The Old School Records
7446 W. Madison
Forest Park, IL
708-366-7588
www.theoldschoolrecords.com
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4.0 Stars
I cherish any record stores that still remain nowadays, and I feel no different about this one. Old School Records is a nice, friendly place where doggies roam free and the vinyl is plentiful! What more could you ask for??
On Tue May 19, 2009
from wherescool.com
4.0 Stars
I cherish any record stores that still remain nowadays, and I feel no different about this one. Old School Records is a nice, friendly place where doggies roam free and the vinyl is plentiful! What more could you ask for??
On Tue May 19, 2009
from wherescool.com
QRD interview with Peter
Record Store Owner interview with Peter Gianakopoulos of The Old School Records June 2008
Store Name: The Old School Records Slogan/Motto: Keeping Heads Spinning Around The World Year Established: 2003 Address: 7446 W Madison, Forest Park, IL 60130 Store Hours: Tuesday - Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm, closed Mondays Phone Number: 708 366 7588 Website: www.theoldschoolrecords.com Email: yeoldeschool@aol.com Do You Have a Listening Station: Yes (4) Musical Styles You Specialize in: Jazz/soul/world/house Musical Styles You Exclude: Polka Other Items You Sell: DVDs/videos/cassettes/music books/magazines Do you do special orders: Yes Do you do mail order: Yes Do you do web orders: Yes Number of Employees: Five How often do you have in-store performances: Rarely Number of New CDs in stock: 8000 Number of Used CDs in stock: 22000 Number of New LPs in stock: 10000 Number of Used LPs in stock: 30000 Number of New 7”s in stock: 100 Number of Used 7”s in stock: 5000
QRD – Why did you start your store?
Peter – Because we wanted to be the best.
QRD – How does your store particularly appeal to your city?
Peter – Deejays & grandpas can both feel at home.
QRD – What’s a mistake you’ve made with your store that you’d warn others against?
Peter – Don’t have one.
QRD – What do you think indie record labels could do to best help both themselves & indie stores?
Peter – Make more exclusives.
QRD – How was the representation of indie storeowners & customers in the movie High Fidelity accurate & inaccurate to your experience?
Peter – Not too accurate. A documentary would have been better.
QRD – What type of research do you do to decide what to put on the shelves?
Peter – A little reading & ingenuity of experience.
QRD – Is it ever difficult to find the right distributors to get something you want to stock?
Peter – Sometimes.
QRD – What do you wish labels or bands or distributors did more of to work with you?
Peter – Be less elitist.
QRD – What do you think is your store’s all time best seller?
Peter – Miles Davis – A Kind of Blue.
QRD – What do you think most leads to a particular record being a good seller in your store?
Peter – Word of mouth.
QRD – How does one get an independent release into your store such that it’s recommended to the clientele instead of just sitting on the shelf?
Peter – Sending a play copy.
QRD – How do you feel about so many stores closing & how does it affect you if at all?
Peter – It makes new product harder to find & limited.
QRD – What type of competition do you get from the big box stores (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.) & is it difficult to compete price-wise - i.e., do you find that potential customers will shop at the chain because they can afford to charge less for the same discs or do they support you if the disc is a dollar higher in price?
Peter – They do both. We stock more catalog.
QRD – With portable MP3 players & iTunes, is the concept of the album (in any form) dying?
Peter – The concept of the CD single is dying.
QRD – How has the downloading scene impacted your sales - do you find that people buy less CDs now because they can download them for less or do you or do you think illegal downloads are more of a culprit?
Peter – Both.
QRD – Record & CD buyers tend to be of a certain age (21-34), as the upcoming people who will be of that age group are mostly download-buyers, would you like stores to eventually have “iPod filling stations” hooked up to an indie network that stores can be part of?
Peter – NO.
QRD – With the increase in digital downloads, low prices in mega-chains, & so many online specialty stores; what is the job of the local indie shop now compared to in the 1990s?
Peter – More VINYL.
QRD – What are the biggest misconceptions people have of record stores in general & yours in particular?
Peter – Snotty attitudes & elitist approach.
QRD – What is the most frustrating &/or frequent question you get from customers?
Peter – “Do people still buy records?”
