Beverly Records One of 10 in Chicago with XRT Vinyl Treasure Saturday

Beverly Records rare vinyl collaboration with Nicky’s of Beverly is the toast of Western Avenue Saturday, with a national celebration of Record Store Day enhanced by the generosity of Chicago’s Finest Rock station, WXRT, 93.1

WXRT is celebrating Record Store Day 2023 by spinning album sides starting at noon, Beverly Records is selling new the new records dropped and Nicky’s is buying a beer for record shoppers.

In what amounts to an added treasure hunt for crate diggers will be vintage XRT Studio Vinyl strewn throughout the record store bins at 10 Chicagoland record stores.

According to the WXRT media release “the albums have the markings and comments from on-air personalities over WXRT's 50 year history.”

If a shopper is lucky enough to find a piece of XRT history, there is a suggested donation of $20 to a Foundation To Be Named Later. WXRT’s website carries a complete list of participating record stores and the albums available at each location.

“The people at WXRT have always looked out for the small businesses and independent record store owners,” said Beverly Records owner Jack Dreznes. “Anyone lucky enough to find a WXRT album from yesteryear in our store has priceless wall art for their listening room.”

Down the street at Nicky’s of Beverly, owner Paul Kostopanagiotou shares his rare vinyl selections for diners and carryout customers. The sound of the needle settling into the groove cues up the hippest of customers. John Dreznes of Beverly Records spins at the restaurant once a week indoors - and out - depending on the weather.

Saturday, Nicky’s offers a free beer to Record Store Day purchasers with a Beverly Records store receipt.

“Some of our customers coming into Nicky’s are curious to hear what record we’re featuring on any given day,” said Kostopanagiotou, who teamed with the Dreznes family and Beverly Records to welcome customers to his new restaurant and location at 105th and Western Ave. Saturday, January 2, 2021. Nicky’s has been rocking ever since.

“People are buying records they’ve owned before or exploring other music by the same artist,” said Dreznes, who has weathered the ups and down in the record business at Beverly Records, 11612 South Western Avenue in Chicago.

Enthusiasts who stand in line beginning at 3:30 a.m. for an 8 a.m. opening say the Beverly community is lucky to have two torchbearers such as Beverly Records and Nicky’s working together to celebrate records.

Despite the benefits of digital recordings, Dreznes said music lovers have come to more fully appreciate the analogue features of a vinyl records. Many customers relish the experience of listening to a recording on vinyl, reading its album cover and relaxing at home in front of a turntable or console.

“If you want to listen to the radio, you can do it while doing everything else,” Dreznes said, “but if you want to listen to a record, you sit down and really listen to it.”

Record Store Day

Record Store Day is the single day of the year when independent record shops come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar.

The first US Record Store Day was officially kicked off by Metallica in San Francisco in 2008 and took hold as a Saturday in April.

Beverly Records is located at 11612 South Western Chicago, IL 60643

773/779-0066 Email: info@beverlyrecords.com