Magnolia Thunderpussy intends to stay a premier vinyl shop in Columbus

Ceione Pafford
Thu, 31 Jan 2019 02:33:34 +0000
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Charles Kubat, founder of Magnolia Thunderpussy, and his daughter, Charlotte Kubat-Vishak, take a break from operating the store for a picture. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Photo Editor

When looking for vinyl from artists — past or present — there’s one place in Columbus that’s been an option since 1970: Magnolia Thunderpussy.

Located on North High Street, Magnolia is home to a wide variety of musical genres ranging from classical to hip-hop and in the forms of CDs and vinyl.

“When we opened up, it was only one or two other record stores.” owner Chuck Kubat said.

Kubat said the store’s origin began at Michigan State and was so successful, they decided to come to Columbus.

Kubat said the ultimate goal was to get a shop in the “top 10 or 13 universities” at the time. Two years after opening the store, however, the partnership dissolved. Kubat decided to keep his location open while the East Lansing location eventually closed down.

The store is small but has a very large collection of some of the most critically acclaimed albums of all-time, as well as today’s newest releases in a large vinyl and CD selection.

“It’s all intrinsic, every bit of it” Kubat said.

Magnolia Thunderpussy has had a presence in the Columbus community for nearly 50 years. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Photo Editor

Kubat said the resurgence of vinyl is due to both the social aspect of visiting a vinyl shop and its newfound novelty.

“I think the reason it’s selling is because, for one thing, it makes your life more social,” Kubat said. “Whereas with the digital thing, you’ve got your headphones on and walking around, it’s not really a social thing. With vinyl, you go out and buy a record, then you take it home, call your friends and tell them to come to check it out.”

With bigger corporations like Amazon broadening their stock to include a plethora of items, ??Magnolia is willing to grow and compete. They were one of the first vinyl shops in Ohio to have an online presence with their own website and app that allows customers to make online purchases from the store.

The store is soon approaching its 50th anniversary and looks to stay as one of the essential record shops in Columbus.