http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-music-aficionados-say-loss-of-jazz-record-store-a-lost-art-20160213-story.html
Music aficionados say loss of Jazz record store: 'A lost art’
Gregory PrattContact ReporterChicago Tribune
All day Saturday, the world-famous Jazz Record Mart filled with customers for what could be the store’s last weekend.
People who’ve been visiting the downtown shop for decades browsed vinyl records and CDs. A man visiting from Australia stopped in. One woman even biked down in frigid weather from the city’s Northwest Side to buy tapes before the store closes.
“A lot of joy,” said the store’s owner, Bob Koester, when asked how he felt. “I should go out of business more often.”
Koester, 83, said he expects to sell his inventory Monday to an out-of-state buyer and shut the store down. High rent, Koester said, has caused him to sell “The World’s Largest Jazz and Blues Record Store.”
If he can’t sell the store, Koester said he’ll move to a smaller location.
That fact saddened many who feel as though they were losing a mecca for music lovers.
“This is history,” said David Hensley, who came to the store with his 17-year-old son, Benjamin, in search of Jim Flora albums. “There’s no other place like this.”
Other people there expressed romantic thoughts about old-time record stores and said shopping online doesn’t compare to a good storefront.
Steve Padley, 55, came out from Downers Grove and said he loves finding random items while browsing and going, “Hey, I’ll take a chance on that.”
On Saturday, Padley displayed that same sense of wonder as he showed a Clark Terry recording with Thelonius Monk he’d found in the store.
“Like ‘em both,” Padley said. “Let’s see what they sound like together.”
Koester reflected on his store Saturday, which has allowed him to meet countless people over the years. He said he’s had some customers for more than 40 years.
“The people you meet are wonderful,” he said.
In addition to owning the record store, Koester owns the Chicago-based Delmark Records label. Some of his musicians poured through the store throughout the day.
Ernest Dawkins, 62, is a saxophone jazz musician with Delmark who lives in Englewood. He said the store’s closing represents “another historical institution that’s gone by the wayside.”
“I think America needs to look at itself in terms of how we invest in art,” Dawkins said.
Others echoed the sentiment.
“This is something that’s sort of a lost art that’s dying,” said 66-year-old Peter Jacobs. “It’ll be missed.”
gpratt@tribpub.comTwitter @royalpratt
