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There is no deny-ing that in the past five years, vinyl has gone through a major rebirth. Even with the practical-

ity of CDs, MP3 downloads and the inevitable music pi-rates, record sales continue to grow each year. Whatever the reason for vinyls come-back, it doesnt appear to be

disappearing again anytime soon, especially in Chicago.

Here are a few of our favorite record stores:

DAVES RECORDS 2604 N. Clark BRIEF HISTORY: Daves Re-

cords, previously the Chicago chain store 2nd Hand Tunes, opened in

1994. The owner, Dave, has worked at the storefront for nearly 30 years. Daves

Records dedicates its inventory solely to vi-nyl and has been that way for decades.

AT FIRST GLANCE: The store may look small when first walking in, but you will quick-ly realize that there are enough records here to sift through for hours. The walls are lined with used albums, and there are stacks of records on the countertops and racks on the floor under the section of new offerings.

POTENTIAL PURCHASES: I saw they

had copies of Syro, Aphex Twins first al-bum in more than a decade, days before its scheduled release. Needless to say I was very tempted, but I opted to buy the latest Cloud Nothings record, putting less of a dent in my wallet.

FUN FACTS: The entrance of the shop boasts a sign that reads: NO CDs!! NEVER HAD EM!! NEVER WILL!!! This came from 2nd Hand Tunes, which had two storefronts close to each other one was an all CD store and the other was an all vinyl store, which be-came Daves Records.

BRIC-A-BRAC RECORDS 3156 W. Diversey

BRIEF HISTORY: Bric-a-Brac Records is a newer record and 1980s and 90s memo-rabilia shop that was opened in June of 2013 by Nick Mayor and his wife. Not only can you scour through an abundance of garage rock and punk rock records here, you will also find classic 90s toys, VHS tapes, pins, cassettes and tons of movie mementos.

AT FIRST GLANCE: Unlike most record stores that adorn their walls with quintessen-tial album covers and band pics, Bric-a-Brac is decorated with classic pop-culture memo-rabilia. The store is covered in toys that are both charming and very nostalgic for a 90s kid like myself. Ultimately, Bric-a-Brac is an eye-catching store. This is due, in part, to the vibrantly painted walls and giant mural of Ro-bocop.

POTENTIAL PURCHASES: As a big fan of punk rock, I was certainly tempted to pur-chase one of the many Ramones albums, but I found myself drawn to their sizeable section of local Chicago bands like Shellac and Twin Peaks.

FUN FACTS: Bric-a-Brac shows huge sup-port for the thriving Chicago music scene, which is inspiring and helpful to artists. They hold many shows at the store for both local and touring bands, and the owners also let their adorable Welsh corgi roam the store.

RECKLESS RECORDS 26 E. Madison / 1532 N. Milwaukee/ 3161 N. Broadway

BRIEF HISTORY: Reckless Records is the most recognizable record store in Chi-cago, though it actually launched in London in 1984. The first Reckless store in Chicago opened in 1989, and there are now three dif-ferent locations in the Loop, Wicker Park and Lakeview.

AT FIRST GLANCE: When walking into Reckless, the movie High Fidelity immedi-ately comes to mind with its familiar record

store vibe. Show and band posters cover the walls, while popular new records play over the speakers. Reckless has a vast selection of new releases, used records, DVDs, CDs and movies. You can easily spend the better part of an afternoon here browsing.

POTENTIAL PURCHASES: While at Reckless, I spotted an original pressing of Nirvanas single Sliver. It was a cool find, and something I pondered spending close to $30 on.

FUN FACTS: Similar to Bric-a-Brac, Reck-less hosts some shows as well. Back in 2012 during Lollapalooza, Jack White played a surprise set at the Wicker Park location. Other big acts like the Deal sisters from the popular 90s band The Breeders played a set in May 2014.

JAZZ RECORD MART 27 E. Illinois

BRIEF HISTORY: The Jazz Record Mart has been a staple for decades in Chicago, opened more than 50 years ago by Bob Koes-ter. They specialize in jazz and blues collections and are the largest such store in the world.

AT FIRST GLANCE: The Jazz Record Mart is as close to wonderfully overwhelming as any record store can get. Numerous rows of records and CDs ranging from blues to jazz, gospel and R&B are on sale. With thou-sands of releases spanning several decades, it is not only incredible how much music they have accumulated, but it is also an important reminder how Chicago was and continues to be an essential city for the blues.

POTENTIAL PURCHASES: I spotted Herbie Hancocks Headhunters and took a mental note about making the trek back to pick it up.

FUN FACTS: Koester is also the master-mind behind Chicago blues label Delmark Re-cords. Delmark has put out classic releases such as Magic Sams West Side Soul and Otis Rushs Cold Day in Hell.

OTHER FAVORITES WORTH VISITING...GRAMAPHONE RECORDS2843 N. Clark in Lakeview

DUSTY GROOVE1120 N. Ashland in Wicker Park

LAURIES PLANET OF SOUND4639 N. Lincoln in Lincoln Square

PERMANENT RECORDS1914 W. Chicago in West Town

BEVERLY RECORDS11612 S. Western in Beverly

RECORD STORES ARE THE PLACE TO BE AGAIN IN CHICAGOBy

SCOTTHARTGE

RESURGENCE

THE RECKLESS RECORDS

GRAMAPHONE RECORDS