Vibes Music will close at end of May

This year's Record Store Day will be the final one for Vibes Music, at least as the shop exists east of the Monon Trail on 54th Street.

Building owner Jackie Nicholas isn't renewing the Vibes lease at 1051 E. 54th St. Store owner John Zeps said he may relocate after the current least expires on May 31, or Vibes may operate only as an online entity at Amazon.com and Ebay.com.

"It's a toss-up," Zeps said. "I'm taking it day by day."

Zeps, a guitarist in Indianapolis rock bands such as Burn It Down, Majhas and Action Strasse, opened Vibes Music in Castleton in 1999.

Previously, he worked for bygone Tracks record store at the Castleton address, 5485 E. 82nd St. He moved Vibes to 54th Street in 2007.

Zeps said he has invested $10,000 into structural improvements to the building while not taking a paycheck for himself during the past four years.

"I haven't been able to chip away any debt (since moving the store)," he said.

Vibes hasn't stocked new recordings since the move, making it primarily a marketplace for buying and selling used goods. The store doubles as a venue for all-ages performances, including an upcoming Record Store Day bill on April 18.

Nicholas plans to remodel the building, a pole-barn structure that she characterizes as being "pretty run down." The 3,150-square-foot store is part of her Monon Station cluster of businesses, which includes personal-improvement business Coaching Cabin and the antiques-focused SoBro Vintage Market.

The blue-collar aesthetic of Vibes isn't out of place in the neighborhood, where Locally Grown Gardens resides in a former gas station across the street (1050 E. 54th St., also owned by Nicholas) and Good Morning Mama's Cafe resides in a former gas station a few doors down to the west (1001 E. 54th St.).

But Nicholas notes that shops inside area buildings are becoming "more upscale." She said the future tenant of the Vibes space will be a business that takes advantage of the proximity to the Monon Trail.

Record Store Day is an annual highlight for Vibes, which will present a Glory Hole Records showcase on April 18. Elsewhere, Indianapolis record stores Luna Music (5202 N. College Ave.), Indy CD & Vinyl (806 Broad Ripple Ave.), and Irvington Vinyl (9 Johnson Ave.) will host live performances on Record Store Day.

Zeps, a self-described "48-year-old kid," said he intends to continue to be involved with music in Indianapolis.

"I will find another way to fit in the community," he said.

Online, Vibes will sell recordings through Amazon.com as VibesMusic2 and through Ebay as VibesMusic317.

Zeps said he regrets that he won't be able to hire musicians as clerks if Vibes doesn't continue as a brick-and-mortar business.

"I believe in taking care of my friends and supporting my music community," he said.

Zeps also insists that record stores have bright futures, "if it's done right, and it has the money behind it."

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.