For some Dusty Groove customers, Record Store Day began with coffee, doughnut holes and a magician.
On Saturday, dozens lined up outside the record store at 1120 N. Ashland Ave., which provided the free refreshments and entertainment before opening its doors at 7 a.m.
By 10 a.m., the store was still humming with activity as vinyl-lovers sought out their favorites from the more than 380 exclusive releases, which included popular projects from Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, the Beatles and Record Store Day ambassador Paramore. (A full list is available at recordstoreday.com.)
But for many customers, the 17th annual celebration of independent record stores was more about community-building and nostalgia rather than the special titles. Several mentioned the joy in spending time with loved ones, meeting new people and reminiscing about the past.
Jay Williams and his friends, for example, created a ritual around visiting Dusty Groove, Shuga Records and Reckless Records each Record Store Day.
“It’s like a religious thing,” said Williams, 54, of Glenview, who purchased several jazz records and CDs. “We may not get together any other time of the year, but we always get together on this day.”
Record Store Day has coincided with a vinyl resurgence; revenue from vinyl records has increased annually for the past 17 years, hitting $1.4 billion in 2023, according to a report by the Recording Industry Association of America. The report also stated that physical musical formats in general have increased in popularity since 2021.
“The amount of customers that came through during COVID have kept up,” Dusty Groove manager Teresa Brztowski said. “I’ve been here almost 10 years. I’ve never seen sales so high.”
Record Store Day, however, is not a huge driver of sales for Dusty Groove, according to staff members. The shop relies on online orders for 80-90% of its business.
And the store carries more niche items than popular titles. (You won’t find Taylor Swift’s new album in the shop.) For example, on Record Store Day, customers flocked to special releases by Nat King Cole and Art Tatum.
One of Dusty Groove owner Rick Wojcik’s favorite Record Store Day releases is “Ain’t No Sunshine,” a live album by jazz musician “Brother” Jack McDuff.
“I used to see him on the South Side in the ‘80s live,” Wojcik said. “He’s a great organ player.”
Dusty Groove customer Michelle Calderhead surprised her husband, Phillip Gross, with a Record Store Day shopping outing for his birthday. They brought along their 7-year-old son, Anderson Gross, whom they’re trying to introduce to physical music.
“I love vinyl,” said Phillip Gross, 44. “It’s a fun day to go around from record store to record store and support the businesses and keep them alive, keep them thriving.”
Unlike Dusty Groove, Hyde Park Records, 1377 E. 53rd St., opened during its regular time at 11 a.m., opting to catch overflow from the other stores. In addition to selling the Record Store Day releases — albums by The Weeknd, Lil Wayne and Nas were popular titles — owner Alexis Bouteville put out some other rare records, including original pressings of projects by Sylvia Striplin, Crystal Winds and Syl Johnson.
“It’s a really enjoyable day,” Bouteville said. “There’s a little bit of electricity.”
South Side couple Khary Phelphs, 29, and Katina Godbold, 28, said they started collecting at the beginning of the year.
Phelps selected special releases by Young Thug, Lil Wayne and Lil Uzi Vert.
“These records take me back to a time,” he said, referencing high school and his time in the U.S. Navy. “It’s nostalgic.”
Customer Crystal Isbell, 42, of the south suburbs, agreed.
“A lot of this music is the soundtrack of my life, my formative years,” said Isbell, who grabbed records by Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly and the O’Jays, among others.
“This is a good day to connect with other folks who have the same interest, and who may be able to point me in the direction of some new music that I’m not aware of. Usually I dig alone, but this is a nice day of community.”
