Michael Rumback once saw a man pull a “Butcher” copy of the Beatles’ 1966 record “Yesterday and Today” out of the bargain bin at a swap meet. It was an incredible moment — the lucky collector had just found the vinyl record equivalent of a diamond on the sidewalk. Those around him immediately understood what had happened, but the vendor sold it anyway. 

The “Butcher” cover shows the Fab Four wearing butcher’s jackets with doll parts and pieces of meat draped over them. The cover was an instant controversy, and it was immediately pulled from shelves at a great expense to Capitol Records, which had to pay to reshoot the cover art and re-distribute the album. But it was not fully stopped before several thousand copies made it into circulation, like the one pulled from a bin in Hutchison, Kansas. 

To Rumback, an enthusiast with thousands of titles in his collection, it’s emblematic of the state of vinyl records in Kansas. An album of that rarity and collectability wouldn’t last a day in an East Coast thrift store. But this copy in Kansas slipped its way into obscurity before landing in a lucky fan’s hands. The vinyl album database Discogs lists the album with the widely distributed replacement cover for as low as $5. The “butcher” cover edition sells for closer to $1,000. 

That’s why Rumback still digs for records at local stores and at swap meets in Hutchison. He never knows what he’ll find. 

“I think we have an advantage,” he said of the Kansas collector’s scene. “It’s a community. My brother lives in Chicago. He can get any record he wants, but there’s no community. It’s personal here (in Kansas).” 

Les Easterby, owner of The Record Ship at 230 N. Cleveland Ave., agrees. There are still collectors visiting estate and garage sales who are pulling rare, valuable gospel records that haven’t yet found their way into stores. Easterby knows because those collectors come to him with their finds. 

According to industry group RIAA, vinyl sales grew another 7% in 2024, marking it the 18th consecutive year of sales increases. Vinyl represents more than a $1.4 billion in physical music sales. Rumback hasn’t contributed all of the $1.4 billion in sales but admits it can be an all-consuming hobby. He’s still chasing a copy of “Possessed” by Paul James if you happen to have one.  

Sales data specific to Kansas is not easily determined. But Wichita is currently supporting three independent stores that focus on vinyl sales: The Record Ship, The Gate and Spektrum Muzik. Additionally, niche chain retailers like CD Tradepost and Vintage Stock carry vinyl records, as do Big Box retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. And if you know where to look, you can find plenty of other opportunities to procure vinyl on the secondary market.

Since opening the store in 2022, Easterby reports that sales at The Record Ship have grown each year. By numbers, used vinyl outsells new vinyl by a two-to-one margin, although some of that gap can be attributed to the fact that a used record might go for $10 and the price point for new material starts at $25. But both categories are growing, and Easterby believes the tactile experience of music ownership plays a part. CD sales are up too, he said. 

“It’s a reaction to the culture where we were told to get rid of our junk, because all of it was available on streaming,” he said. 

Now, collectors are buying their old tunes back on physical formats. 

There’s a difference between sorting through a bin at a dedicated store and purchasing a still-sealed copy of the newest Taylor Swift album (Target version!). Rumback started the Central Kansas Vinyl Collectors group on Facebook almost ten years ago. He built it for the former type of collector, even though his family owns some Taylor Swift on vinyl. 

A long-time Hutchison resident, Rumback got the idea for the page after the only place to buy vinyl in town, the chain store Hastings, closed. In shuttering their stores nationwide, Hastings announced competition from digital media was to blame.  

He believes the Central Kansas page to be one of the first vinyl-focused groups on Facebook, based on his own research and from other page moderators across the country asking him for advice about running similar pages. The Central Kansas page serves as a discussion board for rare finds and a place to buy, sell and trade. The members also gather for an every-other-month swap meet on Sundays. It’s where Rumback saw the man find the holy grail “Butcher” cover record. The next such swap meet is Sunday, February 1 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hutchinson. Admission is free for those browsing, but there is a $20 fee for those who need a sales booth. Finding the album of your dreams is not guaranteed, but it’s still worth the search for many.

Rumback likens the vibe to a farmers’ market — there are people wandering, talking and occasionally buying records. There’s also live entertainment from someone playing their collection. 

Wichita also hosts a vinyl swap meet, one that is also affiliated with a collector’s group found on Facebook. The Wichita Area Vinyl Enthusiast (W.A.V.E.) show alternates months with the event in Hutchison. The Central Kansas show is in February, the W.A.V.E. show is in March, and so on. 

Local venues are in on the vinyl renaissance as well. Kirby’s Beer Store hosted a vinyl swap last September, and several local bars host vinyl nights, too. Good Company in the Delano District hosts one every Thursday night. It was originally a one-off thing, said bar manager (and collector) Nathan Thurnau. Next-door neighbor Spektrum Muzik asked if Good Company would be willing to host a late-night album release show for the Sabrina Carpenter record “Short n’ Sweet” when it dropped last August. They were willing, and it was a big success.

Good Company started occasionally hosting vinyl nights, then made it a permanent event that takes place at 7 p.m. every Thursday and has a signup list for future guest DJs. Thurnau said they went from scrambling to find a cord to plug a record player into the house audio system on that first night to having a dedicated two-turntable setup now. It’s up to the night’s given DJ to play the records of their choice. Some come in with a rack of records and a playlist in mind. Others play an entire album side. Thurnau said soul, funk and jazz are popular because they sound great on vinyl and many own the classics from those genres’ heydays. But it’s not always the case, and when Good Company bartender Madalyn Mendez had a birthday recently, she played some of her favorites, including Limp Bizkit, System of a Down and Gojira. 

“We try not to be beholden to a genre,” Thurnau said. “Creativity is not something we want to dictate to someone.” 

Vinyl is having a nice turn in Kansas, you could say. 

Thurnau said the vinyl night has taken sometimes sleepy Thursday nights into a weekly event that often rivals their Friday and Saturday bar take. 

“We thought, ‘Hey, we like this. Maybe others will too,’” Thurnau said. “We discovered this weird little niche hobby of ours isn’t so niche anymore.” 

The Details 

Central Kansas Vinyl Collectors’ Swap Meet
The next swap meet will be from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, February 1 at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 1200 W. 15th St. in Hutchison. Admission is free for browsers and $20 for those who intend to sell from a booth. 

Kevin Kinder never learned to play an instrument but has written about music for more than two decades just the same. He’s a freelance writer and journalism educator. 

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