The Chicago Music Exchange on World Cafe

There’s a place in Chicago that’s like Willy Wonka’s factory for musicians: There are electric guitars of all shapes and colors hanging on the walls, a climate-controlled chamber for acoustic instruments, and rooms full of bass guitars, synthesizers and drums.

As part of our Sense of Place trip to the Windy City, the World Cafe team took a tour of the Chicago Music Exchange with general manager Jonathan Urban. The music equipment store is a prime destination for musicians, with a showroom that looks more like a museum, complete with a vault full of rare vintage guitars.