My family and I stopped in over the weekend. We went to the farmers market then walked over, as we…read morehad family in town and wanted to walk around the loop. There's, of course a HUGE collection of records. We bought a couple records during this visit. It seems the price points are average. My daughter also found a cd and a cute notepad that we bought as well. There was a good amount of people inside the store too. But it never felt crowded.

Really cool store in a great location in the Loop. Huge windows, lots of natural light, and fun…read morecity views. Very clean, spacious, and well organized. Great selection of records, CD's, movies, and more. I really enjoy browsing and I always find something I want to add to my vinyl collection. I appreciate that they stay open until 7pm. Helpful staff, reasonable prices, and great vibes.

Great selection of used vinyl, DVD's, etc. Their stock is always changing since customers are…read morealways bringing in new merchandise. Great place to look for rare and hard to find items. Employees may be a little snooty but, I am not sure how I would be dealing with the public all day. So they get a little pass from me. Also, they live and breathe records so no doubt they know more than me. Always like perusing their current selection. To me it is relaxing and rewarding at the same time.

Still top tier after all these years. Staff so knowledgeable. Happy to see people who still…read moretreasure quality vinyl.

DO NOT TRUST THEIR GRADING OR LABELS!!!…read more I stopped by for the first time a couple of weeks ago to check the place out. They have a nice variety of albums, but unfortunately, my experience has been less than impressive. The day I stopped in, I purchased what was labeled as a 1968 "Near Mint" copy of Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues. When I got home, I discovered significant noise throughout the first third of Side A. Since I live in the suburbs, I wasn't able to get back into the city for two weeks. They did take the record back, but because their return policy is only one week, they would only offer store credit rather than a refund. They took the record back, and I found a "Near Mint" copy of the 2012 remaster of The Beatles' White Album. The label specifically stated "w/ poster & photos." I even asked an employee about it before purchasing it, and they confirmed that the poster and photos were included. Sure enough, I got home, opened it, and neither the poster nor the photos were there. Needless to say, I'll be returning this record, and I won't be coming back. Two purchases, two significant issues with the condition or contents being inaccurately represented.

I stopped by the Wabash and Belmont locations of this store, but for Belmont specifically, this…read morestore is a MUST for vinyl, CD, cassette, and game collectors. The store is extremely big, the service was quick and things were easy to find utilizing the store website, reckless.com. The prices were pretty average, around $15 for a new CD and $30 for vinyl. I didn't check the prices for cassettes, but I'm sure they were great. They also had posters of popular albums, featuring art from various artists. They also had used console games, for Xbox One, PS4, retro Nintendo consoles, and I even saw a few SEGA Dreamcast games! This place is nothing short of heaven for music lovers!

Cool store with a great selection. Parking is worse than usual but there's a couple spots if you…read moredrive around for two hours (or get the nearby SpotHeros). Definitely worth the visit.

Here's a catchy and fun Yelp review for Torn Light Records:…read more "Torn Light Records: The Vinyl Jackpot I Didn't Know I Needed" While wandering Chicago, I stumbled upon Torn Light Records, and let me tell you, it was like finding buried treasure--but instead of gold, it was stacks of classic records at prices so good I almost felt like I was stealing (don't worry, I paid). Back home, I'd have to sell a kidney to afford half of these gems, but here? It's like they actually want you to enjoy music without going broke. The selection was top-tier, the vibe was chill, and my wallet survived the trip (barely). If I'm ever back in Chicago, Torn Light will be at the top of my must-visit list--right after deep dish pizza. If you're a vinyl junkie like me, don't walk, run to this place. Your record collection will thank you. 5/5 stars for being the record store of my dreams!

I made the mistake of visiting on a day that they were only open for deliveries. Door was unlocked…read moreand I walked in. I was immediately informed they were closed and I walked out and floated around looking for food. 2 minutes later I was told it was ok to visit. Wow! I had the whole place to myself. Michael Serafini, owner/DJ didn't have to do that for me. I was visiting from Charlotte NC and was excited to visit. The selection is wide and labeled very specifically from Rock to Jazz to Soul to House music new and old. I was there for an hour and they even checked on me a few times. I took my time and spent over $300 for two full bags of used and new vinyl cuts - Soul, Disco and Chicago House for me. Prices ranged from $3.99 to $25 for me. Some rare records were priced $25. They even had local DJ presses - DJ Darryn and Dave Maze were my favorites. I will be back next trip to Chicago and visiting Thursday through Sundays only! Thank you Michael for being so gracious and patient to a new customer!

Do not buy the grab bags at any cost. They say they are jazz, comedy, etc. but in reality they are…read morespoken word lectures about diabetes and shit. $15 worth of total garbage.

