- Cymbal House, founded by architect-turned-entrepreneur Erce Gohkan, specializes exclusively in cymbals.
- Located on Main Street in Covington, the shop operates primarily online, serving musicians, churches, and universities worldwide.
- The business designs and manufactures its own in-house cymbal brand, Xilxo, combining tradition with modern e-commerce.
Despite being situated along Main Street in Covington, Erce Gohkan’s Cymbal House seldom sees customers walking in off the street.
“I am not doing a local business at all,” Gohkan explained. “Almost no one walks in off the street and buys a cymbal.”
Occasionally, curious tourists wander into the store at 524 Main Street in Mainstrasse, gawking at the towering displays of cymbals that line all four walls, stretching from floor to ceiling. If they happen to strike up a conversation with Gohkan, their voice will reverberate off the bevy of cymbals.
Gohkan, for all intents and purposes, is an expert on cymbals, but he didn’t start out that way. Gohkan is an architect by trade, but after immigrating to the United States from Turkey in the 1990s, he struggled to find employment because of differences in industry standards and educational backgrounds. That’s when he turned to entrepreneurship.
While vacationing in Istanbul, Turkey, with his wife, Nora, Gohkan visited a music store where he noticed the cymbals. The cymbals stood out to him because of their cultural significance in Turkey.
The modern cymbal has deep roots in the Ottoman Empire, with the family of Armenian alchemist Avedis Zildjian credited with perfecting the B20 bronze alloy cymbal. Cymbals were often used in Ottoman military orchestras as the loud sounds were a way to project strength. Ottoman soldiers began spreading the instrument across Europe, as famous European composers like Beethoven and Mozart adopted it into their music. From there, it started to gain mass appeal throughout Europe, and later, the United States and Canada.
“We were on vacation in Istanbul, so I was thinking, what in relation to Turkey can I do?” he said. “Then I saw this music store there. I was not a musician at that time, but I have seen some cymbals before, but I didn’t pay attention. But there, this attracted my attention.”
Gohkan began his journey into the world of cymbals by buying them from wholesalers and selling them on eBay. At this stage, the business was strictly a side hustle. In 2004, his business had picked up to the point where he decided to create his own brand, initially called something similar to “Zildjian.” The well-known cymbal family had moved their operations to the U.S. in the 1920s, setting up shop in Boston.
Following Zildjian’s cease-and-desist letter, Gohkan chose the name Xilxo for his in-house brand, which Cymbal House currently offers. By the time broadband internet became widespread in 2006, Gohkan was prepared to grow his enterprise. He officially launched his own business that year.
In 2011, he and his wife inherited the building at 524 Main Street from his wife’s parents. This space became the modern iteration of Cymbal House. The building now functions as a showroom, workshop, and online fulfillment center. He used his architectural background to design the distinctive cymbal layout that the showroom is known for.
Due to its online-only business model, Cymbal House serves customers across the United States and abroad. Its clientele ranges from churches and jazz musicians to the occasional university music department, such as Northern Kentucky University. Gohkan said cymbals typically sell for anywhere from $200 to $800.
Today, Gohkan’s business is trucking along, weathering downturns in the U.S. economy, such as the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and the current tariff environment.
“During COVID, actually, we did not do too bad,” he said. “People were at home and trying to find things to do.”
Now 66 years old, Gohkan continues to run his business as a labor of love, using its profits to support his family. While it can be challenging, he takes pride in maintaining a niche craft that connects to centuries of Turkish tradition. In fact, Cymbal House is quite possibly the only cymbal-specific retailer on planet Earth. It just so happens that the business, which also manufactures authentic, in-house cymbals, is located in Covington.
“It would be probably better in New York or Chicago. I could be anywhere else. I mean, this is probably the worst to be,” he laughed.
