Meet Brian Hurtgen of BlacKCat Vinyl LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Hurtgen.

Hi Brian , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For years, I had wanted to work at, or own my own record store. I would dream about it, but wonder how I would get the startup money. During the pandemic, I had met some people, through mutual friends, that took the opportunity to start their own food truck. Inspired by this, I began to think “I could do this with a pop up record store.” So, I thinned out my own collection, bought a couple of tables and partnered with my friends at Rochester Brewing and Roasting for my first pop up event on 9/11/21. I then would pop up around KC at Rochester, other coffee shops, or anyone that would have me. After a couple of years, I found out that Turnsol Books was wanting someone to sublease some unused space in their building. I took the leap and opened the physical location of BlacKCat Vinyl in April 2024.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been challenging at times, being a small business that, at least for now, is relying primarily on social media and word of mouth for advertising. As sales continue to grow, I intend to expand marketing and advertising, but for now, it is sometimes difficult to afford as a new kid in town.

As you know, we’re big fans of BlacKCat Vinyl LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Music has always been my passion. As a musician myself in the local music scene (Major Matt Mason USA, Holiday At Sea, Bye American), I want to put local KC music forward as much as possible. Of course, I will carry the staples like Taylor Swift that would appeal to anyone, but I try also to feature voices that might not get as much exposure. I want to be a place that is known for giving voice to underground artists, women, people of color, LGBTQ and anyone on the margins. I would love to create a vibe where anyone who walks in the door is going to know that they are safe, seen and represented in our racks.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think just taking the time to try an build community. Whether that looks like interacting with the customers that come in, or doing special events like our Last Tuesday of the Month Open Mic Night that we do in conjunction with our neighbors Turnsol Books. All are welcome to attend and share music, prose, poetry, comedy, or whatever art you want to contribute. We have only had this event the last two months, but already have seen a small community of very talented local artists get together to network and share their talents.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackcatvinyl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackcatvinylkc