1825 Chapel Hill Road, Durham
(919) 402-0864
At a time when it feels like the small family business is an endangered species in Durham, it’s reassuring that one as unique as the Tuba Exchange has not only lasted for decades but lives on as a museum. Vince Simonetti built his hundreds-strong marching band of rare tubas, euphoniums, sousaphones, and helicons while selling others to school bands and private collectors nationwide, out of a bright yellow house on Chapel Hill Road. This year, after the Simonetti family chose to sell the business and retire, the collection opened to the public for free afternoon tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Even if you’re not interested in the history of the tubawhich Vince Simonetti can and will thoroughly catch you up onyou should drop by to behold one of the most distinctive visual spaces in the Triangle, with all that tangled brass bulging on the floors, ceilings, and walls.
