FOX POINT — When you walk into this Fox Point guitar and repair shop, you'd expect to hear guitars being tuned and played. And you do. But downstairs in the basement there is a different kind of musical tone being played. It's the rhythmic sound of folding cardboard boxes, ripping bubble wrap, and taping packages.
Beneath the Milwaukee Guitar Collective a young man is pursuing his musical dream, but he isn't playing any instruments.
“We are a niche little online record shop. So we primarily focus on genres that you might not find a lot of or much of at a normal record stop," Peter Klein said.
He's the owner and sole employee of Ripple Records. It's an online record shop that focuses on more niche genres and bands. The casual music fan won't recognize many of the records here. Klein carries artists like Yellow Magic Orchestra and Mariya Takeuchi from Japan. He has the video game soundtracks from Tekken, the movie soundtracks of the original Halloween and Mothra, 70's Japanese disco, underground hip-hop, and electronic artists you've never heard of. Given their unique nature, these records cost between $20-$100.
"Like soundtracks for pinball machines or just slot machine sounds. That’s one thing I’ve got here. I don’t know why that’s on vinyl. I think it's cool. I think it's neat. There’s a little bit of a demand for it, other weirdos like me," Klein said.
Ripple Records started in 2022. Klein loves vinyl and unconventional bands. He sold records in college and wanted a way to keep pursuing his passion when he graduated. When he found the space beneath Milwaukee Guitar Collective he got to work immediately.
"Peter's been great ever since I met him I knew he was really passionate about records. His knowledge is untapped for his age. He really impresses me. It's great to have him, and he’s a great asset to the business just because records go along with guitars," Jon Tabers-Kwak the co-owner of Milwaukee Guitar Collective said.
Klein gets his niche records in a few ways. The majority of it comes from deals with distributors. That's how he ended up with some of his international artists and sealed records. However, a lot of work comes from networking and research.
"People who might have known artists when they weren't as big, I'll message them, and say do you happen to have any of their stuff are you interested in selling it," Klein said.
That's how he ends up with test batches released by companies or one-offs that you can't necessarily find on Spotify.
“I think it’s fun to find these unique oddities," he said.
Opening a niche record store company as the price ofvinyl gets more expensive can be seen as a risky move by some. But Klein believes his gamble will pay off.
"I'm young. I can take a risk. I might as well," he said.
He doesn't plan to be in the basement forever either. Eventually, he wants to open a small boutique-type storefront and have more face-to-face interactions with his customers. But right now, there is no place he'd rather be.
“It’s easy to be like hey you’re in a basement. That’s a little strange, and it is. There’s no denying that. But I’m just happy to have a space where I’m doing what I love.”
He’s playing to his own tune, and that’s the sweetest type of music there is.
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