L-Stop Musts: Record Store Edition

While digital streaming dominates music consumption, a lively community of audiophiles pushes against modernity and still frequent record stores. The sale of vinyl rose 10% from 2022 to 2023, generating $1.4 billion in revenue — music to the ears of record store owners and collectors alike. In Chicago, there’s no shortage of music shops, many of which are easily accessible along the Red Line.

Bryn Mawr: Rattleback Records (5405 N. Clark St.)

A seven-minute walk into Andersonville ends at Rattleback Records, the heart of the neighborhood’s music scene. 

Four rows of record bins set a cozy atmosphere in the quaint shop. Records, posters and other music paraphernalia line the yellow, green and turquoise walls, crafting a music lover’s paradise. 

The store is packed to the brim with vinyl records, CDs and cassettes, as well as a small selection of DVDs. Their wide supply of records isn’t relegated to one kind of music — Rattleback embraces all sounds and genres of music, especially those from Chicago, such as indie rapper Noname or alternative rock band Beach Bunny.

Rattleback offers a sizable stock of music-related memorabilia like band T-shirts, turntable accessories and other vintage knickknacks. 

The entire back of the store is an open counter, allowing for easy discussion with employees about music, including a space to sell personal collections. A small lounge area at the front turns into a stage area, where often the store hosts local acts.

Rattleback Records is open Monday to Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Belmont: Reckless Records (929 W. Belmont Ave.)

Just steps from the Belmont stop, Reckless Records serves the Lake View East neighborhood with a wide array of physical media, including records, CDs, DVDs and cassettes as well as an entire area solely for video games and related items.

Reckless Records’ open concept embraces an industrial aesthetic with record bins made of metal frames and wooden compartments and lights shining down from steel beams. 

The variety of records allows for dedicated sections for genres including garage rock and psychedelic.

Beyond Belmont, there are two other Reckless Records locations — one in Wicker Park and the other just off the Monroe stop in the Loop.

All Reckless Records locations are open daily 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Belmont: Gramaphone Records (2843 N. Clark St.)

Also off the Belmont stop, and a couple blocks southeast of Reckless Records, stands the over 50-year-old Gramaphone Records, a staple of the Lake View East neighborhood.

Opened in 1969, Gramaphone Records specializes in carrying various strains and subgenres of electronic music, including drum and bass, house, techno and disco. The store has become a pilgrimage site for DJs all over the country. 

The checkerboard floor is littered with wooden crates full of physical music while records hang from the ceiling. Various turntable and headphone stations are scattered around the store for customers to listen to records and professionals to experiment with DJing.

Famous artists who’ve dug through the crates of Gramaphone include DJ Sneak, Eelke Kleijn and even a young Kanye West, who used to sell his mixtapes at the store, according to Gray Area.

Gramaphone Records is open Thursday through Sunday noon to 6:00 p.m.

North and Clybourn: Loud Pizza Carry-Out X Salt Shed (1357 N. Elston Ave.)

While it may sound like a pizzeria, Loud Pizza Carry-Out is actually a record store located inside the Salt Shed Fairgrounds, a sister store to Loud Pizza Records in the Highland Park suburb.

Just an eight-minute walk from the North and Clybourn stop, Loud Pizza Carry-Out provides a place to browse music before a show or in between sets. 

The store contains lime green record bins, a key feature of both stores. Wooden floors, a white counter and a red checker motif evoke the feeling of a pizzeria. They even sell to-go pizza boxes to carry out records, as if they were a pie.

In addition to music, they also carry music collectibles, including various action figures, clothing and a Loud Pizza-branded board game.

Loud Pizza Carry-Out is open during certain Salt Shed events.

Featured image by Isabela Gomez | The Phoenix