Entry No. 131 — the Chicago file — filed under: records
Val's halla Records
Val Camilletti opened this on July 26, 1972, taking over the South Boulevard storefront where she'd been managing a record chain since 1967, and moved it to Harrison Street in the Oak Park Arts District in 2006. She died in 2018; Shayne Blakeley, who worked beside her for two decades, still runs the floor and hands out the recommendations, which are not neutral. Stock spans new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs, and the shop's own description of its range runs from complete operas to rap to local Chicago artists. There is a stage inside the store and bands actually play on it, and Record Store Day here means an 8 a.m. door with a line that forms long before. It is closed all day Wednesday, which reliably catches people out.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Chicago — never the same twice
The story
Val Camilletti had been managing a record chain since 1967; when it closed she leased the empty storefront at 723 1/2 South Blvd in Oak Park and, with an all-volunteer effort from her former employees, opened Val's halla Records on July 26, 1972. The name is Valhalla rewritten downward — the store describes itself as the modest hall of mortals rather than the hall of the slain. It stayed on South Boulevard for 34 years, long enough to raise several generations of local high-schoolers, before redevelopment pushed it to 239 Harrison Street in the Oak Park Arts District in 2006.
Shayne Blakeley came to work there straight out of high school and became Val's business partner. Val was diagnosed with breast cancer and died in July 2018, and Blakeley kept the shop running alone until late 2019, when closing looked likely; a local business partner stepped in, and the two restructured the business rather than let it fold. He is still the person handing out recommendations on the floor, and they are not neutral recommendations.
The stock is deliberately unspecialized: new and used vinyl plus an extensive run of CDs and cassettes, going, in the store's own phrasing, from complete operas to rap and from world music to local Chicago artists, with DVDs in the mix too. There is a stage inside the store, and it regularly hosts acts of every genre — local players and touring bands routing through Chicago. They take in unwanted vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs by donation, sale or trade, which is where a lot of the used bins come from. The stated mission is an intentionally inclusive, inter-generational room for people who like music, which in practice means nobody sneers at what you carry to the counter.
What it's like
Check the day before anything else: closed all Wednesday, 11am-7pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday. From the Loop it is about 30-40 minutes — Green Line to Oak Park or Blue Line to Austin, then south to Harrison Street, which is a walkable strip of galleries and small storefronts rather than a mall. Inside is a wide, well-lit room with a stage in it, and the browsing is genuinely cross-genre, so plan to be sidetracked. Talk to whoever is behind the counter; the recommendations here are opinionated and offered freely, and asking is the point. If you are clearing shelves, bring your culls — they buy and trade vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs. Check the calendar first if a live set would change your plans, either way.
The move: Get there by 6 on a Thursday or Friday, split to opposite ends of the racks with a hard $25 ceiling each, and buy the other person's pick sight unseen — no vetoes. Ask Shayne to break the tie if you both want the same record. Then walk the rest of Harrison Street for dinner and open the bags at the table.
📍 Before you go Open 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday–Saturday, 11–5 Sunday, closed Wednesday. (708) 524-1004. About 30–40 minutes from the Loop: Green Line to Oak Park or Blue Line to Austin, then a short bus or walk south to Harrison. They buy vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs, so bring your culls if you're clearing shelf space. Check their calendar before you go — in-store live sets and the late-July anniversary weekend change the whole character of a visit.
- 📍 Oak Park
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 239 Harrison St, Oak Park, IL 60304
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Spindle (Car Kebab) at Paisan's — Ten minutes south on Ogden in Berwyn, where the skewered-cars sculpture stands outside a pizzeria — records first, then something absurd to look at over dinner.
- Galloping Ghost Arcade — Further out Ogden in Brookfield, hundreds of arcade cabinets in one room: the loud half of a day that starts quietly in the bins.
- Fleetwood Roller Rink — A roller rink in Summit, about twenty minutes south — the logical place to hear music at volume after an afternoon spent holding it in a sleeve.
More weird in Chicago
Good to know
Which day catches people out?
Wednesday — the store is closed all day. Otherwise it is 11am to 7pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, and 11am to 5pm Sunday. Phone (708) 524-1004 or email [email protected] to confirm.
How do I get to Oak Park without a car?
Green Line to Oak Park or Blue Line to Austin, then head south to Harrison Street — reckon on 30 to 40 minutes door to door from the Loop. The shop is at 239 Harrison St, in the Arts District, which is a walkable strip worth the extra half hour.
What is actually in the bins?
New and used vinyl, plus an extensive CD and cassette selection and some DVDs, spanning — their words — complete operas to rap and world music to local Chicago artists. It is a generalist shop by design, so it rewards browsing rather than a narrow want list.
Will they buy my old records?
Yes. They take vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs by donation, sale or trade, and rare and used stock is core to the inventory rather than a sideline. Bring the culls in a box you can carry.
Is there live music in the shop?
There is a stage inside and it regularly hosts acts across genres, both local musicians and touring bands passing through Chicago. Check what is scheduled before you go — an in-store set changes the character of the room completely, which you may want or may not.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26