Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Kirk.
Hi Kevin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I opened my first shop when I was 24 years old in 1986. The shop was called The CD Shop. At the time, CDs were fairly new. Could sell most anything that came out on CD. Was selling a lot of jazz, classical & new age music. Along with Rock & Heavy Metal. Me, being more of a fan of the heavier music, decided that it would be better for me to specialize in selling music that I knew & loved. Changed the name to The Heavy Metal Shop in 1987 & have been Peddlin` Evil ever since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been fairly smooth. When people stopped buying as many CDs & started streaming music. We were fortunate that our own shop merchandise started selling very well. On account of many Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Musicians wearing our clothing in magazines & videos. SLAYER, Alice Cooper, Exodus, Alice In Chains, Ryan Adama, Travis Barker, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Megadeth,Yelawolf, Bleeding Through, Sammy Brue, to name a few who have worn our clothing over the years. It’s still a thrill to see artists wearing our stuff, So many musicians, road crew & music fans stop by the shop while they are in town. It has become a destination stop. I’m very fortunate & grateful for that.
We’ve been impressed with The Heavy Metal Shop, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When we opened in 1987, we printed a few shirts, as any small business do. I knew most everyone that wore the shirts in the beginning. Mostly family & friends. It was when SLAYER started wearing our stuff that things really took off. The shop logo with the half skull is known worldwide now. Alice Cooper once told me after one of his shows in Salt Lake City, that he saw more Heavy Metal Shop shirts in the audience than Alice Cooper shirts.We still sell a lot of records, posters, patches, stickers etc. But our merchandise is our best seller.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I got into music at a young age, and my passion for music has only grown stronger over the years. When I was in 6th grade I saw Alice Cooper perform on one of those late night concert shows, I believe it was In Concert. He was singing the song “Sick Things”, my younger sister was watching with me, when Alice’s boa constrictor slithered around his neck peering through the smoke, my sister screamed! And this was on TV! From then on, it was all about music. Started buying CREEM , Circus & Hit Parader magazines. To find out more about Alice Cooper & Black Oak Arkansas, New York Dolls, RAMONES, Mott The Hoople, David Bowie. Sparks, Thin Lizzy, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Richard Hell etc. I was so intrigued by these strange & interesting Rock artists, I haven’t changed much over the years. I still love going to as many concerts as I can. I love hearing new music as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heavymetalshop.com
- Instagram: theheavymetal;shopsaltlakecity
- Facebook: theheavymetalshop
