Chicago area record stores past and present (with photos)

There were also Peaches near Ford City, Chicago Ridge Mall and south Pulaski on the SW side.

 

I remember Schaumburg area record shops and chain stores in mid-90's until Sound Warehouse closed up, then Tower records until mid-2000's I believe.

Also attend ALS at Old Orchard from mid-80's until 1991, by that point the used vinyl was pretty slim on Mint or Very good condition LP's however I do recall folks that discovered 8-tracks and reel-to-reel music almost Mint condition some still with shrink wrap from 70's showing up! Wow that's a great memory though!

 

I went to Rolling Stone records in Chicago last Sunday.

When I used to live in Chicago I’d go there fairly often but I haven’t been there in maybe 30 years .

I had assumed that it would be a shell of what it used to be, filled with T-shirts and other collectibles etc., instead of music.

I was pleasantly surprised that the place still is packed with CDs wall to wall , and vinyl albums also.

They are so deep with CDs that one visit is actually overwhelming. Just going through the “oldies area”, I Iwent into overload and ended up just giving them a half hearted overview.

I’ll have to go back again soon, with an idea of things I want to actually look for.

 

This thread is the rabbit hole for me. I began buying adult records at 3. This year, makes 65 years of hard core record collection. Sick and don't want to be cured from music, hi-fi and record buying.

Grew up in Chicago, worked in the hi-fi business for nearly 20 years. Met easily half of the folks mentioned, and have been friends with a few. Ben, I was in your store and remember you!

Skimmed much of this thread up to page 9. Plan to go further in depth as time permits. Several if these stores were also customers of ours, since much of my career was selling to dealers. Ditto for visiting various stores daily, since I was outside and managing outside folks for much of my career.

A few recollections:
Record City - Jimmy P. Staggs (Jim Stagg) was a friend of mine. I got employee price and was one of his biggest customers. A hero of mine when he was PD & DJ at WCFL. He was also a customer. If one of their turntables broke a needle, etc., I'd be there with an AT cartridge at n/c. I was able to sign an invoice for whatever I bought and pay later. Good friend. Asked him one day if he had heard that Chicago DJ Terri Hemmert said she became a DJ after hearing Jim interview the Beatles. "Yep, we advertise on WXRT. My ad rep set up a marvelous lunch with her." RIP

Crow's Nest - Floyd Crow & Tom Stockenberg Bought lots of blank tape from us. Great Guys & stores. Shopped Jackson, Naperville (CD only) and Crest Hill. I was in the Jackson store after it became Barnes & Noble. CD's were still selling, though slowing, yet there was no CD/DVD dept.

Jazz Record Mart & Delmark Record label - Bob Koester I was a regular customer of his since the early 70's. State St, Grand Ave, Wabash, Hubbard and Lincoln Ave. I visited them all. A friendly acquaintance and lovable curmudgeon. Went to Chicago Jazz Fest in the 90's with Bob. Columnist Howard Reich coincidentally wound up sitting behind us. Great jazz chats in between acts. RIP

ALS Les Turner Mammoth Music Mart Was an annual week long tent in parking lot of Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, IL. Small world. Les' Son was IT mgr for an old customer of mine. The biggest used store you've ever seen, perhaps as big as today's Jools stores. Scored many bargains and rarities. OOP Heart Magazine original pressing/takes/mix sealed LP among the gems I found there over the years. Decision to end was predicated on the logistical nightmare it was storing unsold albums, year to year. A lot of volunteers' garages. They decided there were easier methods of fundraising. Miss it!

Discount Records was a chain that was at one time owned by CBS. For 5 years, I worked for CBS' Pacific Stereo. Although I worked in the Niles IL store twice, Discount Records next door had already closed before I worked at Pacific. Still, I had been in that Discount Records many times, as well as their La Salle St, and Monroe locations in Chicago. I also visited their store in Dinkytown Minneapolis. At Pacific, we carried CBS Mastersound and MoFi 1/2 speed LP's and got lots of Columbia, Epic, etc. promos. Up the street from Niles, there was Laury's Records, which later was bought by Rose. It was technically in Des Plaines.

Disc Records was a completely different chain, although their logo looked almost identical to Discount. I regularly shopped at their Woodfield store. They also had stores at Hawthorn Mall, Cherryvale (Rockford) and Fox Valley Mall. I recall them having many locations throughout Ohio, as well.

Tower Records shopped at many of their stores. I was in all four stores in Chicago often. Miss their store at 4th and Broadway in NYC whenever I visit. Visited many of their other stores, incl. New Orleans and Tower/Good Guys superstores.