QRD – How do you decide who to hire as an employee & when you need one?
Peter – People who actually shop when they apply.
QRD – If you weren’t in the music business, what would you do?
Peter – Run for president.
QRD – How did your schooling & previous work experience prepare (or not prepare) you for your store?
Peter – Business classes helped. Working at a store didn’t hurt either.
QRD – Have you ever refused to sell something purely because you disliked the music, even if it was popular & would sell?
Peter – No.
QRD – What is your personal “holy grail”? (i.e. the one rarity you’ve been looking for forever.)
Peter – Sun Ra – Song Of The Star Gazers.
QRD – What makes you feel like you had a good day at the store?
Peter – Big sales.
QRD – Anything else?
Peter – Nice people.
Official Website - www.theoldschoolrecords.com
Store Name: The Old School Records Slogan/Motto: Keeping Heads Spinning Around The World Year Established: 2003 Address: 7446 W Madison, Forest Park, IL 60130 Store Hours: Tuesday - Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm, closed Mondays Phone Number: 708 366 7588 Website: www.theoldschoolrecords.com Email: yeoldeschool@aol.com Do You Have a Listening Station: Yes (4) Musical Styles You Specialize in: Jazz/soul/world/house Musical Styles You Exclude: Polka Other Items You Sell: DVDs/videos/cassettes/music books/magazines Do you do special orders: Yes Do you do mail order: Yes Do you do web orders: Yes Number of Employees: Five How often do you have in-store performances: Rarely Number of New CDs in stock: 8000 Number of Used CDs in stock: 22000 Number of New LPs in stock: 10000 Number of Used LPs in stock: 30000 Number of New 7”s in stock: 100 Number of Used 7”s in stock: 5000
QRD – Why did you start your store?
Peter – Because we wanted to be the best.
QRD – How does your store particularly appeal to your city?
Peter – Deejays & grandpas can both feel at home.
QRD – What’s a mistake you’ve made with your store that you’d warn others against?
Peter – Don’t have one.
QRD – What do you think indie record labels could do to best help both themselves & indie stores?
Peter – Make more exclusives.
QRD – How was the representation of indie storeowners & customers in the movie High Fidelity accurate & inaccurate to your experience?
Peter – Not too accurate. A documentary would have been better.
QRD – What type of research do you do to decide what to put on the shelves?
Peter – A little reading & ingenuity of experience.
QRD – Is it ever difficult to find the right distributors to get something you want to stock?
Peter – Sometimes.
QRD – What do you wish labels or bands or distributors did more of to work with you?
Peter – Be less elitist.
QRD – What do you think is your store’s all time best seller?
Peter – Miles Davis – A Kind of Blue.
QRD – What do you think most leads to a particular record being a good seller in your store?
Peter – Word of mouth.
QRD – How does one get an independent release into your store such that it’s recommended to the clientele instead of just sitting on the shelf?
Peter – Sending a play copy.
QRD – How do you feel about so many stores closing & how does it affect you if at all?
Peter – It makes new product harder to find & limited.
QRD – What type of competition do you get from the big box stores (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.) & is it difficult to compete price-wise - i.e., do you find that potential customers will shop at the chain because they can afford to charge less for the same discs or do they support you if the disc is a dollar higher in price?
Peter – They do both. We stock more catalog.
QRD – With portable MP3 players & iTunes, is the concept of the album (in any form) dying?
Peter – The concept of the CD single is dying.
QRD – How has the downloading scene impacted your sales - do you find that people buy less CDs now because they can download them for less or do you or do you think illegal downloads are more of a culprit?
Peter – Both.
QRD – Record & CD buyers tend to be of a certain age (21-34), as the upcoming people who will be of that age group are mostly download-buyers, would you like stores to eventually have “iPod filling stations” hooked up to an indie network that stores can be part of?
Peter – NO.
QRD – With the increase in digital downloads, low prices in mega-chains, & so many online specialty stores; what is the job of the local indie shop now compared to in the 1990s?
Peter – More VINYL.
QRD – What are the biggest misconceptions people have of record stores in general & yours in particular?
Peter – Snotty attitudes & elitist approach.
QRD – What is the most frustrating &/or frequent question you get from customers?
