Dusty Groove

Okay, I’ve been coming into this store for years—long time buyer, first time reviewer. When the mood strikes, you must respond—so here we are. This is hands down my favorite record store in the world. There was a time when all I had to do was walk up Thomas and there I was. Now I check the website as often as any other important thing in my life, and the store is my church. I’ve picked up some of my favorite records from here, and they continue to get the stuff that reminds me why music is an adventure. Bottom line, it’s a store for the heads. But you may already know that. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that as we come up to another January 16, I know that there are two employees at this fine establishment who share this birthday with me. A very, very happy birthday to you both. The way we found that out earlier this year (2025) is a story I will tell for all time. Dusty Groove, don’t stop the rock for no one.

A truly fantastic online store with a wide and wonderful selection of great music at excellent prices. The informative notes that they include for most releases on their website has led me to discover some brilliant new 'old' music. Orders are always well packaged and swiftly sent. Customer service is friendly and efficient, too. Simply the best!!

Excellent location to do business with. The staff here is highly knowledgeable about record quality, artists, and what will and won't sell on the open market. Brian was extremely helpful, and the price he quoted was a very fair value. I'm definitely doing business again, and I highly recommend them!!

Ordered from their online store and they were amazing. Emailed me right away when I had a question and shipped super fast! When my package came in it was packaged super well! CDs were priced very affordable ! Will 100% buy from again!

What a great spot! Downstairs has some cheap deals to browse. I wouldn’t say it’s the place to go if you have a specific record you’re looking for - but it’s a good place to browse and find a new future favorite. