I have been following the opening of this spot for sometime. I have been hanging out in Hegewisch since I worked there for a few years back around 2002. I come out at least every other weekend but every time I would check, the place would be quiet and empty with doors locked. Finally on a very cold Saturday afternoon, I saw someone walking around inside as I flew by on my bike. I stashed my ride and headed over to finally check it out.
I was surprised to find the door locked as it had been no more than 5 minutes since I noticed someone through the glass. But as I peered inside, someone headed over to the door promptly and let me in. I felt a bit awkward as if I was intruding as I saw this person (I assumed the owner) was having a chat with a friend on a couch inside. I related as much but they kindly brushed it off and invited me in. He asked if I was interested in coffee (Katalyst is a combination record store/coffee shop) but I politely declined. He mentioned I could put some vinyl on to listen if I wanted and motioned toward the back of the shop where a turntable must be. I thanked him and got to work.
My understanding from the newspaper articles I had come across was that the store only sold new sealed vinyl (which doesn’t interest me). Knowing that I was still eager to have a look around at a record store in a neighborhood I’ve been hanging out in for so long. But I was pleased to see that there was plenty of used vinyl, in fact perhaps more (or at least equal to) than the new vinyl, which was on the end caps of the racks.
The used vinyl was alphabetized but not organized by genre. There was a good dose of hiphop, some rock, and most delightful for me was a good portion of jazz. Nothing was bagged but the records were individually priced, each and every one. I came across a few that interested me: Cal Tjader, Keith Jarrett – but the prices were pretty high. $20 – and upwards. I am not adverse to paying that, but I was shocked to see these unbagged at that price point. Still I continued on.
As I worked my way through the racks, someone else arrived. Not another customer, looked like another friend of the owner. He made a bee line to what I saw now was a full DJ setup with turntables and a mixer. A short time after that, the owner stepped out but before he left he did mention that if I found an LP I was interested in while he was gone, that the gentleman at the DJ table could take care of me. I thanked him and he took off. He commented as he left that his friend was here to ‘spin some reggae’. Sounds good to me – perhaps they had a planned event about to start. A bit confusing as no one else was there, and I found the door locked only 10 minutes before but I hope they had a killer party.
Katalyst seems like a very confused space – I even found a drum set in the corner – and I am not sure what they are going for. I’ve been to now 93 record stores across the USA but don’t know if I’ve seen one quite like this. As far as the door being locked, the hours listed do show they are open at 1:30pm on a Saturday (when I arrived) but also note ‘by appointment’. Not the worst record selection but not sure that it would be worthy of making an appointment. Felt a bit like I was intruding on someone’s chill spot to be honest, though I’ll admit the proprietor received me warmly. I’ll be curious to keep my eye on the place during future visits down to Baltimore Ave to see what they do – and I wish them the best.
