Entry No. 130 — the Chicago file — filed under: record store
Beverly Records
The store started in 1967 when John Dreznes bought it for his wife Christine — "Mrs. Dee" — partly, he said, to keep track of her; she cheerfully admitted at the time that she didn't know the Monkees from the Beatles, then built it into a national record-search operation that grew to four locations before consolidating back to this one. It has supplied jukeboxes across Chicago since 1967 and still does, and the 45 catalog is searchable online and downloadable as PDFs sorted by title and by artist. The celebrity page is not decoration: Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites, Lonnie Brooks, Shirley King buying discs to teach her blues history class, and George McCaskey picking up copies of "Bear Down, Chicago Bears." They also press and stock the deeply local stuff — "South Side Irish" on green vinyl, "Let's Go Go Go White Sox" — that no store north of 79th bothers with. Sons Jack and Randy and grandson Johnnie are still running it.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Chicago — never the same twice
The story
Beverly Records began in 1967 as a small gift, novelty and record store, and it exists because John Dreznes bought it for his wife Christine — "Mrs. Dee" — partly, by his own account, so that "I could keep track of her." She cheerfully admitted at the outset that she didn't know the Monkees from the Beatles. She then spent decades turning the shop at 11612 S. Western into a national record-search operation, expanded it to four locations, and eventually consolidated everything back into this one storefront. Both founders have since died; sons Jack and Randy and grandson Johnnie kept it open.
The core service is finding records rather than merely stocking them. The 45 catalog is browsable online and downloadable as PDFs sorted by title and by artist, rare inventory is listed on MusicStack, and anything not in the catalog gets a phone call and a hunt. The store has been stocking jukeboxes across Chicago since 1967 and still does, which is why the singles wall is deep in a way that album-oriented shops are not.
The celebrity wall is documentation, not decor: Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites in to plug a Chi-Lites disc, Lonnie Brooks checking mid-tour that they carried his own live album, Shirley King buying records to teach a Chicago youth blues history class, Bears president George McCaskey collecting copies of "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" and noting they'd sold him some thirty years earlier. Alongside are original concert posters, framed Beatles displays, Elvis sides on Sun, and the hyper-local pressings nobody north of 79th bothers with — "South Side Irish" from 1984 and the 1959 novelty "Let's Go Go Go White Sox." The family also runs a costume and novelty shop nearby.
What it's like
This is a drive, or a Metra ride on the Rock Island line to Beverly, and it is worth arriving with a plan. Weekday hours are generous (10am-6pm), Saturday runs to 5pm, and Sunday is a four-hour window from noon. Do the homework first: browse the 45 catalog PDFs, or phone (773) 779-0066 with a want list so the digging starts before you do. Inside it is a family shop with more inventory than floor, and the counter is the interface — you ask, somebody goes and looks. That exchange is the whole product, so bring a specific request rather than wandering. Read the celebrity wall while they hunt. Street parking on Western is easy. On Record Store Day the doors open at 8am and stay open until 6pm.
The move: Drive down on a Sunday between noon and 4, and before you walk in, each of you write down the song you were obsessed with at fourteen. Hand both titles to whoever's behind the counter and let them go find the 45s — that's the whole point of the place — then walk the celebrity wall while they dig.
📍 Before you go Hours are Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 12pm–4pm — the Sunday window is short. Call ahead at (773) 779-0066 with a want list and they'll track it down before you arrive; that's a service they advertise, not a favor. Browse the 45 catalog online first so you're not starting cold. This is 116th and Western, deep South Side — figure 30–40 minutes driving from the Loop, though street parking on Western is easy and Metra's Rock Island line serves Beverly/Morgan Park. Their sister shop, the Beverly Costume & Novelty Shop, is nearby if the dig goes short.
- 📍 Chicago
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 11612 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Original Rainbow Cone — Same avenue, 9233 S Western, about two and a half miles north — a stack of 45s and a five-flavor cone is a complete South Side afternoon with no navigation required.
- Bachelor's Grove Cemetery — Fifteen minutes southwest into the Cook County forest preserve, and about as far in mood from a doo-wop singles counter as one afternoon can reasonably travel.
- Lem's Bar-B-Q — Rib tips at 75th and Eberhart on the way back north, so the drive home stops being the boring part of the day.
More weird in Chicago
Good to know
How far out is it, and how do I get there?
11612 S Western Ave, at 116th Street on the far South Side — roughly 30 to 40 minutes driving from the Loop. Metra's Rock Island line serves Beverly and Morgan Park, and street parking on Western is straightforward, which is not something you can say about most record shops in this city.
What are the hours?
Monday to Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday noon-4pm. The Sunday window is only four hours, so it is the easiest day to misjudge. Record Store Day runs 8am-6pm.
Can they actually find a specific record for me?
That is the business. Browse the 45 catalog online — it downloads as PDFs sorted by title and by artist — and if what you want isn't listed, call (773) 779-0066 or email [email protected] and they will try to track it down. Rare stock is also listed on MusicStack. Doing this before you arrive turns a browse into a collection.
What does a visit cost?
Nothing to walk in and dig. 45s and used LPs are the cheap end of the shop; new CDs, reissues, original concert posters, framed Beatles displays and Elvis sides on the Sun label sit higher. They also buy records, individually or as collections.
I own a jukebox. Is this useful?
Directly. They have been stocking jukeboxes across Chicago since 1967 and still do, classics through hard-to-find, which is the reason the singles inventory is as deep as it is.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26