of AP. Since the shop opened in 1985, it has gone from strength to strength and became a Nikon-only dealer in 1992.

Famous customers of Grays of Westminster include professional Nikon photographers, such as JoeMcNally and Jim Brandenburg, as well as luminaries like the late film director Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick trained as a photographer for

Look magazine after leaving school, and was a passionate Nikon user. As his personal assistant Tony Frewin explains, ‘I only ever knew (Kubrick) to defer to two people on matters photographic: Geoffrey Crawley, one-time editor of the BJP, and Gray Levett and the Grays ofWestminster gang down in Pimlico, who continue to give us unrivalled service.’

The store has a very close relationship with Nikon, and has received many awards for sales achievements and excellent customer service. They became the first camera shop in the world to be granted a Coat of Arms byHerMajesty’s College of Arms. In Gillian Greenwood’s book Grays ofWestminster:

The Legend and the Legacy, Nikon President KazuoUshida wrote in the introduction: ‘Grays ofWestminster and Nikon represent a timeless partnership…’ Nikon only Anyone looking for a new or second-hand Nikon will find something of interest at Grays ofWestminster. The store stocks the entire current range of Nikon DSLR cameras such as the all-conquering D850, and can also supply the Nikon SP black and S3 Limited Edition 35mm rangefinder cameras. Additionally, Grays ofWestminster sells the extensive range of autofocus (AF), AF-S (SilentWave), AF-P (SteppingMotor) and DX & FX Nikkor lenses, manual focus Nikkor lenses plus Speedlights and a vast range of Nikon accessories from eyepiece correction lenses to lens hoods. New Nikon equipment supplied by Grays of Westminster comes with a special twoyear warranty. The second-hand range is equally comprehensive, meanwhile, and the store offers a one-year warranty on used equipment. Grays ofWestminster can also help anyone interested in early Nikon equipment. Atyourservice... In an increasingly impersonal world, Grays ofWestminster is proud to have a dedicated team of people to assist you with your Nikon needs both in the shop and at the end of the telephone. As Gray Levett says, ‘Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we are entirely at your service as we have been for the past 32 years.’ For further information please visit www.graysofwestminster.co.uk

Service continues to come first at this iconic London store

Right: Grays Westminster were granted their own Coat of Arms by Her Majesty’s College of Arms

Below: The store is the only retailer to have twice won an AP Platinum Good Service Award

Above: Owner Gray Levett’s motto is ‘The answer is yes. What is the question?’