The History Of Hawthorne Stereo
Portland roots • Seattle sound
The History of Hawthorne Stereo
An independent hi-fi store with a surprisingly unusual beginning: a small radio shop created to help launch one of the Pacific Northwest's great electronics companies.
Est. 1946 | Eight decades of listening
Long before the first Rega turntable reached our shelves, Hawthorne began life in Portland, Oregon, as Hawthorne Electronics. Our history runs through the earliest days of Tektronix, the golden age of hi-fi, a move to Seattle, and more than fifty years of stewardship by Robert “Bob” Levin. Here's how we got here.
This is a work in progress!
1946
An unlikely beginning
Hawthorne Electronics was incorporated in Portland in August 1946. The founders of the fledgling Tektronix business envisioned a retail radio and electronics shop that could bring in cash while they worked on their first oscilloscope. Hawthorne became part of that plan — and a business with its own future.
1947
The doors open on Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne Electronics celebrated its grand opening on Monday, May 5, 1947, at 712 SE Hawthorne Boulevard. Tektronix worked upstairs while the retail shop occupied the ground floor. An Oregonian announcement described the new building and its array of radios, record players, communications equipment, and more.
The original Hawthorne Electronics storefront. Archival photograph from vintageTEK Museum.
The May 4, 1947 Oregonian announcement, preserved by vintageTEK.
1948
Glenn McDowell takes the reins
On September 10, 1948, Tektronix co-founder Glenn McDowell, who had managed Hawthorne Electronics from the start, traded his 53 Tektronix shares for sole ownership of the store. Hawthorne was now independent of Tektronix, even as the two businesses remained historically intertwined.
Glenn McDowell. Archival photograph from vintageTEK Museum.
1950s
An electronics shop in an inventive city
Tektronix continued to work in the Hawthorne building until 1951, and the shop retained its electronics roots. A 1953 Tektronix catalog still listed Hawthorne Electronics as a Portland representative, naming Glenn McDowell and Don Fox among its contacts.
A shipment of Tektronix oscilloscopes at the Hawthorne building in 1950. Archival photograph from vintageTEK Museum.
Source: vintageTEK's early-site photographs · 1953 Tektronix catalog (PDF)
1971
Bob Levin takes ownership — and a new name
In 1971, Bob Levin purchased Hawthorne Electronics and renamed it Hawthorne Stereo that same year. Under Bob's ownership, the shop became a destination for people who cared about music and good sound, without the hard sell.
Both the purchase and the name change in 1971 are confirmed by Bob's personal accounts. Published records also show the original Hawthorne Electronics name in 1967 and the new Hawthorne Stereo name in a 1973 hi-fi advertisement.
Ear Ache Advertisement, by Stephen Sasser
From the electronics age to the hi-fi age — with independent advice, good equipment, and music at the center.
1967 reference to “Hawthorne Electronics” (PDF) · 1973 “Hawthorne Stereo” advertisement (PDF)
1976
A Portland destination for music lovers
By the mid-1970s, Hawthorne Stereo advertised an adventurous selection of audio equipment, including Quad, Audio Research, Marantz, Nakamichi, Technics, and McIntosh. A 1976 advertisement listed two Portland locations: one on SE Hawthorne Boulevard and another on SW Canyon Road.
LATE1980s
A new home in the Seattle area
Under Bob's leadership, Hawthorne Stereo made its way north to the Seattle area in the late 1980s. Over the years, customers came to know the shop through its Eastside and Seattle locations, and later its familiar home in the Roosevelt neighborhood.
Source: Hawthorne Stereo's remembrance of Bob and longtime customer recollections · 2008 Seattle Met profile
2021
Remembering Bob Levin
Bob passed away in 2021, fifty years after buying Hawthorne. He left behind far more than an audio store: friendships spanning generations, a staff that knew music and equipment inside out, and a relaxed, unpretentious way of doing business. His spirit still shapes the shop today.
Remembering Robert Levin, 1945-2021
2026& BEYOND
Eighty years of putting music first
These days you'll find us at 6303 Roosevelt Way NE in Seattle, surrounded by new and used hi-fi, records, turntables, speakers, and curious music lovers. We still believe the best way to choose a system is to hear it, talk about it, and enjoy the music — without the fuss.
A contemporary view of the Seattle showroom, published by PS Audio (not a historical image).
The same idea, all these years later
Good music. Good advice. A pretty nice place.
Thank you to everyone who has made Hawthorne Stereo part of their listening lives, from Portland in 1947 to Seattle today.
Historical photographs and records are attributed alongside their entries. Special thanks to the vintageTEK Museum for preserving the early history of Hawthorne Electronics. Some early details remain the subject of continuing archival research. The 1971 ownership and name-change history is based on Bob's personal accounts.