Kismet Creative Center

Kismet Creative Center has moved through several lives in St. Louis: art space, venue, gallery, record shop, closure, and a return in Dutchtown. The current shop is smaller and more focused, with an eclectic, underground selection shaped by psych, shoegaze, slowcore, reissues, and whatever feels alive that week.

Interview with Kismet Creative Center

Kismet started as an art-space dream, became a record store, gallery and underground venue on Cherokee Street, closed, and came back in Dutchtown. How has the vision evolved across all those chapters?

We definitely had a lot of irons in the fire when we began. My partner, Sonia, was kind of in charge of the art side. I was more the record store guy. We both worked on the venue side of it.

When I think back, it seems we spent a lot of time at the Cherokee Kismet, likely more than I spend in the store now. I have a side-gig I work during the week to help pay the bills, with Thursdays-Sundays being the shop hours.

My partner, Sonia, who actually worked for the people I pay my rent to, quit the job and moved on. Without her, I struggle to do the venue thing. It’s not easy running a record store for six hours and then do a show for another 3 hours. Recently Sonia and I have talked about revisiting the venue end of Kismet, and I already know there are musicians out there who would be happy to book with us. So, who knows? Something might happen again soon.

If you ask certain people what Kismet was all about, probably most of them would say they remember the venue most. I even had a friend do a piece about us a couple of years ago. He focused almost entirely on the venue end of Kismet. He told me I should really consider doing more shows, because, ultimately, he believed it would bring in more money for us, lol!

Right now, I’m basically just a record store. Much of the focus is on new orders through indie distributors and, when I can get it, other people’s collections. We’re definitely a curated store. And I’d say that’s what I’m most proud of. We keep it eclectic. We keep it obscure. We keep it underground.

The space I’m in is an incubator space which means it’s temporary (how temporary, I don’t know). The rent is unbeatable, but foot-traffic in the area is a little scant.

You specialize in neo-psych, shoegaze, dreampop, slowcore and reissues, deep-diving for groups that slip through the cracks. How did that curatorial taste become Kismet's signature?

That is a good question, and I’m not sure I can answer it, but I’ll try: I think that there’s a historical aspect that runs through the selection. For instance, I got into Pearls Before Swine in college. Now I carry psych reissues. Even earlier, I got into a 4AD compilation, which is how I got into shoegaze. In mid-2000’s I was working at a record store in Denver, CO and got way into indie rock stuff. So, for some music there’s a historical context. But there’s also stuff that I’ve just discovered over time that there is no way I could have predicted. For instance, I just love dreamy stuff. I think the music one listens to effects their mood. And in this world of ours, there is no doubt there’s a lot of stress. Some of that stress can be relieved depending on what you listen to. I don’t only listen to dreamy stuff—there’s a time and place for everything—but music definitely helps me cope.

I’m VERY open to new music—new genres, even, or, at least, new to me. I feel we’re in a very interesting era of music.

One day, less than a year ago, I looked around at my selection, and realized I had a lot of specific genres—shoegaze, psych rock, post-rock, city pop, library music, slowcore, krautrock—and I built my bins around it, so that the genres I mostly focused on had their own spots.

There’s still tons of other stuff that aren’t in those bins. And I think that, too, is kind of exciting.

What's the most valuable or surprising record that's come through the door?

I had an original pressing of an Iggy Pop album that went for $400. I could have gotten $500, but wanted to sell it fast. That was the most valuable album that came through.

When someone brings in a collection, how do you approach valuing it?

I tend, first, to ask them if they have a price in mind. If so, great, I can work with that. If not, we can work something out. If I can get a collection for cheap, I will. But I don’t like ripping people off. If someone is reluctant to sell their collection, I will suggest that they keep it. I don’t want to take something from someone that would lead them to regret.

I know some stuff, but not a lot. For instance, I go through Discogs to figure out how to price things. And, if a seller wants, I can be technical about it—meaning there is a certain percentage I’ll pay depending on the value of each record they want to sell.

A lot of people just want to do the deal, get it done, and are willing to sell their collection for a lump sum.

I’ve both over-paid and under-paid. Each new collection I get is a learning experience.

What's a record or a night at Kismet that best captures what you're trying to build?

It depends on the day, lol! I would sometimes say it’s an avant-garde obscurity that’s just weird enough—other times, an overblown, neo-psych burner. Still other times, I might go with some Japanese disco-funk or AOR. I feel like the definition of the shop is always shifting. That’s what I love about it

FAQ

What kind of records does Kismet focus on?

Kismet leans into eclectic and underground records, including psych, shoegaze, post-rock, city pop, library music, slowcore, and krautrock.

Does Kismet buy collections?

Yes. The shop works through Discogs and may pay by percentage depending on value, though some sellers prefer a lump-sum deal.

Last updated: 2026-08-12

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