The record buyer is a compulsive beast. 

There’s always the urge to dig and keep digging until you’ve found that rare gem — perhaps Prince’s “Black Album” or an original pressing of “The Velvet Underground and Nico” with the banana sticker still intact.

While Platterpus Records, 40 S. Addison Road, Addison, doesn’t carry the classic mom-and-pop record store feel or look with most of its business done on the Internet or by appointment, it stocks more than 30,000 records on its Web site. There’s also more than 50,000 records in its warehouse that have yet to be listed on the Web.

On Record Store Day this Saturday, Platterpus will let people inside to browse through the massive collection of old and new vinyl.

“It’s a great way to get the word out on vinyl again,” said Peter Kuehl, co-owner of Platterpus. “We just want to see what the community out there is like and have fun with people and vinyl lovers.”

Kuehl, who also works part time as a freelance photographer, has seen the popularity of vinyl shoot back up.

“It’s a sickness among music fans,” Kuehl said. “People (who) like vinyl really like vinyl. This (gives us a chance) to get together with fellow victims of vinyl and share stories.”

Kuehl and Christopher Grey have owned Platterpus for two years. The business originated in Louisville, Ky., 12 years ago, but Kuehl said when he and Grey saw the opportunity to buy the business, they had to take it.

“It was actually very good timing,” said Kuehl. “We got very lucky that it has taken off.

“We figured ‘What the heck, why not do it?’” said Kuehl. “We’re both big music fans. We’re trying to give it a real go.”

Even with the rough economy and the ever-struggling music business, Kuehl said that sales have been good and getting better.

“We’ve seen a resurgence, knock on wood,” said Kuehl.

Steve Warrenfeltz, owner of Kiss the Sky in Geneva, said the store has seen vinyl go from being 3 to 5 percent of its business to 20 percent.

“We know that people just love going in there and digging,” said Warrenfeltz. “It’s the hunt.”

Warrenfeltz and company also will be celebrating Record Store Day, a day that features independently owned stores.

Kiss the Sky will have an acoustic metal band (Smash Corps), food, and, for individuals who purchase vinyl in bulk, a free turntable.

“What we’re trying to do there is if anyone has been kind of on the fence about getting back into vinyl, we’re offering a real fun economic way to do it,” said Warrenfeltz.

Record Store Day has been “a nice shot in the arm,” as Warrenfeltz calls it.
Last year, it boosted Kiss the Sky’s sales to double of what they are on a normal Saturday.

“I think there’s a nostalgia factor going on,” said Warrenfeltz. “I think young kids are discovering their parents’ vinyl collection and going ‘Oh, this is cool,’ and there’s just the old timers (who) are collectors and they’re still there.”

Rich Sterioti, a Naperville resident who drives out to Kiss the Sky to peruse the vinyl section, visits often because of the selection and the people.

“When vinyl first came out, I couldn’t afford it,” said Sterioti. 

He said that as a newlywed in the ’60s and ’70s, he didn’t have the money for good vinyl, so he’s getting what he can now.

“It’s similar to fishing or hunting,” said Sterioti. “You really never know what you’re going to find.”

Sterioti spoke about finding new artists at Kiss the Sky by simply digging through the crates of vinyl on the racks and on the floors. He prefers the sound and look of vinyl over CDs and MP3s.

While other suburban record stores have moved into Chicago, including Record Breakers, formerly of Hoffman Estates, or are closing, such as Record Revolution in DeKalb, Warrenfeltz is not overly concerned about Kiss the Sky.

“Part of the fun of coming to a store like this, and I’m saying this from both my own point of view sitting on this side of the counter and I haven’t forgot what it’s like to stand on that side of the counter, is the interaction,” said Warrenfeltz. “It’s the social environment that you get at a place like this.

“You come in here and you can talk music with somebody who this is their life. Music is my life. You can hang out here, we can exchange ideas, talk about concerts, talk about the old days or the days coming up.”

Observing the counters at Kiss the Sky, you see what Warrenfeltz means. Old and new customers come up with a level of comfort and familiarity that can’t be found in most stores. Five-minute conversations stretch to 20-minute debates on matters in and outside of the realm of music.

Kiss the Sky harkens back to the days where you could go into a record store and have the clerk make a recommendation. Kiss the Sky’s recommendation shelf is stocked full of music you wouldn’t dream of finding in most big box stores. Recommended listening includes the newest Deerhunter and King Khan and the Shrines albums.

“If you go into a Best Buy, you don’t get that,” said Warrenfeltz. “You’re lucky to find a kid (who) even knows who The Kinks are or who remembers who Dean Martin was.”

Warrenfeltz’s thankful the store is in good standing with the community, and thinks the unintentional nostalgia factor helps out with shoppers in Geneva.

“People who come into this town and shop, they’ll come here out of curiosity and we’ll hear ... ‘Oh Martha, hey this is just like the store I used to hang out at back in the ’60s and ’70s.’ So we got that going for us.

“I think we work real hard at this. It’s our passion, it’s our life. I think we put out good product. It’s a good store. We feel that if music is going to continue to be important in people’s lives, a store like ours will survive.”