Beverly Phono Mart is coming back to Saint Xavier University for another record pop up on Oct. 3!
From 10 AM to 4 PM, Mallory McClaire and Chantala Kommanivanh of Beverly Phono Mart will be back with more music for SXU’s students to enjoy.
The event will take place in the Wiseman Student Lounge on the first floor of the Warde Academic Center. Students can pay for different items with credit card, Zelle, Venmo or cash. According to Kommanivanh, Items bought using credit cards will have an extra charge fee.
Peter Kreten, director of SXU student media, found out about Beverly Phono Mart through an article in the Chicago Reader. “I found out when their opening day was, rode my bike over there and had a hard time riding back because I bought so many records. I’ve been going there ever since,” says Kreten.
Due to last year’s success, Kreten has invited McClaire and Kommanivanh back for another pop-up.
“Last year’s pop up was an incredible success. Beverly Phono Mart was only scheduled to be here on that day from 10 AM to 2 PM, they didn’t leave until 5 PM. Even when they were leaving, students were still picking through the crates looking for records to buy,” says Kreten.
Saint Xavier University staff members are always looking for fun events to have for students to enjoy on campus. Students have left positive reviews about the pop up and went home excited to play some new tunes, according to Kreten.
Since not every student has the resources to travel to a local record store, Kreten and the WXAV team decided to bring a record store to campus for students to enjoy. Ashley Jackson, director of campus life, and Kreten collaborated to make this event possible.
“We didn’t expect the turnout last year to be so welcoming and massive. It was our first time on campus and we didn’t know what students wanted or were looking for. We went with crates packed with music and ended up having a great time,” says Kommanivanh.
McClaire and Kommanivanh have been collecting records for a long time. During the pandemic they even traveled to different towns to buy records. They felt like there wasn’t anything in the area for people who enjoyed collecting records as much as they did, so they decided to open up shop.
Beverly Phono Mart has fostered an atmosphere where people can share a common interest such as their love of music.
Beverly Phono Mart will be offering different types of merchandise. Students will have the opportunity to buy not only vinyls but also CDs and vintage cassette tapes. There will be a wide variety of genres to choose from.
“We specialize in Hip Hop, R&B, and Jazz. We will be bringing that mixture of music onto campus as well as pop, rock and some indie. Our hip hop section was very popular last year,” says Kommanivanh.
There will be different crates available to look through. McClaire and Kommanivanh will be at the pop-up ready to answer any questions you may have about their store or merchandise.
If students want to order something Beverly Phono Mart does not currently carry, you can send a request by email.
“We do orders every week and submit them on Sundays. The orders usually come on Wednesday or Thursday. If anyone is looking for anything specific and it’s available we can get it within a week,” Kommanivanh states.
Newer records will be priced at about $25 to $35. Used records will be a little under $20, and there will also be a bargain bin for $5.
Beverly Phono Mart is located on, 1808 w. 103rd st. Chicago, IL 60643.
For more information pertaining to Beverly Phono Mart, visit www.beverlyphonomart.com.
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