E.J.Korvettes until they ceased operations was "World's largest record retailer." They weren't kidding! Nearly 100 discount stores. All 6 in the Chicago area had record departments as large as many record stores. They were direct with all the record labels. 5 of their Chicago stores had a component hi-fi salon!

I created a Remembering Record Stores thread in another audiophile forum.

Will likely post more later. Great thread!

 

Crow's Nest - Floyd Crow & Tom Stockenberg Bought lots of blank tape from us. Great Guys & stores. Shopped Jackson, Naperville (CD only) and Crest Hill. I was in the Jackson store after it became Barnes & Noble. CD's were still selling, though slowing, yet there was no CD/DVD dept.

For a long time, I resisted going into the State & Jackson Barnes after Crow's Nest lost their lease or whatever the heck really happened there. First, I heard DePaul was going to use the space for classrooms, which wouldn't have bothered me as much. But for a soulless cookie-cutter chain bookstore? Anyway, can't believe it's coming up on 20 years now...

 

From about age 9 to high school, Rose Records at Ashland & Barry. High school through college - Rolling Stone and the chains up and down Harlem in Norridge & Harwood Heights.

Now for the big question. When I was like 5-7 years old, would be mid to late 70s, there was a small independent record store on Ashland between Waveland & Addison. I was too young to have ever gone in there, but walked by it all the time. Looked like it was leftover from the 60s, felt curtains, lots of hippie looking stuff.

Anyone know anything about this place.

 

Every time I go home to Chicago to visit my family I have to hit Dave's Records (2604 N. Clark) then walk up a block and have lunch at the Weiner's Circle.

In 1986 I moved to Chicago from NW Indiana to go to DePaul. My grades probably would have been better if I hadn't cut so many classes to hit Dr. Wax, Second Hand Tunes, that place next to the Metro, Wax Trax! and all the other great record stores in the area. Does anyone remember a little hole in the wall place on Clark, a little north of the Metro, on the left hand side? The owner constantly played (Chicago noise project) ONO and bad disco in the store.

 

I used to do the same circuit from about '85 to about '93 when I moved to California. I used to hit Pravda(next to Metro) whenever I went to shows there, but it was usually not as good as the others. Somehow that 2nd Hand Tunes on Clark had the best dollar section in the city at that time. Wax Trax also had a great used section, but 2nd Hand had the best bargains. I did occasionally go up to Evanston to Vintage Vinyl, but my budget and lack of patience for the owner's attitude usually kept me away. I think there was a good 2nd Hand Tunes in Evanston, too? The Goodwill/Charity shops were also great back then. I remember(and still have) tons of records bought for a quarter, and sometimes less. Miss those days...

Edit--I do remember that place north of Metro. But i cannot remember going there more than a couple times. Anything north of Metro was like going into the Arctic or something.

 

Yes! Anywhere north of the Metro on Clark was no man's land. What was the name of that place? I bought a near-mint Straight Up by Badfinger there for $20, the most I'd ever spent (at the time) for a used LP.

Good Lord, Second Hand Tunes was the best. I would find so much good stuff there so cheap ... I'd walk out of that place with STACKS of records with a big stupid grin on my face. I only made it up to the Evanston store once or twice.

One time at Wax Trax I found a decent used copy of We're Only In It For The Money for $7 and I almost soiled myself.

 

I bought a mint copy of Violent Femmes 'Hallowed Ground' at that store and I think of the place every time I get that lp out and play it.
And I say to myself: 'What the heck was the name of that store?'

Somebody has to remember.......

 

I picked up a copy of the first Cheap Trick album at 2nd Hand on Clark (I think!) for a dollar that had $600 in crisp hundreds in the inner sleeve. That was a life-saver for me at the time! Another great score was a first press Hibtone of REM's first single for a dollar. I later sold it for $40 and thought I was some kinda wheeler-dealer! Wish I had held on to that one. I also bought a 12" test press of RevCo doing a straight cover of Do ya think I'm sexy? that is apparently extremely rare even then. I don't think it has ever been issued or leaked. They were issued some kind of injunction to not release it by Rod for whatever reason. Their parody cover was fine to release, though. I ended up giving it to a friend that liked them. It was only a dollar, so I figured what's the big deal?

 

Yeah, I always headed just north of Metro to find parking - was always easier. And I used to love going to that area after work in the evenings… until they introduced lights at Wrigley Field. That scene changed overnight then, at least May-Oct.

 

I moved to California in '93, so I missed most of the changes. I barely recognize the city when I visit my sister these days.

