Owners Chantala Kommanivanh and Mallory McClaire The Xavierite
On April 20, local record store Beverly Phono Mart (BPM) celebrated Record Store Day, a holiday for small businesses, with deals, fun, and a host of DJ sets.
During the day they brought a lot of music to the Beverly community and helped celebrate local music culture.
Beverly Phono Mart is located at 1808 W 103rd St, in Chicago. The store recently held a pop-up on campus, giving students a taste of what the store has to offer. BPM sells a wide variety of vinyl records across all genres, as well as CDs and cassette tapes.
They also sell shirts, hoodies, drinks, record players, and books on different musicians and the history of their work.
The store was open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., longer than their usual hours, and saw heavy foot traffic throughout the day.
They celebrated Record Store Day with a buy one get one free deal on their used records, and a slew of DJ sets to liven up the space.
The sets began at noon with Radio Ruta, a DJ at WXAV, who you can hear Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. During her set, she played a mix of alt-rock and hip-hop. Next, DJ Margin Walker played a set with only 45 rpm records, filling the store with funk and soul music.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon other local artists did sets, including one of the store’s owners, changing the dynamic of the space every hour.
Among other local talents, Alex “Jaz” Jasso was also in the store representing Machine Wash Music, a local record label that has published artists such as “Kenny Keys” and “The Uhssentials.”
Owners Mallory McClaire and Chantala Kommanivanh had this to say about Record Store Day and how it affects the culture surrounding music.
“It’s really special to have a day of support for independent record shops. It’s tough to compete with Amazon and other big box retailers, and the support we receive from Record Store Day goes such a long way.”
They noted that for different people, Record Store Day takes on different meanings, whether it be finding limited releases or supporting local shops. Though they said that “At the end of the day, it’s really just about celebrating the vinyl community and keeping our indie shops going.”
When asked how they create a unique atmosphere in their store, they said a lot of it involves a touch of personality.
“We bring a lot of ourselves into the business and are always trying to share the things that we love with others. That can be seen in the music we play, as well as the art or other items that you can find in store. The world is so heavy these days, so we always want people to feel at ease in our store.”
Their favorite part of the day was spending time with music fans and enjoying the energy created by the community.
“The morning is so busy, and we are thrilled to see the people that wait in line for hours go home with the titles they’ve been waiting for, but the afternoon is always the best.
By then, the line is gone and people come through to show support and to just hang out and enjoy the day. It’s really cool to know that shops all over the city and the country are putting their own spin on things and enjoying a similar experience on this one day.”
For now, the two owners will be recovering from a busy month of preparation for Record Store Day.
However, they did say they will be participating in more “off-site events” this summer.
If readers would like to check out Beverly Phono Mart, they can visit the store at 1808 W 103rd St, follow them on Instagram @beverly_phono_mart, or visit their website beverlyphonomart.com.