Sixty-eight years, one family, a fire, and a music community that wouldn't let us go. The shop you know today started with a husband, a wife, and a storefront on H Street.
It starts way back in 1958. Chuck and his wife Marge open their first store at 12th and H Streets in downtown Washington, D.C. — Marge lets him put his name on the building, as she was always quick to point out.
It doesn't take long before the shop earns a reputation as a must-visit for any serious musician passing through the nation's capital.
Word gets around fast. Chuck and Marge build a reputation for honest opinions, reliable advice, personal attention, good will — matched with a huge inventory and great prices.
No musician passing through D.C. can skip Chuck's. The modest mom-and-pop becomes a D.C. institution.
"Chuck knew musicians didn't just use their instruments as tools — they developed an emotional bond with their guitar or tuba or drum kit. You name it." — from the family record
In April 1968, as riots tear through D.C. following the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the original store is destroyed in a fire.
The Levin family makes it out safely. The building and everything in it does not.
Local and national, the music community is determined to keep Chuck's alive. With their help, the store reopens four months later — at the new and current location on Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton, Maryland.
By forming strong partnerships with the biggest names in the music industry, Chuck and Marge keep an enormous selection of instruments and equipment on the floor.
And by forming strong relationships with their customers, they have an enormous impact on the lives of musicians in the D.C. area and beyond.
Following the passing of Chuck and Marge, their two sons Alan and Robert and daughter Abbe take over stewardship of the company. Chuck's continues to grow each and every year — winning top sales awards from several of the biggest manufacturers and publications in the industry.
The Levin family has adopted its fair share of employees over the years, making Chuck's one of the most unique places to work.
The legendary brick-and-mortar grows a second life online — same experts, same advice, now a phone call, chat, or email away. We never hand you off to an automated system. The folks who help in the store are the same ones answering the phone and the inbox.
Adam — grandson of Chuck and Marge — joins the company in 2010 and helps drag the operation, lovingly, into the 21st century: e-commerce, a professional photo studio so digital customers can see what they're buying, and digital inventory that finally retires the cumbersome paperwork.
The title says general manager. The work spans everything from selling equipment to fixing the photo studio's lighting.
Today Chuck's has several buildings — multiple showrooms, instrument repair workshops, storage, and an adjunct business serving schools and government (GSA) needs at scale. Six departments of experts: Guitars & Bass; Drums & Percussion; Keyboards, Synths & Recording; Band & Orchestral; Pro Audio & Pro DJ; Accessories.
However you shop with us, we'll treat you like family. If you're in the D.C. area, come hang at the legendary store in Silver Spring. Jam on something. Talk to a real human. Watch one of our techs work magic on a beat-up tube amp.