 

The lights were introduced in ‘87 IIRC…. I moved to CA in ‘97 but am back in the IL area most of the time and you’re right, that part of town is so vastly different I don’t recognize it at all.

 

8/8/88, I was there!

 

First game rained out. I was at the next night's game. Not the first, but the first official game. Consolation prize.

Later, I had a greystone 8 blocks from Wrigley for 4 years. Down the block from Rahm & Amy. If we weren't at a game, better get out of Dodge once that 7th inning stretch hit. Otherwise, it might take twice as long to drive anywhere from home.

Made it much easier getting to Metro and Martyrs, as well.

 

Remember before the rain on 8-8-88 Bill Murray was in the TV booth. Cubs fall behind early and Murray starts yelling "turn off the lights!" Still cracks me up.

 

Big Daddy was after Big Apple . Same store .

 

I used to buy a lot of mail order stuff from Gramophone back when I was a club DJ. They were on N. Clark. Is that it? I stopped in a few times when I was in town. Pretty much a hole in the wall. They had some turntables set up. Usually were playing some house music or techno (this was early ‘90s), but they had a pretty good variety of stuff. I think they are still there.

EDIT: I just remembered that last time I was in Chicago they had moved a few doors up the street to a different location.

 

Nope - I know Gramophone - I think it’s still around. Major player in House Music scene.
Not sure but this place may have been north of that.

 

Me too. Grew up in Chicago Heights. My buddy & I went to Hegewisch most paydays in the late 70s. I can still picture the owner (Joe?) sitting at an open register drawer practically overflowing with cash and a pistol on his hip.

 

There was a little shop in oakpark called Chicago CD (something like that ) , great collection of used cds and was the first place I was able to order japan cd imports from a giant catalog .
wavelenth,rolling stones and record city were always the most frequent shops I went to .

 

Thought I'd comment on a few posts from the recent past. Forgive me if I don't list who posted what or quote. Ditto if it was addressed in another post that I haven't read. Thanks

I too bought a lot from Wayne & Harry at Rolling Stone. Used to visit Wavelength, too. Mostly bought new CBS Nice Price CD releases on their 2 fer sale wall.

Big Daddy's had several stores around Chicago. I had been in a couple. I remember one in Hoffman Estates at corner of Golf & Roselle in the same plaza as Precision Video. Daddy had a few new releases, but mostly cut-outs. Lasted a couple years.

Crow's Nest Digital was in Naperville. Strip center on S. side of Ogden, w. of Washington. No vinyl, just CD's. Smaller than Crest Hill. Bought several things there, mostly imports. BTW: Crow also had a store on Fullerton, near DePaul for a year or two.

Hold on, because we're going to tour Downers & Wastemont. What my late brother-in-law who lived there called it.

Chicago Digital, N. side of Ogden, just west of Cass. Chris Miller ran this for a short time. I heard he extended credit to the guy. Guy went bust, Miller took over the store. Chris was usually there himself. Had some nice imports, like OP store back then. Anyone recall Westmont store's it's name before it was CD?
Often, Tom or John in OP would flip me copies of CD International, the catalog that sa referred to. They figured I'd buy more Japanese CD's if I read it at home. Stopped going in there when Chris decided to shy away from imports. His rationale was that EVERYTHING was coming out domestically.

Remember When - did a lot of business with Hank. Recall when he was in the smaller store? Walked out w/a box of CD's for his going out sale.

There was another record store/head shop in the plaza around the corner from Jools at Cass & Ogden. Don't recall the name.

Coconuts was on s. side of Ogden, just west of Remember When. Found some great cutout CDs there. John Fahey on Takoma among them. Not a label usually found in cut out bins.

Tempo - In 7o's, they were in Downers, on Ogden between Main & Belmont. I believe these were the same people that had store on 95th in Oak Lawn. That location later became Wind records. Recall picking up some import LP's & Direct-to-discs there.

Music Masters Worldwide - Downers Main st. Small store sold imports, jazz, Gold CD, SACD, Blu-Ray Japan SHM-SACD and used. Well curated. Did lots of business w/Lou over the years. He sold it. Don't recall new owners' name. A couple years later, it was out. Both owners flipped me a promo or even sealed product for my support.

Sound Warehouse e. side of Lemont Rd. Downers. I recall this being in the plaza with Venture on 75th. They could have moved. Decent selection of imports, bit pricey on imports at their stores.

 

Yep, that was it. I found a notebook from high school where I wrote what I thought were future song lyrics and one of my lines said "Friday is pay day I go my house to the Warehouse".

What a tool

 

Does anyone remember Baby-O"s Records on North Ave east of Harlem? When it closed it became Wavelength.