Beverly Records

Beverly Records has been part of Chicago’s South Side since 1967, building a rare-record business from the personal knowledge of collectors and the stories they brought into the shop. In this interview, the owners trace that history through 45s, DJs, store credit, and the collections that still surprise them.

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Interview with Beverly Records

Beverly Records has a long history on the South Side. How did the shop start, and what's changed over the years?

Beverly Records started in 1967 with my grandmother, Christine “Mrs. Dee” Dreznes. It was never really intended to become what it is today.

Her three sons were all draft age during the Vietnam War, and my grandfather wanted to give her something that might take her mind off constantly worrying about them, so he bought her a small neighborhood novelty store.

Before that, she had worked as a bartender in her parents’ tavern, and she was a great listener. When customers came into the shop and started talking about old records, she listened to their stories. She quickly realized that different collectors had their own specialties. One person knew jazz, another knew soundtracks, another knew country.

When someone came in looking for a hard-to-find record, she would write it down and ask one of her regular “experts” if they knew where to find it. Often, that customer had a copy themselves or knew someone who did. She would buy it and resell it to the person looking for it.

That became the foundation of Beverly Records and our rare-record business.

Over time, records completely took over the store. By the late 1970s, my grandmother was buying inventory from record stores that were closing and continuing to expand the collection.

The business has changed constantly since then.

In the 1970s, Beverly Records became known as a place to find records that other stores didn’t have.

In the 1980s, mobile DJs and coin-operated jukeboxes became a huge part of the business, and we became a major source for vinyl, singles and DJ equipment.

In the 1990s, CDs took over. People would bring in entire record collections and trade them for store credit so they could replace everything with CDs. We remained a destination for hard-to-find music, but the format had changed.

In the 2000s, karaoke became a major part of the business, including both music and equipment.

Then vinyl came back.

So in a funny way, after nearly 60 years, we’ve come almost completely full circle. We’re back to doing much of what my grandmother was doing in the beginning: helping somebody find a record they’ve been looking for everywhere else.

You carry a lot of 45s and memorabilia alongside the LPs. Not every shop bothers. Who's after the 45s, and what's the story with the memorabilia?

The 45s really go back to our days supplying mobile DJs and coin-operated jukeboxes.

For a long time, the 45 was the most efficient way to keep up with hit music. A song might be huge for six months and then disappear from rotation. Once a single had run its course, DJs and jukebox operators would often bring those records back to us rather than throw them away.

That’s how we accumulated such an enormous inventory.

In the late 1970s, Jack developed a computerized cataloging system to keep track of all those records. He actually built the computer himself, at a time when home computers were still extremely unusual.

That changed everything.

Instead of spending hours physically searching through hundreds of thousands of 45s, we could locate something in minutes. Once people realized Beverly Records had this massive, searchable collection, we became one of the places collectors went first when they were hunting for a particular single.

That still happens today.

The memorabilia is a little more unpredictable. Most of it comes in with record collections we purchase. Posters, promotional items, autographs, displays and other pieces of music history just turn up in boxes.

That’s part of the fun. You never really know what is going to be sitting underneath the records.

You're on Western Ave in Beverly. What does the shop mean to that neighborhood, and who's coming through?

At this point, we’re part record store and part neighborhood museum.

We’ve been on Western Avenue since 1967, so we have customers who first came here with their parents and now bring their own children or grandchildren into the store.

That history means a lot to us.

But Beverly Records has never been only a neighborhood store. We get serious collectors from throughout Chicago and the suburbs, people traveling through town, and people who specifically make the trip here because they’re hunting for something unusual.

That’s one of the things I’ve always liked about the store.

Somebody walking through the door might live five minutes away, or they might have driven five hundred miles to get here.

When a seller sets a crate down, what tells you fast whether it's worth your time?

You can usually get a pretty good read from the first few records.

Condition matters, obviously, but I’m also looking at the artists, labels, years, pressings and how the records were cared for.

