John Vance, Shari Benyousky, Nick Kelly on social.
Written by Shari Benyousky
guest columnist
Column Note: In the 58th column of our Diners and Dives series, a small group of members of the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club explore Winona Lake.
soundtrack, superhero, sandwich
WINONA LAKE — There's nothing like a pleasant, sunny day with a breeze, picnic tables, interesting people and food at The Social, 904 Park Avenue in Winona Lake. The Social describes its products as hand-scooped ice cream and gourmet sandwiches.
For socials, you can choose to sit on the charming porch, on the lawn, or indoors. The kitchen specializes in menu items such as bison nachos, whiskey berry jam panini, fluffernutter, and mac and cheese. “Look, we don't count calories here,” co-owner Sean Bianchini told me with a smile.
Visiting Vicki Owens, who coaches Healthy Families and occasionally stops by Diners and Dives, secured a seat with her dog Chili Cheese. “The Social serves a lot of ice cream,” she said. “Even kid corn is big.”
Guests included John Vance of Karma Records and Nick Kelley of Chimps Comix and Video Games. The two stores are currently located adjacent to each other at 919 E. Winona in Warsaw. We're both small business owners, so it took some planning to find time in our busy schedules. Karma Vance apologized for keeping her phone handy “in case I needed to put out a fire.” He explained that you never know when a customer will bring in their extensive record collection for appraisal.
origin story
Nick Kelly behind the Chimps Comix counter.
As we settled around an outdoor picnic table with paninis, chili, and cheesesteaks, Karma Vance told us about working at Karma Records in her youth. “At that time, I was working three jobs. I also worked at a gas station and at DQ,” said Vance, who became the owner of the Karma store in Warsaw 13 years ago. “But I've been working there for 15 years.”
“Do people sometimes just browse for hours and not buy anything?” I asked, savoring a delicious broccoli, cheese, and bacon salad (only $3).
“I don't like being annoyed by people like that,” Karma Vance nodded sagely. “I used to be that guy wandering around record stores. You never know, right?
Chimpanzee Kelly said he bought the comic book store from Tony Clay in 1998 when he was just 19 years old. Chimpanzee was Tony's nickname in high school, and it stuck.
get into the groove
Attorney Tony Garza enjoyed a Bianchini Panino (the O at the end of the Italian word sandwich is singular) with Italian meat and banana peppers. He asked, “Who reads records and comics these days?” Chimpanzee and Karma have intersecting populations, so finally having stores next to each other was something they had wanted for a long time.
“The thing is,” Karma Vance said, “audiences are getting younger these days. The most popular artist these days is Taylor Swift. You can stream any music you want now, but kids want to have something so they can own it and support the artist.” He ponders for a moment. “I think having records in your room is similar to what we were doing with posters. Vinyl is like a poster, but it can play music too.”
Comic Kelly nodded. “Older customers may want to rebuild a set they had a long time ago, but there's also a cool factor. It gives them nostalgia for their childhood.”
I have a bad feeling about this.
John Vance and Nick Kelly talk about Chimpanzee Comics and Karma Records.
Brooke Hamstra, the optimist (real estate agent Jeff Owens encouraged me to call her “Babbling Brooke” but I mostly resisted), has twin boys. She wanted to know about the types of video and board games that chimpanzees offer them. The answer is everything from Catan to Exploding Kittens.
Kelly the Chimpanzee explained that the store hosts Magic: The Gathering games every Friday night. “Pokemon is for kids, Magic is more for teenagers,” he told us. “Anyone can participate, but you should know the rules so you don't get confused.”
Learn more about these events here. Also, keep an eye out for Chimp's annual Manga Giveaway Day and all-day board game event. Vicki and Jeff, a real estate agent, take their grandson to buy comics when he is in town. He loves visiting.
it's all part of the plan
Lunch side of broccoli salad and grilled potatoes.
I thought about ordering ice cream for dessert, but first I decided to let Karma and Chimpanzee convince me, who is not cool, why someone like me should visit that store. did. Karma Vance shrugged her shoulders in a super cool skull print shirt. She said, “Everyone listens to music.''
Chimp Kelly takes it a step further: “Look, would you rather sit at home alone or play a game with a community?” They have a point: their stores give you not only something to own, but a community to connect with.
Vance elaborated. “There's obviously a social aspect to our store, but of course there are games as well as things you can play on your own. You can pick something up off the shelf and meet someone you know because they have similar interests. There are a lot of people.”
“But you can play solitaire by yourself,” Jeff, the real estate agent, told me over a chicken bacon lunch wrap.
“Amazing.” I'm glad I didn't cry after eating the potato teppanyaki. “I don't need any more friends.”
#1 Source banker Paul Finlay applauded: “Thanks, guys, this is a win-win for all of us!”
With great power comes great responsibility
Menu with co-owner Sean Bianchini.
Social Shawn's co-owner joined us outside, piling up used plates. He told us that he and his wife, co-owner Carrie, started Shawnanigan's Food Trailer and Catering in 2018 and have managed to survive COVID. He also wanted to remind us about Social Sunday Brunch on Nov. 2. “Nothing on the menu is over $10,” he told us. “Make sure you try our homemade bourbon maple mustard sauce.”
Sean himself is a masterpiece of tattooing. He showed us an ice cream cone and a whisk on his right arm. “Most of my tattoos are drawn by my wife,” he said proudly. According to him, the top three most popular ice cream flavors on The Social are Cookies & Cream in third place, Winona His Monster in second place, and Bison His Truck in first place.
“Your superpower is cooking food,” real estate agent Jeff told Sean with a laugh. For lunch and ice cream, check out The Social. Check out Karma for records and Chimps for games and comics. You can try everything out in a day and follow the “People Engagement” at the bottom of your social business card. Embrace life. eat well.
hulk smash
Want to have your photo taken with a social sign, just like Jeff the Realtor? T-shirts are available by stopping by The Papers Office, 114 W. Market St. in Warsaw. They're just $10, with proceeds benefiting the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club Foundation Scholarship Fund. You can submit a photo of yourself wearing the shirt to be posted on the new InkFreeNews Diners and Dives Facebook tab.
Know an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person you'd like to see featured in Diners and Dives, Whirlwind Wanderlust Travels, or Profiles Behind the Scenes? Email Shari Benyousky, SB Communications LLC. [email protected].
