The Museum of Making Music's recent renovation allowed us to upgrade many aspects of the Museum, including adding state-of-the-art interactive areas to our galleries. Since we reopened, you may have also noticed the Museum renamed its retail space The Charles Museum Store, after a generous donation by prominent instrument retailer Ruth Charles.

Charles is a longtime patron, philanthropist and volunteer of music and arts in Southern California. Along with her late husband, Dick Charles, the two ran Charles Music, one of Los Angeles's most successful full-line music stores, for more than 40 years. As an avid musician and instrument retailer, Ruth Charles exemplifies the Museum of Making Music's mission to celebrate innovation and encourage music making in future generations.

This year, Charles made a generous donation to the Museum of Making Music, a move she considers a continuation of the important work she and her husband began with their music store.

"Two people can build their entire lives and family around such a wonderful thing of not just selling music, but bringing music and being music to a community," said Dennis Houlihan, former president of Roland Corporation U.S. and Museum of Making Music advisory board member. "That's what Dick and Ruth Charles did and it's a great lesson to anyone who visits the Museum."

"Ruth and Dick Charles saw a variety of instruments come and go through their store and witnessed firsthand the innovations of the music products industry over the years," said Carolyn Grant, executive director at the Museum of Making Music. "We are honored to have the Charles Music Store continue to be a part of the story of music making that we tell here at the Museum of Making Music."