John Vance, Shari Benyousky and Nick Kelley at The Social.

By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: In the 58th column in the Diners and Dives series, a small group of Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore Winona Lake.

Soundtracks, Superheroes And Sandwiches

WINONA LAKE — There’s nothing better than a pleasant sunny day with a light breeze, a picnic table, some interesting people and food from The Social at 904 Park Ave., Winona Lake. The Social describes its offerings as hand-scooped ice cream and gourmet sandwiches.

At the Social, you can choose to sit on a charming porch, on the lawn, or inside. The kitchen specializes in items like bison nachos, whiskey berry jam on paninis, fluffernutters, and Mac and Cheese. “Look, we don’t count calories here,” co-owner Shawn Bianchini told me with a smile.

Visiting Vicky Owens (she mentors for Healthy Families and stops by Diners and Dives occasionally) grabbed a seat with her Chili Cheese dog. “The Social gives you mass quantities of ice cream,” she said. “Even the kid cones are huge.”

Our guests included John Vance from Karma Records and Nick Kelley of Chimps Comix and Video Games. The two stores are now located next to each other at 919 E. Winona in Warsaw. Both men are small business owners, so taking time from their busy schedules took some planning. Karma Vance apologized for keeping his phone handy “just in case I need to put any fires out.” He explained he never knew when a customer might bring in a huge record collection to be evaluated.

Origin Stories

Nick Kelley behind Chimps Comix counter.

As we settled around the outdoor picnic tables with our paninis, chilis, and cheesesteaks, Karma Vance told us about working for Karma Records when he was younger. “I worked three jobs back then. I also worked at a gas station and the DQ.” Vance became the owner of the Warsaw Karma location 13 years ago. “But I’ve worked there for 15 years.”

“Do people sometimes just browse for hours and hours and not buy anything?” I asked as I relished my tasty broccoli, cheese, and bacon salad (only $3).

“I have a hard time getting annoyed at anyone like that,” Karma Vance nodded sagely. “I WAS that person hanging around the record store back in the day. You never know, right?”

Chimps Kelley told us he purchased the Comic store from Tony Clay in 1998 when he was only 19 years old. The Chimp had been Tony’s nickname in High school, and it stuck.

Getting In The Groove

Attorney Tony Garza enjoyed a Bianchini Panino (the o at the end makes the word sandwich singular in Italian) with Italian meats and banana peppers. He asked, “Who is the audience for records and comic books these days?” Chimps and Karma have cross-over populations so finally having their stores next to each other is something they’ve wanted to do for a long time.

“Actually,” Karma Vance told us. “Our audience is trending younger these days. Taylor Swift is the recent most popular artist. You can stream any music now, but kids want to have a piece of something so they can own it and support the artist.” He thought for a moment. “I guess having a vinyl record in your room is kind of like what we used to do with posters. A vinyl is like a poster, but it plays music too.”

Comics Kelley nodded. “There’s a cool factor too whereas older customers might want to rebuild a set they had long ago. It gives them some childhood nostalgia.”

I’ve Got A Bad Feeling About This

John Vance and Nick Kelley discuss Chimps Comix and Karma Records.

Optimist Brooke Hamstra (Realtor Jeff Owens lobbied for calling her Babbling Brooke, but I mostly resisted) has twin boys. She wanted to know about the kinds of video and board games Chimps offers for them. The answer is everything from Catan to Exploding Kittens.

Chimps Kelley explained that every Friday night the store hosts Magic: The Gathering games. “Pokémon is for kids and Magic is geared more towards teenagers,” he told us. “Anyone can show up, but they should know the rules, so they aren’t confused.”

You can find out more about these events here. Also, keep an eye on Chimp’s annual free comic book giveaway day and all-day board game events. Visiting Vicky and Realtor Jeff bring their grandson to get comics when he’s in town. He loves the visit.

It’s All Part Of The Plan

Lunch sides of broccoli salad and griddled potatoes.

I contemplated ordering ice cream for dessert but decided to first ask Karma and Chimps to convince me, a non-cool person, why someone like me should visit their store. Karma Vance shrugged in his very cool skull-patterned shirt. “Everyone listens to music.”

Chimps Kelley took it further. “Look, would you rather sit alone at home or come play games with a community?” They have a point. Their stores offer not just things to own, but communities to connect.

Vance elaborated. “There is a definite social aspect of our stores although, of course, there are things you can play just you vs. the game alone. We have a lot of people who grab something off the shelf and meet each other because of similar interests.”

“But you can play Solitaire by yourself,” Realtor Jeff told me while finishing his Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap.

“Excellent.” It’s a good thing that I had a cup of griddled potatoes to keep me from crying. “I don’t need friends anymore now.”

1st Source Banker Paul Finley clapped. “Thanks, guys, this is a win-win for all of us!”

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Co Owner Shawn Bianchini with the menu.

Co-owner of Social Shawn joined us outside and stacked our used plates. He told us he and his wife and co-owner Carrie started with Shawnanigans Food Trailer and Catering in 2018 and managed to survive COVID. He also wanted to remind us about The Social Sunday Brunch from 11-2. “Nothing on the menu over $10,” he told us. “Make sure to try the house-made bourbon maple mustard sauce.”

Shawn himself is a tattoo masterpiece. He showed us an ice cream cone and a wisk on his right arm. “My wife draws most of my tattoos,” he said proudly. According to him the top three most popular ice cream flavors at The Social are No. 3 Cookies & Cream, No. 2 Winona Monster, and No. 1 Bison Tracks.

“Your superpower is making food,” Realtor Jeff told the grinning Shawn. Check out The Social for lunch or ice cream. Check out Karma for records and Chimps for games and comics. Try them all in the same day and you can follow what’s on the bottom of the Social’s Business card: Engage People. Embrace Life. Eat Well.

Hulk Smash

Want to get your picture with the Social Sign like Realtor Jeff? T-shirts are available by stopping by The Papers Office at 114 W. Market St., Warsaw. They are only $10, and proceeds will benefit the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club Foundation Scholarship Fund. You can send pictures of yourselves wearing the shirts to the new InkFreeNews Diners and Dives Facebook tab for posting.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives, Whirlwind Wanderlust Travels, or Profiles Behind the Scenes? Send SB Communications LLC Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].