Red Rose Launches Chicago Store

Red Rose Music is celebrating the launch of its Chicago store with a grand opening bash Thursday, September 26.

Over 18 months in development, the new store at 672 North Wells Street in downtown Chicago will offer luxury home-theater systems, custom-installed whole-house electronics, and Red Rose audio products in a lavish environment described by manager Joe Cavanagh as "part art gallery, part upscale home." Among the store's unusual features are a series of paintings commissioned from artist Barry Gross and an Astonia baby grand piano, upon which what Cavanagh called "real live humans" will perform so that customers can compare live music to that played back through Red Rose electronics and loudspeakers.

The new store is near Chicago's Merchandise Mart in the River North district, about eight blocks from Michigan Avenue, and will cater to movie and music lovers whose primary concerns are sonic and visual aesthetics and ease of use. The store's design center is a "red granite kitchen," with in-wall loudspeakers, a Sony plasma television, and a Crestron whole-house automation system, so that customers can get a feel for what is possible in their homes. "We want to make it easy for the upscale customer by showing them that advanced electronics can be simple to use," Cavanagh stated.

The store employs five full-time custom installers, who are already busy fulfilling contracts signed while the store was under construction. "We've had eager customers since we first started work on the place," Cavanagh explained. "One gentleman tracked us down all the way from Washington, DC."

Red Rose investors pumped approximately $350,000 into the high-ceilinged 1800-square-foot location, which includes a 20' x 20' home theater room in "Ralph Lauren faux-leather," with a high-definition Sharp XV-Z9000 DLP video projector. A two-channel music room features Red Rose Classic and Rose Bud Mk.II loudspeakers; Revelation, Passion, and Affirmation amplifiers, and Rega turntables—because company founder Mark Levinson insists that "less than 0.01% of the musical repertoire is available on true SACD recordings." Cavanagh believes that the $8000 Red Rose Classic speaker system powered by the $7000 Affirmation amplifier is the "equal of anything in the world at any price."

The River North neighborhood has plenty of home furnishing stores, including a lighting center adjacent to the Red Rose Music showroom. The proximity to related businesses bodes well for the new store and its neighbors. "We should all reinforce business for each other," Cavanagh said.

A pre-opening media blitz by Red Rose's founder Mark Levinson will conclude with the grand opening party Thursday night. The Chicago store is "a dream come true made possible by a group of committed, passionate people," Levinson said by phone from New York. He described the Red Rose approach as "a return to the importance of what you feel rather than what you see," made possible by a sustained effort by "people grounded in the love of music." Levinson said that he and the entire Red Rose team are "thrilled" by what he called "a real vindication of everything we've been working toward." Red Rose Chicago can be reached at (312) 266-8630.

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