Casey and Karen Sorensen-Kindt never thought they would make a business out of a hobby. What started out as selling antiques at flea markets, turned into owning hundreds of records from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The couple, originally from Duncan, Okla., moved to Seward in December 2020 just a few days before Christmas. In Oklahoma, Casey and Karen ran their family-owned record store, Put The Needle On The Record.
The store opened in the summer of 2018, and the Sorensen-Kindts were shocked at its success.
“It all started out when we did flea markets for antiques,” Karen said. “One day, Casey ran across a Pink Floyd 'Dark Side of the Moon' record for a dollar, and at the flea market ended up selling it for $100.”
“That's when we knew we were onto something,” Casey said.
Since closing their brick and mortar location of Put The Needle On The Record this past October, the couple has continued to sell their records online both locally and worldwide. They have records ranging from Jimmy Buffett and Fleetwood Mac, to Kiss and The Rolling Stones.
Even with a collection of hundreds of records, Casey and Karen are still picky when it comes to what they will sell to customers.
“We look for quality and condition,” Casey said. “We try to keep any surface blemishes minimal so we can give the customer the best we can.”
But it doesn't stop there. Karen and Casey clean and listen to every record, and grade them to give potential customers an exact description.
“We listen to every single one thoroughly, front and back,” Karen said. “So if there's any skips or background noise, we always put that down so customers know.”
Even with such a large inventory, sometimes customers would look for something the store didn't currently have, so Casey and Karen would hunt it down for them.
Since moving from Oklahoma, Karen and Casey brought their collection to Seward, and plan to sell them how they originally started- out of their home.
“We're not going to do an actual store here, but we still have all the records and enjoy what we're doing,” Casey said. “We moved here to be close to our children and granddaughter.”
“This is kind of like a hobby for us and we want to keep it that way,” Karen said.
While they don't expect to sell out of their home until July or August, customers can find part of their collection at the Aardvark Antique Mall in Lincoln, as well as at the city-wide garage sales in Seward.
Karen said they have records priced anywhere from $1 to $100, and have had customers of all ages. They also sell CDs, concert DVDs and cassettes, and are always looking for new inventory.
“One thing we want to do is keep the nostalgia going,” Casey said. “Records themselves, they're imperfect but they're perfect. Nothing is better than listening to a song with a little noise to it.”