Peter – “Do people still buy records?”
QRD – How do you decide who to hire as an employee & when you need one?
Peter – People who actually shop when they apply.
QRD – If you weren’t in the music business, what would you do?
Peter – Run for president.
QRD – How did your schooling & previous work experience prepare (or not prepare) you for your store?
Peter – Business classes helped. Working at a store didn’t hurt either.
QRD – Have you ever refused to sell something purely because you disliked the music, even if it was popular & would sell?
Peter – No.
QRD – What is your personal “holy grail”? (i.e. the one rarity you’ve been looking for forever.)
Peter – Sun Ra – Song Of The Star Gazers.
QRD – What makes you feel like you had a good day at the store?
Peter – Big sales.
QRD – Anything else?
Peter – Nice people.
Official Website - www.theoldschoolrecords.com
From Our Good Friend Stephie Kuehnert Lewis
Life, Words, & Rock 'n' Roll
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Women Who Rock Wednesday: Jodi Gianakopoulos of The Old School Records
Welcome to Women Who Rock Wednesday! This is the last WWRW before the big cyber party, so I wanted to make it an extra special one. I decided to feature a woman who I'm proud to call a friend, who owns my favorite record store ever, Jodi Gianakopoulos of The Old School Records in Forest Park, IL!
Before we meet Jodi, I've got a couple things to mention. First, the winner of Jennie DeVoe's CDs is stephanieburgis from LiveJournal. Stephanie please email me at stephanie at stephaniekuehnert dot com to claim your prize!
And also, Amber from Just Your Typical Book Blog has decided to feature lil ol me as her Author of the Month for July! I'm incredibly honored! She's got some very cool stuff going on. She did a super fun interview with me that you can read here. She also has a contest running through July 21st where you can win a copy of Ballads of Suburbia, so go enter! And tomorrow, she'll have another short interview with me for her Rock This! feature, so be sure to visit her blog again then to get some music recommendations for me.But now I would like to turn the blog over to a woman who knows a hell of a lot more about music than me, Jodi Gianakopoulos. So read up and comment away because Jodi has agreed to give away an Old School Records t-shirt to one lucky winner chosen at random from the comments. All the cool kids have Old School t-shirts.... well, um, I have one at least!
Anyway, here's Jodi:Q: Welcome to Women Who Rock Wednesday, Jodi! I thought you were a great person to feature because you are the co-owner of my favorite record store on the planet, The Old School Records in Forest Park. When I was in high school, I thought the ultimate job to get would be record store clerk. Unfortunately, a lot of other people felt the same way and had better connections than me, so I ended up bagging groceries instead. Can you tell us a little bit about your path to record store owner?
Jodi: My sister worked at a head shop/record store in high school. One of my best friends also worked at a record store in the mall. I would hang around there so much that when I turned 16 they gave me a job. After I had that experience, the store my sis had worked for hired me. I moved to go to university and found a good local record shop, called REAL! Records.I had been reading a lot of Jack Kerouac, so I went in and asked for Bebop recommendations. From there I became a regular shopper and one day basically told them that they should hire me. They did and I worked there for the next five years.
When I moved to Chicago, Borders was just putting in their stores. Getting a job there was a breeze, so I went into management. Later, I worked for a Music House where I made no money, so I went back to management with Rizzoli Bookstore and was in charge of their international music and everything in the store that wasn't a book. I wanted to get into the distribution or promotion side of the biz. I was making connections with industry people and thinking I was getting "in". Too bad the shop was on the way out, so I took a job with a local independent chain called 2nd Hand Tunes. I would work for cash on Sundays. It was cool and I quickly developed a secret crush on the manager, Pete. Then I dove in full time. It was totally depressing. I went from attending conferences and being treated with respect to being the lowest on the totem poll. That was when I decided to open my own shop. The chain was later sold to an internet company and Peter and I started seeing each other at meetings. Then we were both store managers and started dating. We started to plan our own shop and one year after we married we opened The Old School Records. We have been in biz for six years, have a little house, two dogs and a five month old baby girl. Life is funny.
(Here's Jodi with her husband Peter at their store!)
