'I haven't had a vacation in years'

• Name: Kevin Kirk, 51
• Company: The Heavy Metal Shop, Salt Lake City
• Last vacation: 2009, Lake Havasu, AZ

I love running my own record shop, The Heavy Metal Shop, but the rise of the Internet hit my business hard. We had $228,000 in sales in 1996 -- our best year -- but only $80,000 in 2012.

What saved us was our clothing -- shirts and hats with our half-skull logo. Alice Cooper and Slayer have worn our brand.

I'm helping support two grandkids financially, one of the reasons I can't afford to go on vacation. At one point in the 1990s, I had three employees but these days it's just me running the store.

Now I work a second job as a meat cutter at a local grocery store from 4 a.m. to about 10 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

I haven't had a vacation since I went to Lake Havasu in 2009. But to relax, I try to get away for the day on my boat. On warm days, I ride my mountain bike to work with my 12-pound Dachshund Sydney in my backpack. And of course I love to see live shows. Even if you've had a really bad day, a great concert changes everything.

My store has been open for almost 26 years and I still love talking to people about music. There are always new kids coming up. And the good news is this year's sales already look like they'll be higher than 2012.

NEXT: Won't be able to totally unplug