“Fill your heart with love today” sings a twee David Bowie on the seventh track to his fourth studio album, Hunky Dory. For the customers of Hunky Dory Cary, that love comes in the form of vinyl records and craft brews.
Store owner and Bowie fan Michael Bell considers Hunky Dory his favorite of Bowie’s albums. As he explained, “I wanted to expand on that old slang” of everything being hunky dory — a sentiment that naturally extends to records. “Aesthetically,” Bell said about vinyl, “it’s just pleasing.”
While spinning vinyl and slinging beer isn’t new to the Triangle — as the Durham Hunky Dory opened in 2010, followed by the Raleigh location in 2020 — Hunky Dory Cary has only been playing records since the end of 2023.
In Hunky Dory, customers enjoy craft brews and conversation while they shop.
“I never imagined that we would have the reception that we’ve had,” Bell said.
Thanks to Hunky Dory, the Cary community is discovering that vinyl sounds better and is warmer. As Bell also acknowledged, it “forces you to slow down … forces you to listen to something from start to finish.” In a fast-paced and “everything-at your-fingertips society,” as he described it, “there is something really cool and nostalgic and peaceful, if you will, about that crackle, that hiss” when you play a record.
Here, Bell drops the needle on Hunky Dory.
There are three area Hunky Dory stores. What makes the Cary location unique?
I like the vibe in there. It’s markedly smaller than the rest. I’m just really stoked about this one because we did a lot in such a small space. I’ve collected a lot of really cool lamps and some mid-century furniture, and it’s a very inviting, cozy place. I’m very proud of that.
Who is your typical customer, if there is one, and what are some of your most popular acquisitions?
You’ll get some collectors in who are after some higher-end jazz. You’ll get some metalheads in who are after first presses of Metallica. You’ll get a younger audience in who are looking for Taylor Swift. I don’t turn my nose up — I try to get a huge variety. The used stuff is basically what people in Cary have brought in and we’ve purchased; we try to keep what people bring in in Cary in Cary. What’s really cool about Cary is that we’ve gotten more hard rock and metal — we’ve been open since December 1 — than I’ve probably gotten in years at the other stores combined. I don’t know why, but I find it fascinating, and we’ve kept it in Cary.
Why local craft brews, and what does this feature add to the customer experience?
You support the local breweries; you bring in their stuff. A lot of people like craft beer. A lot of people like to sip a beer while they listen to records. We hope to have 10 taps in Cary soon. The other stores have proven that this model works. You have a beer, you enjoy the person sitting next to you, you have stories, you imbibe, and you get out on the floor and look for something cool. It brings you in, and we hope to keep you there and enjoy stories and have fun.
What’s next for Hunky Dory Cary?
I’m just going to keep listening to people telling me what they want to see in the bins, getting that in for them. Being really active on social media, letting them tell me on there what they want to see, and just keep getting it out there and reaching more people … keep expanding and getting better and better.
When it comes to spinning vinyl in Cary, everything is indeed hunky dory.
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