Q: Was it something you always wanted to do?Jodi: No, I really just thought it was a good idea in 1998. It took five years of planning.
Q: For those who haven't had an opportunity to drop in yet, tell us a bit about the store, what makes you guys unique and so much more fun than shopping at Best Buy or on iTunes?
Jodi: We offer tons of vinyl and cds. We sell lots of movies and have about 20 magazines. We even sell tapes, mostly r&b, punk, jazz and rap. You find really different stock here, because our knowledge and tastes are quite broad and varied. We strive to be respectful, helpful and friendly. Often our clientele is older, but you will find any age group shopping here. Our regular customers are friends and our new customers are potential friends! I NEVER went with the snotty approach and having a largely older crowd as customers for so many years, there would never have been any room for a bad attitude. I am a salesperson and honey works better than vinegar. Peter and I come from families with strong work ethics and we always get the job done. When we first opened, the shop was really clean and organized, now it feels more lived in!I strongly believe that it's important for us to patronize shops in our own communities. Maybe not everyone can come in to The Old School Records, but this can serve as a good reminder as to why they should visit their local indie record store! What do you love best about owning your own store and what are some of the challenges?
Jodi: Being in charge and making the customers happy for both!Q: Not all of my readers can pop in and visit you at Old School, but they all can listen to your radio show! Can you give us a link to it, tell us when it airs, what kind of stuff you play and how you got the radio gig?
Jodi: The Old School Playground airs every other Tuesday from nine 'til midnight. (And here is the MySpace page.) Peter and I are both the DJs and it is an entirely world music show. Right now Peter is doing the show while the baby and I listen from home! However, I will be DJing the next show in two weeks, hopefully. I usually play new releases for part of it and then explore a theme. I play reggae,african, brazilian, asian/pacific, gypsy, balkan, persian/arab, turkish, french, italian and other rhythmic stuff. I've never heard a show like ours.
We play some pretty far out stuff! Peter DJ'd professionally for years and we started by guesting with the show that is on opposite ours, Prognosis.Q: Between the record store and the radio show, no doubt you are a music expert.Since our focus is on women who rock today, can you tell us about the female musicians you grew up loving, who made you passionate enough to go into this business?
Jodi: When I was in sixth grade Joan Jett "I love rock and roll" and the Go-Go's"We got the beat" showed me the way. Later it was Anabella Lwin, Kate Bush, Debbie Harry, Bjork, Billie Holiday, Maria Callas, Evelyn Glennie, Poly Styrene, Sandy Denny, Brigitte Fontaine, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott, to name a few, who would display their gifts and inspire me. I guess that I admire women who can stand toe to toe with men. The music biz is often a man's world, but it really is better off with women in the mix!Q: Also tell us about any new discoveries, female artists or bands we may not have heard of but we should absolutely check out!
Jodi: St. Vincent is the best thing I've heard in a while. The Japanese group Mono is also great.Q: Now for my standard Women Who Rock Wednesday questions. The first is a two-parter and I think it's perfect for a record store owner. What was the first album you purchased for yourself and what was the first concert you attended?
Jodi: Early as a child it was Kiss "Rock and Roll Over". Later, it was "The Indestructible Beat of Soweto". My first concert was Kiss in 1978.Q: And I'm excited to hear your response to the other standard question too because I know your husband Peter has some great tales and I can't wait to hear yours. Please dish about your biggest rock star moment. It could be a big moment of success in your career, a time where you met someone famous and had the Wayne's World "I'm not worthy" experience, or where you got the total rock star treatment?
Jodi: At Borders on Michigan Avenue there were lots of famous people coming through. Spending the afternoon with Los Lobos and meeting Elvis Costello were two nice moments. I don't want to know or meet musicians/artists, the ones I idolize are dead.The more I know about "stars", the less interested I become. None are worth mention. My biggest moment was maybe getting the keys to our shop. My biggest success is definitely yet to come!
I hope you guys enjoyed this interview as much as I do and I encourage you to visit the Old School Records website and blog. As I mentioned mid-interview supporting indie record stores is very important to me. Comment away, maybe tell us about your favorite local stores, your record store job fantasies, or anything else you gleaned from the interview and be entered to win your very own The Old School Records t-shirt. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday during the blog party! And if you are in Forest Park, do stop into the store!
