Sam Ash Returns as Online Retailer

Hicksville, NY (March 11, 2025)—Venerable MI/pro-audio chain Sam Ash is returning as an exclusively online retailer, relaunching as Sam Ash Direct and maintaining its existing www.samash.com website.

The move comes less than a year after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and abruptly closed all its physical locations last spring—a move that came after a century in business. In September, 2024, Mexico-based music retailer Gohner Music Group acquired the brand and associated intellectual property.

Now relaunching as a digital-first retailer, it will continue to focus on musical instruments, pro audio gear, and live sound equipment. Leaning into the company’s legacy of customer service, the retailer is enacting what it calls “Gear Expert Team2,” offering customers discounts, and personalized expert guidance via phone, chat and email in both English and Spanish.

The original company was founded in 1924 by Austrian immigrant Sam Ashkynase, launching his Brooklyn, NY store with $400 raised by pawning his wife Rose’ engagement ring. Surviving the Great Depression and shifting trends in music, the company hit its stride in the 1950s and 60s with the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, which led to the rollout of new locations, including in Manhattan on 48th Street’s famed Music Row, where the retailer bought up various small storefronts as they became available until it had seven locations on the same block. The brand remained family-owned as it continued to grow in the intervening decades, growing into a coast-to-coast national chain until last year.

“Sam Ash isn’t gone—it’s just evolved,” says Derek Ash, Director of E-Commerce and great-grandson of Sam Ashkynase. “Our commitment to serving musicians remains unchanged. We’re bringing the same passion, expertise, and personalized customer service that made Sam Ash special—now in a digital-first format that allows us to serve musicians nationwide with even greater convenience.”

As part of its future plans, Sam Ash Direct is expanding its offerings to better serve Latino musicians. With the Gonher Group’s established presence in Latin America, Sam Ash Direct will introduce dedicated content, product selections and promotions tailored to Latin music genres.