Entry No. 128 — the Chicago file — filed under: record store
Bucket O' Blood Books and Records
The sign says "New and Used Books, Music, and Movies," which undersells the specificity: this is science fiction, horror and fantasy paperbacks filed a few feet from black metal and punk on vinyl and cassette, and the two halves clearly belong to the same brain. The rare-and-collectible stock is large enough that the shop splits its catalog across three separate walls, A–G, H–O and P–Z, with signed firsts turning up from Ray Bradbury, Jeff VanderMeer, Philip José Farmer, Robert Holdstock and August Derleth. The music side runs to things like Immortal and Enslaved on cassette, which is a format decision nobody made by accident. They still do Record Store Day — there was a Bucket O' Blood RSD 2026 shirt — and they run author preorders and midnight release RSVPs out of the same room. Hours are long by record-shop standards: 10am to 8pm Thursday through Sunday.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Chicago — never the same twice
The story
The sign reads "New and Used Books, Music, and Movies," which is the least revealing possible description of a store where signed science fiction firsts share a room with Norwegian black metal on cassette. Bucket O' Blood has been at this since at least 2010, when it was a Logan Square shop at 2307 N Milwaukee Ave hosting all-ages BYOB readings — a November 2011 book party for the anthology Windy City Queer, for one — before moving to its current room at 3182 N Elston Ave.
The buying policy is the clearest statement of what the place is. Books wanted: science fiction, fantasy, horror, literary fiction, popular science, creative non-fiction, biography. Books not wanted: romances, computer manuals. Records wanted: punk, indie, metal, 70s and 80s rock, new wave. Not wanted: gospel. They pay cash or 20 percent more in store credit, and will arrange pickup for a large collection. That filter has produced a rare-and-collectible section needing three separate catalogue pages, split A–G, H–O and P–Z: signed copies of Ray Bradbury's Long After Midnight, Jeff VanderMeer's Finch, Robert Holdstock's Lavondyss and two Philip José Farmers, alongside August Derleth, William Hope Hodgson and Jack Williamson.
The music side is filed by the same instincts — Immortal's Northern Chaos Gods and Sons of Northern Darkness, Enslaved's Utgard, all on tape, a format nobody stocks by accident — and the shop sells through Discogs as well as over the counter. It is an events room too: author preorders bundled with RSVPs, midnight release nights, Record Store Day with its own commemorative shirt, and shelves that extend past genre fiction into occult, manga, graphic novels and puzzles. The hours give away that this is somebody's life rather than a side project: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., four days straight, Thursday through Sunday.
What it's like
Check the day before anything else — the shop opens noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, closes entirely on Wednesday, and runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, which makes it one of the few browsing stops in the city still open at half past seven. Elston is a diagonal truck-and-car street rather than a strolling one, so arrive by car or bus and expect a charmless block outside and a dense one inside. The rare and collectible stock is worth scouting online first, because in person the shelves reward patience rather than scanning. Staff will hold something if you call ahead. If you are bringing books or records to sell, remember the trade rate beats the cash rate by twenty percent — so decide in advance whether you want money or more shelves.
The move: Go on a Thursday or Friday evening — they're open until 8, which almost nothing else on this list is. Give each other twenty minutes and a $10 limit to pick a paperback the other person has to actually read, meet at the rare-book wall, then read each other the opening paragraph out loud before you decide whether to buy it.
📍 Before you go Hours are split: 12pm–8pm Monday and Tuesday, CLOSED Wednesday, 10am–8pm Thursday through Sunday. Phone is 312-890-3860 if you want something held. The rare and collectible stock is browsable online by author before you go, which is worth doing if one of you is hunting a specific signed edition — the walls are dense and unsorted-feeling in person. Elston is a car street; there's street parking, and it's an awkward walk from any L stop.
- 📍 Chicago
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3182 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Covet Oddities & Macabre Gallery — Half a mile away on Diversey, and the obvious companion to a wall of horror paperbacks — preserved specimens, death-themed collectibles and occult art in one room.
- Hungry Brain — A ten-minute drive to a corner bar with sagging couches and a jazz booking policy far more serious than the room suggests — the natural landing spot after the 8 p.m. close.
- Bric-a-Brac Records & Collectibles — The other Avondale record shop, a mile west on Milwaukee; go there first, since it shuts at 7, then finish here.
More weird in Chicago
Good to know
When is it open?
Noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, closed all day Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The Wednesday closure catches people out; the 8 p.m. close is unusually late for a bookshop and makes this a viable after-dinner stop.
How do I get to 3182 N Elston Ave?
Elston runs diagonally through Avondale and is built for cars, with street parking nearby and no L station within an easy walk — driving or a bus is the realistic option. It is about a mile from the Milwaukee Avenue shopping strip if you are already out that way.
Can they hold a book, or find one for me?
Call 312-890-3860. The rare and collectible stock is browsable online across three pages — A–G, H–O and P–Z — so look up your author before you drive over, and they will also list preorders for forthcoming titles with an RSVP attached.
What do they buy, and what will they pay?
Science fiction, fantasy, horror, literary fiction, popular science, creative non-fiction and biography on the book side; punk, indie, metal, 70s and 80s rock and new wave on the record side. They pay cash, or 20 percent more in store credit. Romance novels, computer books and gospel records are explicit no-thank-yous, and large collections can be arranged for pickup by email.
Is it worth going for the events rather than the shelves?
Yes, if you time it. The shop runs author preorder events with RSVP tickets, midnight release nights for big records, and Record Store Day, which it marks with its own annual shirt. Check the current listings before you commit to a date.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26