In 2017, two friends decided to buy a vinyl shop.
Kevin McWilliams already owned a flooring store, and Robbie Penick’s friend was the one talking to them about the shop for sale. Neither of them had a particular interested in crafting, but the opportunity seemed interesting enough. Kevin shared it with his daughter, Sam Martin, and at first she didn’t understand why her dad wanted to open up another flooring store. Then she learned that this vinyl shop was to be something else entirely, and the team committed to giving it a go.
A Plus Vinyl’s first store opened in Clinton, MS, in January 2018, with Kevin and Robbie as partners and Sam as an employee. The Clinton location was already a vinyl shop, but the team completely redid the inside and significantly expanded the offerings. Once customers of the old store discovered the genuine and friendly nature of the new owners, they brought their business back and Clinton became a quick success.
Not even eight months after the first store opened, the team was already talking about opening the second one, and in December 2018 Hattiesburg opened its doors to the public.
2019 brought the Ridgeland location, their third store, and then Sam celebrated 2020 by becoming pregnant and being offered a partnership in the company. Then of course, since we’re talking about 2020, a pandemic hit the country. No one knew what to expect of their businesses, but it turned out that being stuck at home made a lot of people into crafters! With all three stores thriving, the now-trio of partners started planning for 2021.
Four new members were added to the family that year—three stores in Flowood (January), Starkville (July), Florence (October); and one beautiful little girl, Sam’s daughter. The partners are now sinking their teeth into the growth phase of each location, and if all goes well there may be more to add to the family tree in the coming years.
Since its founding, A Plus Vinyl has become a trusted name in all things vinyl crafting throughout Mississippi. Given that all of this started with two friends who just happened to hear about a vinyl store for sale, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. We can’t wait to see what comes next—and we hope you’ll join us!