AVONDALE — Good news, vinyl lovers: Record Breakers, a longtime record store most recently attached to Reggies rock club in the South Loop, is now slinging records in Avondale.
Last year, the owner of Reggies gifted the store, which operated above the rock club for nearly a decade, to longtime employees Colin Brennan and Eric Kratz, who then moved the store to a vintage building on an up-and-coming stretch of Milwaukee Avenue at 2935 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Owners Colin Brennan and Eric Kratz in front of the new Avondale store. [Provided]
"Reggies has an aesthetic. I love it. It was my home there for 10 years, but it's not exactly what we are," Brennan said of the decision to move to Avondale. "The opportunity to do something on our own was really exciting. And we were struggling being on the second floor there."
The Avondale store, which opened about two weeks ago, is focused on selling a wide array of new and used vinyl records and putting on in-store performances — just like the Reggies store was. The new owners were able to reuse much of the old furniture and merchandise, which makes the Avondale store look like it's been around for years.
Record Breakers started as a little record shop in suburban Hoffman Estates back in 1988, according to New City. It wasn't until 2006, after years of growth, that the owner moved the store to the South Loop and opened an adjoining rock club, according to the art publication.
Brennan said he's excited to breathe new life into the store and participate in a meaningful way to the growing music scene in Chicago. Across the country, vinyl is continuing to see a resurgence. In Wicker Park, there are so many new record stores on Milwaukee Avenue that the stretch has essentially become a Vinyl District.
"The increase in sales in definitely there. Whether it's enough to keep us in business, is something we're going to find out. I hope it is," Brennan said."The neighborhood, since we've been here, has been super positive and supportive and that pushes back any doubts and misgivings we have."
To celebrate the opening, the owners are offering discounts all weekend long on all vinyl — both new and used. New vinyl will be 10 percent off and used vinyl will be 20 percent off.
For more information, including hours of operation, visit the shop's new website.
