Community Highlights: Meet Kevin Kirk of The Heavy Metal Shop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Kirk.

Hi Kevin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My first memory of hearing the term “Rock N” Roll ” was when I was 7 or 8 years old & saw The Carpenters on TV. Karen was singing & playing the drums. I asked my older sister. “What is this?” She replied, “A Rock ‘N’ Roll band. I was intrigued, especially by that drum set. I then began watching The Monkees, The Partridge Family & The Archies on TV. But what really got me a few years later was seeing Alice Cooper perform on late-night TVs In Concert.

This time my younger sister was watching with me & when Alice’s snake slithered around Alice’s neck through the dry ice, she screamed! To this day, Alice Cooper is one of my favorites! From then on out, I started discovering real Rock ‘N’ Roll bands. Watching late-night shows, In Concert, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. The band really made an impact on me was Black Oak Arkansas. I remember my parents returning home late at night, I was watching Jim Dandy is strutting across the stage on our family TV, my Dad said something about that girl singing. Ahhh, Dad, that ain’t a girl!

When I was 13, I actually got to see Black Oak Arkansas Live in-person front row! 1975 in Boise Idaho. My older sister & her boyfriend drove us up to Boise from our home in Twin Falls. He drove a Camaro, he let 13 year old me drive part of the way! Was much like the movie Dazed & Confused. Went to as many concerts as humanly possible from then on out. Once my family moved to Salt Lake City in the summer of 1976. It was on. Aerosmith, KISS, Uriah Heep, UFO, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick and into the ’80s, SCORPIONS, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, SLAYER, W.A.S.P. Alice Cooper, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, etc. This then brings us to 1986 when I opened my first shop.

My father had got me a job as a meat cutter when I was 20. Moved up the ranks to Meat Dept. manager. Which was really good money back in 1986. I saved my bonus money to open my own CD store. CDs were fairly new at the time. And people were buying a lot of CDs. I decided early on that I needed to specialize in the harder music. I didn’t know a damn thing about jazz or new age music. So I changed the name to The Heavy Metal Shop in 1987 and have been peddlin’ evil ever since

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a fairly smooth road. Having to relocate after being in the same location for 12 years was a bit of an obstacle. Seemed huge at the time. But being in our current location for 21 years, that seems like a lifetime ago. I like where we are now the best. My attitude is much different now. I think that comes with age. Dwelling on the past is waste of time. I’m just happy to still be doing what I love.

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?
The Heavy Metal Shop started as a record, CD & tape store mostly. We did print shop t-shirts in the beginning, like any regular business, I knew everyone that wore one. Family & friends. A few diehard shop customers. But when it started to become bigger than that is when bands & artists started wearing the shop shirts.

They started showing up in magazines & videos. We owe a lot to SLAYER. And they wore the stuff a lot! Because they liked it. There were no sponsorships or anything like that. They were just cool & dressed in what they wanted too. It’s still a thrill to see these photos. And they are on the internet now. SLAYER weren’t the only ones though. Exodus, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Metal Church, Dark Angel, etc.

But the most thrilling I would have to say is when Alice Cooper wore one on the news. Thrilling & validation of what I had done with my life & The Heavy Metal Shop. Alice Cooper!! I go kind of Wayne’s World thinking about it. That goes all the way back to when I was a kid & he made my sister scream, from the TV!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just want to thank all of the people that have supported The Heavy Metal Shop throughout the years. I always joke with people when they tell me that they used to come into the shop when they were teenagers.

I say you helped me buy my boat! But it is so much more than that. It means a lot to me that The Heavy Metal Shop means so much to you. Thank you!

Sincerely, Kevin.

Contact Info:

• Email: theheavymetalshop@gmail.com
• Website: www.heavymetalshop.com
• Instagram: @theheavymetalshopsaltlakecity
• Facebook: Theheavymetalshop

Image Credits
Anna Sink at Art Project Photography and Kevin Kirk