Music has the power to unite, inspire, and heal, and few places embody this better than Sunshine Vinyl in Austin, TX owned by Luca Kisielius. For them, this record store is more than a business; it’s a labor of love, a safe space, and a vibrant community hub for marginalized voices.

Sunshine Vinyl is a queer-owned record store that opened in June 2024. After moving to Austin from England 12 years ago and leaving the tech industry in 2023, they created this space for minorities to connect through music and events. Sunshine Vinyl focuses on contemporary music, amplifying queer artists and artists of color. Beyond records, they offer local art, custom turntables, and a wide range of community events, from live music to drag shows and more.

When not running their record store, Luca says: "I love Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Renaissance Fairs, reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, playing games and learning how to play guitar and watching movies and shows and of course, listening to music. I'm also polyamorous and like to spend a lot of time with my partners."

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

I love music. I was burning out in tech. I wanted to see if I could succeed at something on my own and do something that felt meaningful. I've always love sharing music with people and third spaces saved me as a teenager/young adult.

What is a day in the life like?

I wake up, relax at home with breakfast and coffee, possibly run some errands and open up the shop at lunchtime. The rest of the day may consist of marketing tasks, inventory, talking to customers and the general day to day runnings of the business.

Favorite sale / relationship made from behind the counter?

I have a little girl who's around 7 and comes in with her dad every two weeks and he buys her records, she's always a delight to talk to and I got to introduce her to Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.

In your opinion what has been the coolest thing to come through your shop / thing you had to keep / almost couldn't put out for sale:

I have a fully signed first edition of Quality Control by Jurassic 5 which is pretty amazing, a white label promo of What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye and some early first edition Biggy and Dr Dre albums. Though the thing I'm struggling to not keep for myself is a mint Japanese pressing of "Actually" by the Pet Shop Boys that has the 7 inch single included.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Wearing every single freakin' hat!

What has been the craziest experience that has happened at the shop?

We held a 45th birthday party for a customer and it was delightful chaos all day. She was so happy and we all had a great day. There was tarot reading, a local DJ from the Queer Vinyl Collective and so much cake. It really lended itself to the community aspect of the business that I love so much.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you're doing?  

Don't do it by yourself.

Get a business partner, and avoid debt. Prepare yourself emotionally for the fact that money will be extremely tight for a long time but factor in getting someone part time who you can delegate some tasks to.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you're excited or worried about?  i.e. innovation, or trends you're seeing.

I'm worried about the cost of vinyl going up and how that might impact record stores and musicians. Suppliers charging more than they need to for records takes away the profit that small businesses can make which is worrying. DJ's are also an underpaid group of talented people who deserve more empowerment and attention - something I also try to do as much as I can at Sunshine.

I'm excited about the fact that records and physical media are becoming more and more popular as it helps artists so much more than streaming.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself?  What drew you to it?

I am. I love the collector aspect of it. I love finding new things and buying things blind. It's all about curation and discovery for me. I love the physical, tangible media and the warmth and depth of listening to a record or a tape, and the nostalgia of a CD.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry?

I haven't been doing it for very long, but I was inspired by people like Walter Thorington at Alchemy Records, he's been instrumental to my growth and learning as a record store owner and I cannot thank him enough for his friendship.

Another is my friend and teacher, Keith Lough at BLK Records, his love for music and passion for his store and his bands were really inspiring to me as I was getting going with this.

Lastly, Dana Brown (DJ Dana Scully) who owns the Queer Vinyl Collective. Dana has supported me from day one and constantly inspires me with her DJ skills/talents, her passion for her work and drive to build something special and unique in the music community - she lifts up and empowers queer people and/or people of colour and women through her work, which is what I also try to do.

Anything else you want to share? If not, tell us what you're listening to right now?

This is so hard! I've been on a bit of a new wave, rap, french house dive lately, some 80's and 90's vibes and a lot of British artists like Cat Burns, Fred Again, Antony Szmierek and Loyle Carner. As I write this, I've been listening to Walk Talk Dance Sing by Crazy P.