You also start to recognize the way somebody collected.

If the first ten records are interesting, well maintained and a little unusual, there’s a good chance that person knew what they were buying. At that point, you definitely want to see what else is in the box.

And sometimes you open a crate and see fourteen copies of 101 Strings and Mantovani.

That tells you something too.

You lean rock and classical. What's strongest in the bins, and what always surprises people about what does and doesn't move?

I’d probably change the premise of that question a little. We’re certainly strong in rock, but I wouldn’t really describe Beverly Records as a classical-oriented store.

Our roots are much deeper in soul, blues, doo-wop, R&B and 45s.

One thing that surprises people is that age by itself means very little.

A record can be 60 years old and we may already have twenty copies of it. Meanwhile, an obscure 45 by a group like ? and the Mysterians can have collectors all over the country looking for a particular pressing.

That’s really the trick with records.

Rarity matters. Demand matters. The pressing matters. Condition matters.

Simply being old doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

What do people overestimate the most when they bring it in?

78s.

We really wish they were worth more.

People will bring in records that are well over 100 years old and understandably assume that anything that old must be valuable. Unfortunately, many of those records were produced in enormous quantities and there just isn’t much collector demand for them.

There are certainly exceptions, but age alone doesn’t create value.

Sometimes we have to tell somebody that the hundred-year-old record they carefully carried into the store is worth less than a 45 from the 1960s that most people have never heard of.

Record collecting can be strange that way.

Do people who take store credit actually come back and spend it, or does a lot of it just sit on the books?

Usually they spend it before they walk out the door.

That’s the dangerous thing about giving record collectors store credit in a record store.

They bring in one crate and somehow leave carrying another one.

Chicago winters and basement storage are hard on records. What condition damage do you see most?

Moisture is probably the biggest problem we see.

You get mildew, mold, warped jackets, musty smells and boxes that have been sitting directly on a damp basement floor for years.

Sometimes the record itself actually survives pretty well, but the cover doesn’t. And for collectors, the jacket, inserts, labels and overall package can be a major part of the value.

Storage matters.

Chicago certainly gives records plenty of opportunities to get wet, but conditions can actually be even harder on vinyl in southern climates. Extreme heat and direct sunlight can warp records very quickly.

Moisture, heat and sunlight are all enemies of vinyl.

What's a record that turned up here that you never expected to see?

We’ve had some remarkable records come through here over the years.

We’ve seen Elvis on Sun Records, early Beatles records on Vee-Jay and even the infamous first pressing of Prince’s Black Album.

But one of the most interesting things I ever saw wasn’t a single rare record.

It was an entire collection of reggae 45s that had originally come from a record store in Jamaica.

There were artists in those boxes I had never heard of in my life, and I’ve been around records a long time.

Word got out, and collectors from around the country started coming through the store to dig through them. Eventually, one serious collector came in and bought the entire remaining collection.

That’s one of the things that keeps this business interesting.

You can spend your whole life around records and still open a box tomorrow containing something you’ve never seen before.

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FAQ

Who should I contact for more information on purchasing?

Our buyer, Randy, is on vacation until 3/20. Please call him on Wednesdays or Thursdays for more information. Thanks.

What is the composition of your record inventory?

Our inventory is 90% used vinyl and 10% new, with categories like Rock/Pop, Jazz, Country, Gospel, Soundtracks, Easy Listening and oddities.

Do you carry any local artists?

We also carry a few local artists on vinyl as well as CDs. Our local Blue Island celebrity is Enuff Z'nuff, of which we have their complete discography.

Can I find classic rock reissues at your store?

Yes, we have some other new releases and reissues of classic rock like the Beatles, Stones, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and more.

How can I check if you have a particular record?

If you're interested in a particular record we can check our inventory and let you know if we have it. Check out a small sampling of our inventory at MusicStack.

Last updated: 2026-09-30

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