On May 7, 2014, the company announced that it would reopen its Oak Brook, Illinois, retail store location, and did so on May 11; it served as the anchor for the brand.

In 1939, Kenneth Becker founded the sporting goods store Calumet Manufacturing Company that sold an occasional camera in Chicago.

[8] In 1992, the company leased 85,000 square feet (7,900 m2) of office space in Bensenville, Illinois, and relocated its corporate headquarters.

[10] On March 13, 2014, the following was posted on the company's Facebook page: "After 75 years of business it is with a heavy heart that we announce our immediate closing in the United States (our European stores will continue).

According to Crain's Chicago Business, the company filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy after a lender opted not to continue its financing.

[19] The 2014 bankruptcy of the U.S. branch had no direct impact on Calumet Photographic's operations in the UK and mainland Europe, where all stores continue trading as normal.

[21] In 2014, the UK brand won a Gold Retailer award for customer service from Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera.

[24] Calumet Photographic's physical presence, in July 2016, comprised nine branches in the UK, six in Germany, two in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.