Origin stories can sometimes follow unexpected paths, but the tale of how Gary Guarinello went from being a butcher to being the proprietor of Catalyst Records – a standout shop in the Essex Market – is a curious one.
“I wanted to be a journalist,” he explains. “But when I graduated from college, there wasn’t much opportunity. I had this idea that I was going to spend my time going to concerts for free. But social media was taking over, and that was not for me.”
Guarinello worked in various fields: unskilled construction, food delivery, busing tables, etc. Eventually, he found himself learning the art of butchering from some skilled veterans in an 85-year-old shop. He would later become the general manager of two butcher shops, which he managed to keep when he opened Catalyst in 2022.
It started as a partnership, but Guarinello became the sole proprietor and left the food business after 10 years.
“I miss the food industry”, he admits. “I’m very grateful to have been a part of it, but it’s long hours and very hard work. You have to really love it.”
Anyone who has spent their formative years hunting through record shops has a pretty good idea of what record store owners are like — and Guarinello is none of those.
“This is an open-minded place,” he explains. “Nobody’s going to look down on you if you don’t know something.”
Far from being a know-it-all, Guarinello, a musician himself, welcomes customers who tell him about artists he’s never heard of. He grew up in the CD era but had the benefit of his boomer parents’ LP collection.
“My dad had everything that Pink Floyd ever made, including cool bootlegs of live shows,” he recalls. “My mom had the David Peel and the Lower East Side record, which I got a kick out of as a teenager. They had a great collection — it saved me a bunch of money.”
“I like to think of the shop as a village green for creative artists,” he adds. “I want it to be a space where you can come and hang out. I sell as much local vinyl as I can, the prices are fair and I have a broad mix of new and older music.”
He also sells a variety of merchandise, including T-shirts, books, stickers, and memorabilia. He also has his own brand of vinyl cleaner, which he concocted after years of research (and a lot of dirty records).
Besides the retail biz, Guarinello is interested in not only serving the community but building it up as well.
He’s hosted live performances by local artists such as Strange Majik and Jill Fiore, book launches, art shows, and more.
Fiore (who lives nearby) notes that “Catalyst Records has become an essential part of our Lower East Side neighborhood. Gary isn’t just selling records, he’s bringing together a community of musicians, artists, and music lovers. I feel really grateful to have a local spot right up the street where I can hang out, see live music, and even perform my music, all while supporting the vinyl culture.”
Sheri Corleone, one half of Sleaze Generator with Ben Jaffe, brought their mix of reverberated sax, guitar, vocals, oscillators, synthesizer and drum machine beats to the shop for a live show and interview with Mica of 8 Ball Radio.
“It’s always a pleasure playing live, and Catalyst Records is a very cozy and cool place in a sort of art gallery kind of show,” she says. “We got inspired by the people walking by the windows that didn’t know what was going on inside. There was a crowd of enthusiastic people gathered around the entrance to the shop. They really brought the energy for us to try something new.”
She adds that “a marketplace should be an open forum for all kinds of stuff and Gary’s got that at the store.”
Dan Root, who held his book launch at Catalyst last year when the shop was in its previous location on the lower level, mentions that “the shop has a very welcoming vibe!”
“Gary is a wonderful guy – very community-focused and supportive. Although we didn’t know each other previously, Gary reached out to me to do a book signing when ‘New York Bars at Dawn’ was published,” Root says. “I’m glad we got to know each other, and I’m happy that Catalyst Records is doing well in their street-level location.”
When Delancey Street Associates decided to close the mall’s lower half, Catalyst was one of two vendors that survived and relocated to the main floor. Nina LoSchiavo, the COO of the Lower East Side Partnership, has a pretty positive view of the outcome.
“Catalyst has engaged customers in a new way,” she notes. “It’s important to have a good mix and the shop engages both local and other visitors to the Market. Essex was very excited to welcome them into the community.”
As far as he’s concerned, Guarinello “can’t speak highly enough about the Essex Market management. They’ve been incredibly collaborative and supportive landlords.”
As customers pass through, picking up Bad Company, Duke Ellington and Beatles LPs (his biggest seller) and requesting Sade as well as various disco and jazz fusion discs, Guarinello muses on where life has brought him.
“The best thing about being here,” he says, “is playing music all day, talking to people, discovering new music. It beats working for a living!”
You can follow Catalyst Records on Instagram at @catalyst_records_les. Upcoming events include a live podcast with Notes From an Artist featuring Felice Rosser on Nov. 1 and a book signing for Sensation Blues: A Rock and Roll Novel by Bennett Kelly, which will feature a live blues musician on Nov. 8. Inquiries can be sent to info@catalystvinyl.com
