The store sat untouched for years as a time capsule of rock ‘n’ roll, soul, country and gospel, so the mural depicts some of the era’s music legends: the Beatles, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holliday, Janis Joplin, Little Richard, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
”I’m thrilled,” said Mike Fink, who along with his brother, Ted, commissioned the mural. “It just jumps out at you.”
Text on the bottom left of the mural pays tribute to popular music singing trio the McGuire Sisters, who grew up in Miamisburg.
The mural got its start earlier this year when the Finks contacted Doug Sorrell, who had commissioned the mural on the side of the Plaza Theatre. Sorrell introduced them to its artist, Centerville native Erica Arndts.
Then the brothers contacted Ron Campbell, president of U Creative! and their tenant in the building at 72 S. Main St.
“I asked Ron if he could meet us there to discuss a possible mural on the side of his building,” Mike Fink said. “When Ron and Erica met, it was like magic. The creative and artistic energy was palpable. I knew we had to make this happen.”
The building on Main Street has its own story; one that Campbell and his team used as the theme for the mural. Prior to the Finks acquiring it, the building was occupied by Chris Kondoff, whose parents owned Kondoff’s Records.
“When Chris’s parents passed away, he became somewhat of a recluse,” Mike Fink said. “He lived upstairs, put newspaper in the front windows, locked the front door and never re-opened Kondoff’s Records. The building and all of its contents remained frozen in time for about 30 years.”
When the Fink brothers purchased the building about 15 years ago, the contents were sold separately and eventually auctioned off at the Austin Record Convention, which dubbed Kondoff’s and its collection “The Last Record Store in America”, Fink said.
The brothers and other family members decided to arrange for the seed money to get the project off the ground.
“Ron’s team at U Creative! did the design work and, with the help of the Miamisburg Community Foundation, we contacted private citizens, civic organizations and the city, who all pitched in to turn what was once an eyesore left over from a razed, adjacent structure into an iconic work of art,” Fink said. “It’s been an interesting journey for all of us and it pretty much took on a life of its own.
“We’re happy it came to fruition.”
Arndts said bringing the design to life was “wild.”
“I’ve painted so many murals and this was, by far, the most jam-packed, wild, something-in-every-millimeter-of-the-design that I’ve ever painted,” she said. “I look at every wall as a giant coloring book..”
A permanent all-weather QR code plaque is attached to the building, allowing passersby to glean additional information on Arndts’ mural and the story of the building.
The Finks plan to celebrate the new “Last Record Store in America” mural from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at 432 East Pearl St. with an open house thanking all those who supported them in the effort. The artist and designer are scheduled to attend and a time-lapse video of the project will be on display.
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