Chicago boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to record stores, but a few distinguish themselves by catering to their constituencies with fanatic ardor. The Jazz Record Mart (444 N. Wabash Ave.; 312-222-1467) rightly bills itself as the largest of its kind in the world; a recent estimate placed its inventory at over 200,000 items. Reckless Records’ flagship store (3157 N. Broadway; 773-404-5080) corners the market on indie, underground and alternative releases, and hosts frequent in-store performances by local and touring acts. Vinyl purists should check out the impressive selections at Hi-Fi Records (2570 N. Clark St.; 773-880-1002) and 2nd Hand Tunes’ Clark Street location (2604 N. Clark St.; 773-929-6325). Collectors who don’t mind paying a premium for hard-to-find dusties and obscurities will most likely consummate their grail quests at Beverly Records (11612 S. Western Ave.; 773-779-0066). But no true musical acolyte’s education is complete without a visit to Rockford’s sprawling Toad Hall (2106 Broadway, Rockford; 815-226-1259), which houses a collection of LPs, 78s, 45s, and reel-to-reel and eight-track tapes so massive it takes a full three-story house to contain it all.
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