Honestly, I loved my experience here! I managed to find a couple of nice vinyls to get and was…read moresurprised by the overall selection they offered. It was clean and well-organized on the main floor. The downstairs is a tad neglected compared to the main floor. I didn't find anything downstairs to get. I was a bit shocked at the price of some of the brand new vinyls, but the prices for the older ones were comparable to other stores. I prefer shopping local, and was really happy to have stumbled upon here! Would definitely come back again! No bad experiences with the staff during my visit. They were actually more on the helpful and friendly side. Seems like they took past customer reviews/experiences seriously and improved.

The store is very clean and has a helpful and friendly staff. This was my first visit and multiple…read moreemployees checked on me and offered assistance. I was there for less than an hour and spent over $100 on mainly used vinyl soul and disco. I informed them that I was from Charlotte and they offered to box and mail my selections to me. I took them up on the free boxing and decided to mail on my own. The prices ranged from $1-$12 for used vinyl cuts for me. Very fair and prices per record were specific and I felt appropriate. I will definitely come back on my next visit. The store is clean, vibrant and organized.

Shuga Records holds such a special place in my heart. We've been stopping in for years, and they…read morehelped make our engagement in their store so special. They went above and beyond from clearing out a little section in the back for the proposal, to playing our favorite song on the speakers as we walked in. They also helped me procure my partner's favorite record that has been notoriously difficult to find. The staff here are so kind and have always been lovely to work with- special shout out to Tom and Kailey who helped organize everything and made our day so memorable!

I've been a regular coming here for a few years. Staff is friendly, but I learned that buying used…read morerecords from here is as good as buying from a scalper. I found a record I've been looking for a while (The Black Dahlia Murder: Ritual); and they had it listed at $175 (in their Discogs store it's $200). The average selling price is $75 for sales that happened this year. The ONLY time it ever sold for $200 was in 2018. Egregious price gouging. Reckless Records down the street will sell rare records at their average selling price. I can't imagine a large record store needs more than triple what they probably paid to acquire that record. They aren't a private seller, they get exclusive artist pressings

Growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to love coming to The Exchange. Now I was happy to see that…read morethey've expanded (to be honest I'm not sure which locations came first). The Exchange is the perfect place to find new/used video games, movies, cds, toys, consoles and more! Everything is organized in sections by type of game or appropriate genre of music or type of movie. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it's almost like a library of all things cool. The staff is super helpful. When you want something, you'll need to ask them for help as everything is behind glass and locked so you don't steal- good call on their part. Prices are reasonable for the most part. Some things like vintage games can be a little pricey but it makes sense. I bought about 6 or 7 old video games from NES Super NES and Sega for $38. I think I did well. They now have a rewards program that's free to sign up for so take advantage of that. I love this place whether I'm in Pittsburgh or Chicago. Definitely will make a trip or two every time I'm here.

I am writing this to share feedback regarding my recent experiences with this store. While I…read moreappreciate the inventory, the trade/sell process and customer communication have been very disappointing. Recently, I brought in an Xbox to trade. I was told I would receive a call the following day once it was tested. After receiving no update, I called the store myself and was told my offer was ready and to come in. After driving over 40 minutes, I was informed in person that you could not accept the console due to a fan issue--information that should have been communicated over the phone. Additionally, during a previous visit to sell a collection of Naruto Funko Pops and manga, I explicitly asked to complete the transaction that day to avoid another trip. Despite assurances, I was kept waiting until closing time, only to be given a rushed and surprisingly low offer. Clear communication and respect for customers' time are essential. I hope you will address these issues to improve your service going forward.

A great place to get a house or dance record! While it only carries a specific style of music the…read morestaff are knowledgeable and a main stay in the house music and DJ community. Very rarely do they not know what a song is and can always get a record as a distributor. They are limited by hours but well worth it. Located in a building that looks like a office building in a rom com, but they have inventory!! Just went there to get records for my next mix! My guy there pulled all the stuff I would need. While it was expensive it is worth to no pine over a record like it's Excalibur. Now it's part of my collection.

From the owner: Groove Distribution is America's largest dance music distributor and importer. We distribute a wide…read morerange of dance music including house, downtempo and lounge, mashups, dubstep, nujazz, cosmic disco and more, both on vinyl and CD. We also carry a selection of magazines, books and DJ accessories like record bags and slipmats. We are a wholesale distributor but we also operate a mail order service direct to deejays and music fans across the U.S. and around the world.

Such a cool space!!! They have a huge downstairs level full of books too. Wow!…read more There is a large hand sanitizer dispenser near the entrance and everyone who enters is asked to sanitize their hands before touching books. I like that. They also have a really spacious separate room available for events. The Chicago Writer's Association hosted a lovely event there last night, and my boyfriend was chosen as one of the 12 Chicago writers to read some of his work. I'm glad we know about this bookstore now.

This bookstore has a wide selection of books that you won't find at any standard book store or…read moretypical cookie cutter store. The interesting part is that they have a mix of used and new books which allows for a larger selection of books you won't find most places. The prices are very good, and the staff is nice. It's a quiet book store tucked away with seating in the downstairs area for browsing, and it has an open atmosphere without feeling too crowded or too stuffy.