• Aprill Brandon •
• Originally published May 3, 2008 at 4:07 p.m., updated May 3, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.

It’s a place where underground art meets the music of the subculture, where images of Marilyn Monroe clash with The Clash.

It’s the Rock-N-Roll Candy Store and, ready or not, here they come.

“Is Victoria ready for a place like this? Well, we won’t know until we try,” owner Chris Ordonez, who goes by the name Toxic Fuse, said. “But I do know that Victoria needs more culture that’s not mainstream.”

Born and raised in Victoria, Toxic Fuse describes his new business as an underground punk record store. Among the racks of vinyl records, names of bands like The Bags, The Gories, Alice Donut and the Sex Pistols peek out. Beside the comfy-looking couch, candy buttons and unicorn pops sit among the shelves of old school candy. In the back, underground and trash art from area artists like Avlo and Gerald Sanchez line the walls. From a turntable on the other side of the store, the sounds of the Trash Women filter through the rooms.

Having been immersed in the local music scene for 15 years along with his wife, Mellisa, the couple is hoping the store will be a gathering place for subculture junkies and will start others on a path to appreciating underground art and music.

“We’re doing this to share the culture with Victoria. We’re doing it more for the love of music, than as a way to make money,” Mellisa said. “We wanted to make a space for people who are interested in the same things to come together.”

The store opened on April 19, which fittingly enough also happened to be Independent Record Store Owners Day. Toxic Fuse said they had a good turnout and already have some repeat customers.

One of those customers, local musician Dave Sulak, was happy to finally have a place where he can find the music he likes.

“It’s nice to see records of bands there that you usually have to go out of town to find,” Sulak, 32, said. “Hopefully Victoria is ready for something like this and will support it. With independent record stores, you get a rapport going with the owners and they know what you like. It’s not like walking into a faceless megastore and buying a Top 40 record.”

It seems the only ones who will not be enjoying having an independent record store in their town are teenagers. Due to the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll references, no one under 18 is allowed in the store without a parent.

“We are promoting a subculture here and that sometimes involves images and references that are not appropriate for younger kids,” Toxic Fuse said. “We don’t want to influence anyone who’s not of age.”

While the owners are still getting their feet wet with their new business, they already have big plans for the future. Toxic Fuse said they want to hold art and fashion shows, bring in local and out of town bands to play live, and maybe even put on a car show.

Aprill Brandon is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6514 or abrandon@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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