Matt Mona at Ka-Chunk! Records (www.facebook.com/KACHUNKRecords) carries a somewhat unusual product line: In the era of iPods, MP3s and CDs, he sells records — vinyl records. “I also sell high quality screen-printed posters and a few odds and ends,” said Mona, “But vinyl is the heart of the business.”
He started KaChunk! about eight years ago as an online operation. In 2010, he opened his Annapolis retail location.
“It’s just a one-man operation at the moment. I run both the online and storefront business. … I wanted to do something I enjoyed and something where I could wake up at 11 a.m. without a boss firing me for it.”
Ka-Chunk’s inventory focuses almost exclusively on vinyl, with very little space reserved for CDs. He carries a wide selection of records, counting more than 700 unique artists represented in his New Vinyl section alone.
Unlike many other stores that carry vinyl and tend to offer more used items, Mona specializes in releases from current artists, noting that it is the contemporary work that can sustain the music industry. He feels that his customers appreciate the craftsmanship of a record and said that vinyl’s sound quality (when not diminished by scratches and poor maintenance) is unparalleled. The number of releases on vinyl grows every year.
When asked about the future, Mona said, “I honestly don’t have any grand plan. … I just want to have a place where people can come in and listen to some music they might not have ordinarily been turned on to … and even learn a bit from my customers while I’m at it.”
