Flat, Black and Circular changes ownership

It’s been a banner year for Flat, Black and Circular. Not only has the downtown East Lansing record shop continued its streak of winning Best Record/CD Store in City Pulse’s Top of the Town contest, but it also saw an ownership change. 

After decades of working at FBC, longtime manager Jon Howard bought out owner and co-founder Dave Bernath. Bernath opened the store in 1977 alongside Dick Rosemont, who moved to New Mexico in 2010. Howard’s purchase became official on Oct. 1, 48 years after the store opened in the Campus Town Mall.  

At 58, Howard has been married for 28 years and has a 22-year-old daughter. Now he can add business owner to his list of responsibilities. The punk and underground music aficionado chatted with City Pulse about his new venture.  

After the sale closed, did walking into the shop the next day feel different? 

Jon Howard: Yes! It was kind of like taking the boat out on a little pond versus taking it out on the ocean. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for this being a good business and not blowing it, not losing money or pissing off customers. The buck ends with me.  

Looking back, what first got you into music? I know you’ve played in a few local bands like Hordes and Bloody Butterflies. 

It's absolutely in my blood. Both of my parents were musicians, and my sister is a musician. I had records right away. As a little kid, I learned how to handle them. Back when I lived in Oak Park, I’d go to places like Sam’s Jams and Off the Record. That was all my allowance money.  

You’ve shot photos at some legendary Detroit punk shows — when did you discover that scene? 

When I was about 15 or 16, I got my friend’s ID because he had two or three. They didn’t give a crap in Detroit bars. This was like 1982. Before that, I saw a few Cobo Hall shows when I was a little kid — Frank Zappa, Van Halen, Rush. That was around 1980. By 1982, I was seeing bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat and the Misfits. I’d also seen a few Lansing bands, like the Fix and the Meatmen. I got the punk and post-punk bug right away. I’d go to the Freezer Theater, the Club House, Clutch Cargo’s and Paycheck’s in Hamtramck. Fortunately, I never got mugged. My car got broken into a couple of times. In the early ‘80s, that area of Detroit was way rougher.  

What year did you graduate from Oak Park High School? 

In 1984. That’s when I came to Lansing for Michigan State University — first for math and physics and then for psychology. Almost immediately, I stopped at FBC. My first FBC purchases were the first Bad Religion album and the Effigies' “Haunted Town.” That was 1982-ish. I immediately loved the place. They had punk records and a big import section. 

Did you complete college? 

I dropped out because I started working at FBC and other part-time jobs. I got disenchanted with being a student for life. I wanted to be out in the world, not sitting in a lab doing research. I could be milling about talking to people while listening to and selling records. FBC took me on as a weekend drop-in guy around 1985 or ‘86. I used to hang out there all the time. Whatever money I made from my jobs, I’d spend there. I was literally waiting for them to unpack the import orders. I’d buy them right out of the box.

While you were at MSU, I heard Dave and Dick used to give you small projects to work on at FBC. 

Yeah. After class, around 3 o’clock, I’d go in there and make receipts. They’d be pricing stuff, and I’d file it. At the time, they had Rick Savino and other full-timers. I just kind of slid into it. Somewhere around 1986 or 1988, I started officially working there.   

In 1990, you moved to Ann Arbor for almost a year — what drew you back? 

Around late 1990 or early 1991, I was coming up every other weekend to work. Another guy was leaving, so they said, “Why don’t you take the management spot?” I was also the indie-distributor buyer. I stayed at Dave’s for a few months while I got my footing and found an apartment. Things were booming then. This was Nirvana time. It was busy enough for two or three people to work at a time every day. The music biz was exploding.  

Dick and Dave are music encyclopedias — what were they into the most? 

They were very into funk, New Orleans and jazz. Dave gave me a very big jazz lowdown when I stayed with him for a few months. That’s where I first got into Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman. He was exposing me to everything, like Sun Ra. I’d heard some of that stuff before but wasn’t ready for it.  

FBC has been around for a while. What was Dick and Dave’s secret to success and longevity? 

They used to drum into me to price used stuff like you want to move it. The biggest secret is to try to carry more used than new. For new, hunt for the best prices. You also have to keep your ear out for reviews and buzz about new bands. More and more, customers will show me their playlists, so I know to keep an eye out for those artists. It’s about being picky about what you stock and having a variety of things to buy, not just the usual Moody Blues records. 

Now that you’re the sole proprietor of FBC, will customers notice any immediate changes? 

Some superficial changes. Some new fixtures. It’s going to get a paint job. I’m going to carry a few more eclectic things, like books. There might be a few more random artworks and knickknack-type things. Just enough to where there are a few new things, but it doesn’t change the vibe of FBC. Part of it is that I’ve worked there for decades. I get tired of looking at the same four walls. We’ve done this before, where we’ve put in red accent walls and some new fixtures and posters. I’m just going to do that again — give it a new refresh.