![]() People appreciate that,” said Camilletti. It is an art form, not a piece of dry goods. She believes that the order of songs on a record are that way for a reason and are meant to be experienced in that particular sequence. On Saturday WXRT deejays Terri Hemmert and Lyn Brehmer dropped by to join the festivities.Ĭamilletti, like many other vinyl enthusiasts, views music as a way to express one’s identity and each LP as a piece of art. She opened the store in 1972– the same year WXRT was born. Oak Park calls the record industry “remarkable” and credits it with “giving life where life was sucked away.” Camilletti started working at Capitol Records 50 years ago. Val Camilletti, 73-year-old owner of Val’s halla Records at 239 Harrison St. To Brandt, owning a record is like “owning a piece of history.” Brandt said that Reckless Records’ stock is “primarily used LPs.” He says the new location in Forest Park will make it “easier for Reckless Records’ customers to shop and trade outside of the city” because they won’t have to deal with parking and driving in Chicago. ![]() The owner of Cyclopx wanted to sell the entirety of his stock along with the space, so Reckless Records swept in and took over. The space was previously owned by record and collectible shop Cyclopx. Gar Brandt has worked at Reckless Records for 10 years, though he just started working at their Forest Park branch when it opened a month ago at 7511 Madison St. “Record Store Day is bigger every year,” said Gianakopoulos, because records are “culturally indelible.” Jodi Gianakopoulos said that the biggest change she and Peter have experienced since opening was how, “the music industry has helped vinyl …The media is finally helping out the little guy.” She has been in the record business since 1986 and declares that it is “really fun to be a vinyl vendor” because there is “a lot of history.” Now “kids think records are cool,” she said, “which closes the generation gap” and amuses the older people. Peter and Jodi Gianakopoulos will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Old School Records, 7446 Madison St., next month. and thousands of similar stores internationally.” The website describes the day as “a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the U.S. Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 to cater to a growing group of LP enthusiasts, and to the growing number of musical groups that are now releasing their albums on vinyl. This year’s National Record Store Day took place Saturday, with dozens of area record stores joining this homage to vinyl.Īfter the music industry shift to digital and file-sharing killed big record chains such as Tower Records and Rose Records in the 1990s, independent record stores have been clawing back from their near-death-experiences. Local music outlets nationwide now stage Record Store Day, an annual celebration of vinyl that attracts hordes of music enthusiasts hoping to add limited-edition LPs to their record collections. ![]() At a time when almost all music is digitized–most of that downloaded to phones and ipods–vinyl records are, for a growing number of listeners, a viable and exciting way to hear their favorite music. To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of LPs are apparently greatly exaggerated. And the pair have established a new business plan with more community events, including concerts and open mic nights, along with a steady influx of new records.It’s a record: World music group Black Bear Combo performed at The Old School Records on Saturday during National Record Store Day.Courtesy: The Old School Records ![]() And though Blakeley shared Val's passion for music and community, neither had the business acumen to keep the record store open without a major new investment. Store founder Val Camilletti died last June. "I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving," Blakeley said. "It was very much sort of pulling from the heart strings of knowing just the importance of this place," Toppen said.īlakeley initially announced that the store would close at the end of November, barring "a miracle." But a miracle is exactly what Toppen provided. The investment came from Trevor Toppen, a small business consultant and regular costumer at Val's Halla.Īfter Toppen's son started volunteering at the record store, he learned that the store would likely close before the end of the year. I'm ecstatic," said general manager Shayne Blakeley. OAK PARK (WLS) - Val's Halla Records in Oak Park will not be closing after a community member invested to keep the independent store open, extending a 47-year run as a haven for music lovers. The legendary Val's Halla Records in Oak Park will not be closing after a community member invested to keep the independent store open, extending a 47-year run as a haven for music
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