Posted by Stephanie Kuehnert at 12:35 PM
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Women Who Rock Wednesday: Jodi Gianakopoulos of The Old School Records
Welcome to Women Who Rock Wednesday! This is the last WWRW before the big cyber party, so I wanted to make it an extra special one. I decided to feature a woman who I'm proud to call a friend, who owns my favorite record store ever, Jodi Gianakopoulos of The Old School Records in Forest Park, IL!
Before we meet Jodi, I've got a couple things to mention. First, the winner of Jennie DeVoe's CDs is stephanieburgis from LiveJournal. Stephanie please email me at stephanie at stephaniekuehnert dot com to claim your prize!
And also, Amber from Just Your Typical Book Blog has decided to feature lil ol me as her Author of the Month for July! I'm incredibly honored! She's got some very cool stuff going on. She did a super fun interview with me that you can read here. She also has a contest running through July 21st where you can win a copy of Ballads of Suburbia, so go enter! And tomorrow, she'll have another short interview with me for her Rock This! feature, so be sure to visit her blog again then to get some music recommendations for me.But now I would like to turn the blog over to a woman who knows a hell of a lot more about music than me, Jodi Gianakopoulos. So read up and comment away because Jodi has agreed to give away an Old School Records t-shirt to one lucky winner chosen at random from the comments. All the cool kids have Old School t-shirts.... well, um, I have one at least!
Anyway, here's Jodi:Q: Welcome to Women Who Rock Wednesday, Jodi! I thought you were a great person to feature because you are the co-owner of my favorite record store on the planet, The Old School Records in Forest Park. When I was in high school, I thought the ultimate job to get would be record store clerk. Unfortunately, a lot of other people felt the same way and had better connections than me, so I ended up bagging groceries instead. Can you tell us a little bit about your path to record store owner?
Jodi: My sister worked at a head shop/record store in high school. One of my best friends also worked at a record store in the mall. I would hang around there so much that when I turned 16 they gave me a job. After I had that experience, the store my sis had worked for hired me. I moved to go to university and found a good local record shop, called REAL! Records.I had been reading a lot of Jack Kerouac, so I went in and asked for Bebop recommendations. From there I became a regular shopper and one day basically told them that they should hire me. They did and I worked there for the next five years.
When I moved to Chicago, Borders was just putting in their stores. Getting a job there was a breeze, so I went into management. Later, I worked for a Music House where I made no money, so I went back to management with Rizzoli Bookstore and was in charge of their international music and everything in the store that wasn't a book. I wanted to get into the distribution or promotion side of the biz. I was making connections with industry people and thinking I was getting "in". Too bad the shop was on the way out, so I took a job with a local independent chain called 2nd Hand Tunes. I would work for cash on Sundays. It was cool and I quickly developed a secret crush on the manager, Pete. Then I dove in full time. It was totally depressing. I went from attending conferences and being treated with respect to being the lowest on the totem poll. That was when I decided to open my own shop. The chain was later sold to an internet company and Peter and I started seeing each other at meetings. Then we were both store managers and started dating. We started to plan our own shop and one year after we married we opened The Old School Records. We have been in biz for six years, have a little house, two dogs and a five month old baby girl. Life is funny.
(Here's Jodi with her husband Peter at their store!)
Q: Was it something you always wanted to do?Jodi: No, I really just thought it was a good idea in 1998. It took five years of planning.
Q: For those who haven't had an opportunity to drop in yet, tell us a bit about the store, what makes you guys unique and so much more fun than shopping at Best Buy or on iTunes?
Jodi: We offer tons of vinyl and cds. We sell lots of movies and have about 20 magazines. We even sell tapes, mostly r&b, punk, jazz and rap. You find really different stock here, because our knowledge and tastes are quite broad and varied. We strive to be respectful, helpful and friendly. Often our clientele is older, but you will find any age group shopping here. Our regular customers are friends and our new customers are potential friends! I NEVER went with the snotty approach and having a largely older crowd as customers for so many years, there would never have been any room for a bad attitude. I am a salesperson and honey works better than vinegar. Peter and I come from families with strong work ethics and we always get the job done. When we first opened, the shop was really clean and organized, now it feels more lived in!I strongly believe that it's important for us to patronize shops in our own communities. Maybe not everyone can come in to The Old School Records, but this can serve as a good reminder as to why they should visit their local indie record store! What do you love best about owning your own store and what are some of the challenges?
