Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Maher.
Hi Tom, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I first started collecting when I was in fourth grade. My brother–2 years ahead of me–got me into thrash metal. Believe it or not, my mom was the one who bought me records and cassettes originally. It’s funny because my family all went to Catholic school. A few years later, my brother was moving on from thrash metal to straight-edge hardcore and I followed along. It wasn’t until then that i actually began to buy music on my own. I would probably credit Jawbox’s Grippe album as the first piece of music I bought on my own. It was a cassette, basically a random grab from the record store near my house. I grew to really appreciate it. Jawbox stayed atop my favorites of all time for many years. I also randomly bought a grunge comp before grunge really broke. That was another one of the first albums I bought on my own. (My brother didn’t like it BTW. There was too much drug use associated with the bands). Jawbox and the grunge comp were my jumping off place into the world of music at that time. 6th, 7th grade and on into high school I almost exclusively listened to straight-edge hardcore. One problem with my appreciation of music in high school was that I didn’t have a lot of money. At some point, i moved on to punk and ska (and even played in a punk-ska band). I started getting into Lookout Records and particularly a gutter punk band called Crimpshrine. Once I got into college I had more disposable income. That’s when my appreciation really expanded. I was going to the record store once a week. I found so much great stuff at that time–too many to name. In college, i was finally able to follow my own trajectory. I dabbled in electronic, indie rock, drum n bass, and also began collecting experimental and avant-garde albums. After college, I moved to Durango, CO and started my first record store inside of a lodge! I wasn’t ready for that, though, and within a couple of years, the business folded and I moved away to Denver. Denver was my second golden age. I got a job at a huge independent record store. And when you are in an environment like that, you collect like crazy. You have inspiration all around you in the form of physical media as well as other music-obsessed. I lasted there about 3 years. In 2009, I moved to St. Louis, where my mom lived. I met Sonia Slankard and developed a relationship with her. In 2013, we moved into a home together in the Gravois Park neighborhood. She was employed by City Museum in art city. She knew a lot about arts and crafts so we decided to open a business–Kismet Creative Center–on Cherokee St. At that time, art was our focus. However, at that same time, a REALLY awesome record shop called A-Pop on Cherokee was closing it’s doors. That was enough inspiration for me to turn our space into a record shop / venue / art gallery. We did that for four years–2014-2018. It was our baby and we still regard those days fondly. Around 2019, I reopened along Cherokee and stayed there till 2023. In april 2023, we reopened again, this time in an incubator space in Dutchtown and we’ve been here ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Work. Right now, I have a side-gig that I have to keep to pay the bills. I work a lot. Monday through Thursday, I’m cleaning Air BnB apartments. I’d like to quit that job, but I can’t afford to. Then, on the weekend, I run the shop. Balancing the two has been a struggle.
We’re located in a neighborhood that I believe is up and coming, but it’s not quite there yet. We don’t get the foot-traffic that a lot of other well-situated stores get. We’re kind of a “destination place”. You gotta wanna come to us. New customers aren’t easy to come by, but I feel that is changing.
Sonia, Kismet’s better half, has had some health issues over the last year and she has been unable to contribute as much.
Balancing used records with new records. If you know anything about the record business, you can’t get by without acquiring used record collections. This has been a challenge for us in the past, but is changing. With new records, the question is “How much is enough”. The answer is open-ended.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kismet Records?
We value music over everything, There is nothing more profound to us than experiencing music. It’s an endless, incredibly rewarding hobby. My focus, for quite awhile, has been psychedelic jams, shoegaze artists and library music. But it’s always about turning the corner, or peeling the onion. What’s next? What’s new? What’s different? Who is pushing the envelope and how are they doing it? In general, we do try to err on the side of the weird. There’re even lost gems that are constantly being rediscovered and repressed that are cutting edge to this day. We love that stuff.
Brand-wise, I love our logo. It’s Metatron’s Cube, but with records. I love the word “Kismet” itself as it implies synchronicity. And my favorite hashtag that I use the most is #HearMore. I want people to give a healthy listen. I want people to explore and take risks with what they choose to listen to rather than stick to what they’re used to. It can be a challenge, but it’s worth it.
One other thing I want people to know about us is that we’re all about the tithe. We want to be able to give back, especially if you’re loyal to us. One way we do that is with a loyalty card. After so many purchases, you get $20 off. We also have stuff we give away regularly. We really want to reciprocate to our customer base to show our appreciation. And to bring it all around again, music is so important. Yes, we want to make money, but we really want to make community, too.
Finally, I’d be remiss not to mention Tape Club. As the St. Louis institution KDHX seems to be in decay, I feel like now more than ever is the time to be sharing music. If you stop into our shop and buy anything, we will gift you a blank cassette. We want you to take that cassette home and record some songs to it. At this point, it is your choice what you do with it, but we hope you choose to bring it back to us. Once we have it, the next person that comes in with their own mix-tape can swap out theirs for yours and on and on. It’s basically a free service. We’re just the headquarters.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I brew kombucha and have brewed for several years. I own a bar in Brooklyn, NY, with my sister, Betsy. I was vegan-macrobiotic for 8 years. I majored in creative writing in college.
Pricing:
- $10 mostly punk mystery bags
- Free–Tape Club
- $25–Record Cleaning, Small Collection
- Record De-Warping TBD
- BOGO–Small-Press Underground Cassettes (LImited Time Offer)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kismetrecordsstl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kismet_records
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomkismet
- Other: https://www.discogs.com/user/exvegan6697
