Black Friday at Beverly Records - Tradition Rolls On With Record Deals

Beverly Records, 11612 S. Western Ave., will hold an alternative “Black Friday” Record Store Day beginning at 8 a.m.

In addition to unveiling the latest releases during the annual “Back to Black” Christmas shopping event on Nov. 25, Beverly Records will fill the house with music for everyone's shopping pleasure.

Aisles of discount vinyl will be available to those line up and at 8 a.m. Shopping closes at 6 p.m.

“Black Friday has been one of our great holiday traditions,” said Beverly Records owner Jack Dreznes. "What we love the most is that our customers are getting younger and younger as the vinyl craze continues."

Dreznes is all about the vinyl, citing Chicago as an explosive market for the vinyl records and vintage stereo equipment found at estate sales.

Customers at Beverly Records such as Edris Hoover, an expert estate sales manager and auctioneer, know that first hand.

“The people at Beverly Records certainly have an extensive selection,” said Hoover. “You can find most everything—jazz and blues and all the early artists. Plus, they are well organized. And if they don’t have it, they can find it for you.”

Hoover’s business is a testament to young people’s passion for vinyl.

“Those old stereo console pieces were impossible to move at estate sales,” said Hoover. “Now, young people are looking more and more for vintage stereos, receivers, turntables and consoles.”

Not only are vinyl records back in a big way, but so is the vernacular: hot wax, platters, records, 78s, 45s, turntables, EPs, discography and discs.

It’s unlikely people will see the return of Cookie pulling out his pocket comb on Sunset Strip in the 1950s, but arguably the coolest aspect of that bygone era is back.

Hoover said many of Beverly/Morgan Park’s historic homes are a kind of repository of items of value. Whereas residents in other parts of the city are more transitory, local homes were, in many cases, passed along to the next generation. Many of the owners of those homes were the “save everything” products of the Great Depression. They would never consider tossing out 78s or 45s of Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday or other artists.

As a result, Beverly Records may, by sheer volume and storage, house more hidden gems than any record store in America.

The record-store experience can be flush with emotions. While customers let their fingers do the walking through bins of albums, the Beverly Records staff plays rare cuts on a turntable as treasure hunters squeal with delight upon locating a certain album. Part of the ambiance of the store is the scent of thousands of record covers.

“It’s emotional because the record or song takes you to a time or place or a person you were with,” said Dreznes, “and that’s special.”

Emotions ran deep some years back for an elderly shopper. The woman was looking for a rare recording, “In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town.”

The 1932 pop song, written by Ira Schuster and Jack Little, was No. 1 on the hit list for ten weeks.

The woman said it was the favorite song of her recently deceased brother. She found the recording and said she would be putting the record into his casket “so he could sing it in heaven.”

In the late 1960s, after serving in the military, Dreznes took over Beverly Records for his mother, who proved to be a valuable resource for media outlets. She became a “go to” person for reporters attempting to find information on rare recordings. Her recognition as an expert helped sustain sales as vinyl gave way to eight-tracks, followed by cassettes and then digital recordings.

As each medium entered the entertainment scene, more and more unwanted vinyl records were brought to Beverly Records, and Dreznes expanded his storage area off site.

Despite the benefits of digital recordings, Dreznes said, music lovers have come to more fully appreciate the analogue features of a vinyl record. 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.”

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

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