Jodi: Being in charge and making the customers happy for both!Q: Not all of my readers can pop in and visit you at Old School, but they all can listen to your radio show! Can you give us a link to it, tell us when it airs, what kind of stuff you play and how you got the radio gig?
Jodi: The Old School Playground airs every other Tuesday from nine 'til midnight. (And here is the MySpace page.) Peter and I are both the DJs and it is an entirely world music show. Right now Peter is doing the show while the baby and I listen from home! However, I will be DJing the next show in two weeks, hopefully. I usually play new releases for part of it and then explore a theme. I play reggae,african, brazilian, asian/pacific, gypsy, balkan, persian/arab, turkish, french, italian and other rhythmic stuff. I've never heard a show like ours.
We play some pretty far out stuff! Peter DJ'd professionally for years and we started by guesting with the show that is on opposite ours, Prognosis.Q: Between the record store and the radio show, no doubt you are a music expert.Since our focus is on women who rock today, can you tell us about the female musicians you grew up loving, who made you passionate enough to go into this business?
Jodi: When I was in sixth grade Joan Jett "I love rock and roll" and the Go-Go's"We got the beat" showed me the way. Later it was Anabella Lwin, Kate Bush, Debbie Harry, Bjork, Billie Holiday, Maria Callas, Evelyn Glennie, Poly Styrene, Sandy Denny, Brigitte Fontaine, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott, to name a few, who would display their gifts and inspire me. I guess that I admire women who can stand toe to toe with men. The music biz is often a man's world, but it really is better off with women in the mix!Q: Also tell us about any new discoveries, female artists or bands we may not have heard of but we should absolutely check out!
Jodi: St. Vincent is the best thing I've heard in a while. The Japanese group Mono is also great.Q: Now for my standard Women Who Rock Wednesday questions. The first is a two-parter and I think it's perfect for a record store owner. What was the first album you purchased for yourself and what was the first concert you attended?
Jodi: Early as a child it was Kiss "Rock and Roll Over". Later, it was "The Indestructible Beat of Soweto". My first concert was Kiss in 1978.Q: And I'm excited to hear your response to the other standard question too because I know your husband Peter has some great tales and I can't wait to hear yours. Please dish about your biggest rock star moment. It could be a big moment of success in your career, a time where you met someone famous and had the Wayne's World "I'm not worthy" experience, or where you got the total rock star treatment?
Jodi: At Borders on Michigan Avenue there were lots of famous people coming through. Spending the afternoon with Los Lobos and meeting Elvis Costello were two nice moments. I don't want to know or meet musicians/artists, the ones I idolize are dead.The more I know about "stars", the less interested I become. None are worth mention. My biggest moment was maybe getting the keys to our shop. My biggest success is definitely yet to come!
I hope you guys enjoyed this interview as much as I do and I encourage you to visit the Old School Records website and blog. As I mentioned mid-interview supporting indie record stores is very important to me. Comment away, maybe tell us about your favorite local stores, your record store job fantasies, or anything else you gleaned from the interview and be entered to win your very own The Old School Records t-shirt. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday during the blog party! And if you are in Forest Park, do stop into the store!
Posted by Stephanie Kuehnert at 12:35 PM
Sunday, October 4, 2009
yelp me if you can!
7446 Madison St Ste 1
(between Beloit Ave & Burkhardt Ct)
Forest Park, IL 60130
(708) 366-7588
(between Beloit Ave & Burkhardt Ct)
Forest Park, IL 60130
(708) 366-7588
12 reviews for Old School Records
This little shop is what dreams are made of. After a few years of relying on Ebay to nab albums that I couldn't find in other music stores, I stumbled upon Old School Records. In a matter of minutes I was able to locate the very three CDs I'd most recently been searching for and the great price sealed the deal for me.
