Sticky Fingers
Toast offers vinyl, live music & baked goods (with a nod to Rob)

John Peel, the longest serving DJ on BBC 1, once said, “Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl, because they don’t have surface noise. I said, ‘Listen mate. Life has surface noise.’’’ 

Here’s to the surface noise we find in each of our lives, dear readers. Those pops and hisses of grief and change are an invitation to reexamine what makes life worth living and what we want to be doing with our finite time in this life.

For my money, nobody better embodies this spirit of self-reflective, hardworking grit than the husband-and-wife dream team of Josh and Kyra Bensik, visionaries behind Durango’s Toast Records and Bakes at 643A Main Ave. In the ashes of losing Kyra’s mother to cancer and trying to create a sustainable path forward raising a family in Durango, they have invented a unique recipe of record store, bakery and intimate listening room, with performances from some of the hottest rising stars in Americana and folk music to date. All from scratch and made with love.

I recently sat down with Josh and Kyra at their store as music enthusiasts from all walks of life gleefully and reverently dug through Josh’s hand-built crates of exceptionally well-curated vinyl while savoring Kyra’s heavenly pastries to learn more about their story.

How did you two meet?

Josh: We met through mutual friends, a chance encounter. And we went on our first date on New Year’s Eve. Our friends totally set it up. We went to Mama’s Boy (now closed Italian restaurant).

Kyra: And we had a little New Year’s Eve kiss, too!

How did you two make the decision to open Toast?

Josh: We had been thinking about (moving away from Durango) for a while, wanting to go somewhere and have a fresh start. We were looking at places to move, and then Kyra’s mom got stage 4 cancer, and we lost her. It was really, really sad and tragic.

Kyra: We decided we wanted to stick around after all. Things come in perspective when you lose someone.

Josh: Exactly. These lives are finite. So, we took a leap of faith. A lot of it was, we weren’t around each other. I was working mornings, and Kyra was working nights. Trying to figure out how to raise a kid in Durango, and it was hard. So, we started brainstorming ideas and thinking about combining our passions. So, selling records and pastries was the natural fit. Ultimately, it was a matter of of ‘If not now, when?’

And it started to come together?

Josh: The whole idea is to be able to create a life for us to be able to raise our daughter and spend our evenings as a family. We’ve never been able to do that living in Durango, being in the service industry. For us, this is all about quality of life.

Kyra: The idea is to keep it small, y’know, small batch! 

What are we going to find in your bins here, Josh?

Josh: I want to curate a collection that is as eclectic as possible given the limitations of the space. I want to offer a safe place where people can come and flip through vinyl and discover or rediscover something. What you’ll find here is representative of my varied tastes. I love music in all of its many forms. I have everything set up alphabetically, because I want people to come in and dig.

What is the value of having a store that focuses specifically on vinyl?

Josh: I think there’s an intrinsic value. I really do think it speaks for itself. Seeing the excitement that people have when they walk in and seeing their joy, and of all age groups. There’s an intimacy to playing music on vinyl that you don’t get digitally. A lot of folks, especially younger folks, are ready to slow down and really engage with their music.

Kyra, how do you think about curating your baked goods?

Kyra: I think a lot about Rob (Kabeary) from Bread. I grew up with him as my mentor. He was so generous. He gave me as much leeway as I wanted. So, really I cherry pick things I’ve come across over the years. I’m in here about 5 a.m. each morning, which I really, really love. It all comes back to the whole quality-of-life idea.

There is a community element to Toast. In a town like Durango with limited venues for music, you’ve created a space to share performances from folks like Willie Carlile, Annie Brooks, Esther Rose and so many others.

Josh: We very much want Toast to be a community place. The whole idea behind doing live acoustic shows is that I want to create a real intimacy for musicians and audience, alike. So, we want to continue to do that.

I’ve noticed there’s never a cover charge for the shows.

Josh: There never will be a cover. It’s a way for us to give back. Not only are we introducing people to artists, but there is something about it that’s so pure when you’re not paying for it or counting on ticket sales. It’s not tied up in money, and I love that. We’re not serving alcohol; it’s not about partying. It’s about the music.

Matt Heckler is up next, correct?

Josh: Yes! We’re excited; it’s gonna be a great show. He’s an amazing fiddle and banjo player, one of the bright new stars of Americana music right now. It’s at 5 p.m. June 19.

Last question. Why did you name it Toast?

Josh: To honor Rob. One thing I can tell you is that there was no single human being more supportive than he was when he found out we were having a baby. I’ll never forget that. He was a special guy. I wish he could have met Evelyn.