Rod Peal is a rock musician-turned-entrepreneur who opened Halcyon Diversified Trading in December 2009 at 4706 Mission Road, Roeland Park, Kan. Peal buys and sells a variety of hip goods, from used vinyl records to musical instruments to furniture. On the second Friday of each month, he hosts an art opening with live music.
Peal had heard that the location was once a rock club, but no one was able to confirm it for him until now. The building once housed not one but two rock clubs catering to teens in the mid-1960s.
If anyone recalls attending a show at the Cavern or the House of the Rising Sun, or which club came first, please leave a comment.
Addendum, 4/12/2012: Rod Peal has moved from one former rock venue to another. Earlier this month, he closed the Halcyon Diversified Trading store on Mission Road. This weekend he will reopen as a vendor at the Cowtown Mallroom flea market, held each Sunday in the former Cowtown Ballroom, 3101 Gillham Plaza.
Hi- I lived in Fairway and had no knowledge of this club. I did see the Intruders many times, mostly at CYO dances, esp at Bishop Miege.
I took bass lessons from Gary at the Toon Shop in Prairie Village in the mid to late 60’s.
There was nothing like Caper’s Corners and Ben Asner, we never knew he had a famous brother, as far as we were concerned, he was the famous brother. He had a great store, great albums, Mad Magazine and machine that could copy 8-Track tapes and great paraphanalia. Ben loved us young people and we loved him, it was a tradgedy when he passed. I think about him and the store every time I pass that intersection at 47th and Mission.
I spend a lot of my dad’s money at Caper’s Corner and started going there when it was a very small room; it later expanded into a larger room to the South. The people who assisted Ben were very knowledable about rock music and they had an import section that was very well stocked with great early 70’s progressive rock and Krautrock albuns. When Rick Chafen played Gong or Hatfield and the North on his show Her Majesties Voice, you could always count on finding those albums at Capers.
I remember walking in the front door once and seeing an album displayed of Tangerine Dream’s “Rubycon” with a sign saying ‘Better than Kraftwerk’ (this was when Autobahn had come out). I bought it on that alone which started my TD collection. I also recall seeing Lumpy Gravy displayed for $40 and the first Nazz LP which was also collectable then.
By the way, great site…I will be revisitng often.
My brother and I hung out with Ben in ’69 and ’70. He was selling albums for $2.50 and loved to have us sit at the store and talk. He had a little TV on a shelf on the wall and remember one night he was excited and said “My brother Ed is going to be on the Streets of San Francisco tonight”.
He let us box up Albums and take them to Things Unlimited in Westport to sell them on a couple of Saturday’s. We took our pay in records, of course.
Good memories of hanging out with Ben. I still have one of his cards.