Old School Records specializes in, of course, records, but they also have a good selection of CDs, which are what I usually go for. The prices are reasonable, especially considering the array of music they supply and the people who own the place are just as nice as can be. If you're on the hunt for a hard-to-find album then I'd recommend you give this place a try. They also carry lots of discounted DVDs and VHS tapes that are worth checking out.
A great local record/CD store. The owners are super friendly and knowledgeable. Check out their record display in the window and see if you can guess the theme!
Old School Records is just that....old school. This place is a wonderful throwback. You can flip through records, which just feels good. The owners of the shop are extremely knowledgeable about music, which proved to be a huge help for me. I don't buy records for myself anymore, but my dad still collects them. I went in there to buy a gift for my dad and gave the owner two bands that my dad liked. He was able to make about 5 recommendations for me. I picked one, and my dad absolutely loved it! He was right on the money with his recs. They also have a great CD collection and a nice used DVD selection.
2/22/2009
Holy Crap - taken out of the film "High Fidelity". Obscure records, excellent quality/condition, and no smarmy, "Too Cool" bullshit from the employees. The prices are excellent on new and used music and they are very hip to turning you onto new artists. Really great collection of LPs and CDs and cassette tapes.
9/28/2008I happen to stumble on this play on accident and I was blown away. I can spend hours and hours running my grubby little fingers through records...I did the last time I went.
I noticed that they had a much larger selection of records than some of the other places I've been to. They had several of the Bob Dylan, Parliament records that were not available at the other places. Also, I found a copy of Slint by surprise...still sealed. Like all other places, they still have the bargain bin records for .99 cents. Everything was moderately prices and included hard to find items. Great selection of Jazz and Blues albums also!
They do have CDs there, however I don't buy CDs and couldn't tell you anything about them.
Probably the best old school record store left in the Chicagoland area. Jodi and Peter always have excellent recommendations for me now that they know what I like after a few visits. You get personal service from real music aficionados. No 'high fidelity' attitude. Just real people who love music as much as you do. Plenty of new releases on CD along with an awesome selection of used vinyl, cassettes, vhs and dvds too. If you want it and they don't have it, just ask and they will get it for you. You can't go wrong visiting this store, but you might leave with a little less $$ in your wallet 'cause there's so much cool stuff to be had!
Another good record shop with a collection about as extensive as they can fit into their space. A lot of the LP's are crammed underneath and are very hard to get to. Good selection of used CD's, and I love the fact that they still have a display case full of cassette tapes.
Made my first trip here last week. Pete played great stuff during my visit. Found lots of great stuff here. Great selection across the board. weekly stop for me!
I bought my first LPs here from the 99c bin. Here's what I got:
Peter Gabriel- the one w/ 'sledgehammer'
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Ministry - With Sympathy
Then I also bought Bad Brains and Talking Heads. Both were under $6.
So what, all of this for around 15 bucks. How about that for record store finds? Go to this store, search through their cheapo bin and you're bound to find some great stuff.
with a record store, you pretty much know what you're looking for.
'i'm going to get the new springsteen. i'll get in, get out, pop it into the cd player in the car, and jam out.'
well, with OSR, when you step up to the counter you meet jodi or peter. "so you like springsteen?" they ask as they punch the register.
"yeah."
"have you heard the hold steady? or gaslight anthem?"
"huh, what?"
"yes, you might even like the national."
and then they hook you at the counter with a cd player, headphones and a pile of cds. it's like a brick and mortar http://pandora.com.
it's an awesome record store clearly based in an old school philosophy. rock on!
This place is really cool. I stop in here periodically to check out their jazz albums. They carry tons of vinyl records -- something I can't seem to find in too many places these days. They also carry lots of the contemporary music in all different forms -- cassette tapes, cds, and vinyl. This family owned place is great and has wonderful, friendly serivce.
I've never seen this place but I was walking by and decided to see what the store was all about. It doesn't have a huge selection of CD's but if you are still buying vinyl, this is the place for you. More than half of the store is records. And not just old stuff, although there is some of that, but new stuff too. I found a single of "Don't Phunk with My Heart" from the Black Eyed Peas. They also have a good selection of used DVDs for $4-10 dollars. Some might be more but all the ones I was interetsed in buying were in that price range.
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