On May 1st 2026, HQ Books & Records will be opening to the public as a part of CAMi Creative Storefronts.

HQ Books & Records is a joint effort between AVANT NIGHT, Authentic Resource, Great Lemon!, and the Indiana Music History Project. Each person involved in this venture has a long history in and around some of Indiana's most well known record stores and book shops.

What Can Be Expected From HQ Books & Records?

HQ seeks to combine the best parts of...

- Niche record stores

- Second hand book stores

- DIY/Cooperative spaces

- Educational art spaces

Inside our space at the CAMi, you’ll find...

- Vinyl, cassettes, CDs

- Zines, comics, and magazines

- Art Supplies

- Vintage books and ephemera

- VHS

- Art Toys

& more!

Workshops & Community Programming

While we are a retail shop, our profits help fund free to low cost creative opportunities and art supplies.

Workshops can include...

- Zine making

- Resin casting

- How to draw comics

- Junk journaling & more!

HQ Books & Records Staff

Our collective shop includes a staff that is multi-generational and seasoned in the retail and art world:

Authentic Resource

Authentic Resource is the current project of teaching artist Kelsey Simpson known for founding the art collective Gluestick. Her partner Sam Murphy is a sculptor who produces art toys under the name Doomtone. Together they fund creative workshops by selling vintage books, records, and toys.

AVANT NIGHT

AVANT NIGHT is an independent record label owned by Nick Ohler. He previously promoted concerts under the moniker mythopeic industries for 25+ years. (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, William Parker, Mono, Wesley Willis, Asylum Street Spakers, Silkworm, etc.) and he owned the last incarnation of A-1 Records, remembered for in-store concerts with Cluster, Matthew Shipp, Melt-Banana, At the Drive-In, Už Jsme Doma, Idiot Flesh, The Ataris, etc.

Great Lemon!

Tom Burris also worked at A-1 Records and owned Exile Records in Muncie. His current project Great Lemon!, is a lo-fi record label and is currently working to release the final Sea Krowns album.

Indiana Music History Project

Rick Wilkerson is the former owner of Irvington Vinyl and Missing Link Records. He currently operates the Indiana Music History Project which seeks to document local music history and preserve the output of the artists that have shaped Hoosier cultural heritage.

We Are Looking For Support

We are asking for financial support in order to jumpstart HQ Books & Records.

Funds raised will go toward..

- Rent/operational costs

- Expanding inventory

- Securing free art supplies

- Fixtures

Any contribution helps. While we have many resources and items from our past endeavors we are still building our collective vision together.

Help us get rolling! If a multi-generational record store, book shop, and collaborative space inside an art museum sounds like something you would like to support, we would love to have you.

Thank you for your consideration and we will see you in May!