Chesapeake Classics is the Decoy Store!   

Since its opening in the summer of 2008 there have been some changes, all good!  Dedicated to quality customer service, our 2500 square foot decoy shop offers a tremendous selection of North American decoys and lures offered at fair market value pricing!  From Canada to Louisiana, California to the Chesapeake Bay, antique to contemporary and all others in between Chesapeake Classics offers these wonderful collectibles in what is probably the largest decoy shop in North America!  How is this possible you might ask?   We love decoys and we thrive on hard work and dedication to the business!  Seeking out the best decoys that can be offered affordably is the fun part by not only finding our inventory at auctions, private sales, internet offerings, but we love getting consignments!  Our business has allowed us to meet carvers, dealers and valued consignors from all over the country.  No matter what we treat our consignors with the utmost honesty and fairness.  If our customers (buyers and or consignors) aren’t happy, neither are we.

Who are we?  Let me introduce myself, I’m Gail Runge-Bowen, the owner.  I became interested in collecting decoys in the early 1990s.  Over the years my husband and I have accumulated quite a collection of decoys from old “Bay birds” to North American factory decoys.  These decoys make up the majority of our inventory and it is a vast and varied selection.  In addition to owning Chesapeake Classics, I maintain my current position as a nurse reviewer for a large managed care agency.  As that position offers me little time to run the shop myself I am very fortunate to have a manager who oversees the operation, my store manager, Russ Hudson.  Now let me tell you a little about him…..

First let me say I have never met someone who works harder or gets as much done as Russ.  It will make your head spin!  Also known my many collectors and eBay members as “SKEETSHOOTER251”, Russ brings to Chesapeake Classics his excellent reputation as a “Power Seller” on eBay as well as his exceptional organizational skills.  His dedication and love of decoys makes it look easy for him to maintain his listings on eBay (average listings of 150 per week) and run the shop.  Trust me, easy it isn’t!  Long hours go into this and it shows!  The store looks wonderful and his eBay feedback speaks volumes.  Russ and his wife moved to Cambridge in October of 2009 when he accepted the manager position with Chesapeake Classics and since that time the transformation and success have been fantastic.  Needless to say, I am truly thankful! 

Let’s not forget, that others are certainly involved with this operation.  Amy Brohawn joined the business in November 2009 to assist with maintaining our wonderful website and provide sales assistance within the shop.  Amy has been around decoys for quite some time and knows her Dorchester county decoys as well as Chincoteague and eastern shore of Virginia birds.  Amy and her son Hayden reside in Cambridge.  And last but not least, Cindy Maloy, my sister, she does our bookkeeping.  She calls herself a volunteer, but she’s much more than that!

Please peruse our website, load up your cart if you desire, call us, email us or just make a trip to historic downtown Cambridge, Maryland.  It will certainly be time well spent.