It was snowy outside, the chill coming in through my mittens and up my wrists, and all I want was a good hot chocolate. And I knew if I crawled down a flight of stairs leading from Kellogg Street and entered the cozy space known as the Vinyl Cafe, I would get just the thing.

The Vinyl Cafe’s sitting area is equivalent to a moderately-sized living room, with about equally as much record space. The new owner started in August, and has a huge collection of records he keeps in storage, enough to fill his display a dozen times over.

I walk up to the counter, and when I look up at the menu and hum, the owner tells me that we’re in no rush; take my time. I order a hot chocolate, he asks for my punch card, and squints at it. “An ancient one,” he says. It’s true: I hadn’t been there since the summer. He punches two holes in the “drink” squares. “I’ll give you two, only if you come back sooner next time.”

After thanking the owner, I cup my drink in between cold hands. I beckon to Nash, who sits with her Chai Latte, to come explore the records in the back room. In the back room, besides the rows and rows of vinyl and the immediate quiet, there is a listening station. There is some very mysterious charm about a lot of records all next to each other, as if it tells a story about past art in a way nothing else can.

Although the records aren’t as organized as they were with the previous owner, there is a plethora of music to browse through, from Madonna to Supertramp to all sorts of Jazz. You can pick one out and have it played right there as you sip your Mocha and work on homework. The vinyls usually run about 6-12 dollars, the better in-shape ones that were solely used on radio stations costing a little more.

Vinyl Cafe has that charm that isn’t meant for big groups of friends, but instead it is the perfect place for sitting and appreciating the important things in life: cozy drinks, good conversation, and taking one’s time, all while listening to music you might or might not have ever heard before.

This month’s Munch Bunch consisted of Ella Bartlett and Nash Masinde.