An Inside Look at Our Interviews with the Curators of the City
Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by Take Care Records
Opened in August 2025, Take Care Records has quietly built a reputation among Indianapolis vinyl collectors for its carefully-curated selection, fair prices, and unpretentious, welcoming atmosphere. I sat down with owner and sole employee J. Rogers to talk about the philosophy behind the shop, the magic of physical media, and the moments that make running a record store worth it.
Avery Martin: How would you describe your shop’s philosophy when it comes to curating music?
Jon Rogers: My main goals are to have a wide variety of records and low prices on the records as much as possible. Some for collectors, some really popular stuff, some stuff that I am into myself.
AM: What do you think sets your store apart in Indy’s vinyl landscape?
JR: The size and scope of it. It's a pretty small shop. It's always curated towards quality, such as trying to have only records that are in good condition, and things that I think people are really looking for. I don't have the goal of trying to compete with larger stores that have everything.
AM: What’s a moment with a customer that’s stuck with you?
JR: I had a Phish box set of 12 LPs that a collector had sold to the shop. It was from a show that was in 1997. A guy came in for the first time and saw it. Apparently, he was at that show and had always wanted to own that LP but had never seen it in person. When you know it's special for the customer, it's very memorable.
AM: Since you opened in 2025, how have you seen your customer base evolve?
JR: When I started out, the store was mostly known through word of mouth, just telling people about it and trying to get the word out to friends that they could sell their records here. We started with a lot of hardcore record collectors, and then as the store grew and the word got out, more people came in looking for classic and popular titles. I've tried to stock a lot of newer records since we opened.
AM: What do you think keeps people coming back to physical media, when streaming services exist?
JR: There's something very special about the tangible quality of holding something in your hand. Having it in your possession and knowing you can rely on it, that's really fun. I collect a lot of movies and books at home and have for twenty-plus years. I don't want to be staring at a screen or having to interact with the internet to experience the art I love all the time.
AM: What band best captures the spirit of your store?
JR: It would probably be the band Yo La Tengo. They're one of my favorite bands, and they do a cover of the song “Take Care” that was originally written by Big Star, which is another band that I love.
