What do you get when you mix a love of vinyl, vintage music memorabilia, and a little help from CTSBDC? Well, if you’re Chris Bugbee, you turn that cocktail into CBug’s Records LLC. Tucked inside The Vintage Shops — which is in East Windsor’s historic Warehouse Point district — CBug’s Records offers a carefully curated collection of new and vintage vinyl, CDs, cassettes, nostalgic 8-tracks, and rock-and-roll memorabilia.  

For Chris, it’s not just about the music, it’s about the hunt. “I love crate digging — the art of finding hidden gems among stacks of music history,” Chris said. That passion is now the foundation of a business that continues to grow, but turning a hobby into a business comes with some challenges.  

“I came in very new to business. My greatest challenge was that I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” he admitted. After admitting he might need some help, Chris reached out to the Connecticut Small Business Development Center (CTSBDC) in 2020 when he was still learning the basics of running a business. Today, after an expansion, CBug’s Records now offers 30,000 45s as well as vintage memorabilia for music enthusiasts of all kinds. 

As you might imagine, 2020 was a tough time to be in the retail business. Chris’s CTSBDC Business Advisor Mary Kay Della Camera said, “During the uncertain days of the COVID pandemic, while many retreated from risk, Chris Bugbee leaned into his lifelong passion for music. He opened CBug’s Records — a bold move at a time when the world seemed to press pause. The shop quickly became a sanctuary for music lovers, a haven where stories were shared and melodies revived spirits.” 

While Chris’s passion may be the driving force behind the business, his advisor has been an important part of CBug’s journey. “Mary Kay has taught me so much about filling out forms, dealing with taxes, marketing, and general store ownership, but the most important thing I learned is whenever I have a question about anything, Mary Kay is my first call,” he said. 

“I cannot say enough about Mary Kay,” Chris added. “She walked me through every step incredibly patiently.”  

Mary Kay’s help went beyond the basics of business ownership. With help from CTSBDC, Chris was able to access critical funding to maintain and then grow his business. With help from Mary Kay, Chris received a $10,000 E.R.A.S.E grant for COVID-19 from the town of East Windsor. These funds helped the business stay strong, even during uncertain times.  

When it came time to grow the business, Chris turned to CTSBDC for guidance. He wanted to take over additional space in The Vintage Shops when another tenant vacated but needed money to build and fill the space. Mary Kay connected him with The New Haven Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (NHE3), an initiative led by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven's Mission Investments Company (TCF-MIC). Thanks to Mary Kay’s help with the application, CBug’s Records received a small, but significant $6,000 grant to grow the business into what it is today. 

Chris now has three part-time staff to help support CBug’s Records. “My business is doing very well, though we still have plenty of room to grow,” Chris shared. “My future plan is to continue to expand until we take over the whole building.” That is a big goal, but with Mary Kay’s help it might just be possible. 

In fact, Chris credits much of the progress to CTSBDC: “I would not be in business if it wasn’t for Mary Kay.”  

The admiration is mutual. “Chris's genuine enthusiasm and knowledge of vinyl brought people through the door, while his dedication to exceptional service kept them coming back,” said Mary Kay. “Today, his store isn't just a business; it's a testament to resilience, passion, and the enduring power of music.” 

To other small business owners, Chris offers simple advice: “If another business owner were to ask me, I would tell him to try to work with Mary Kay.”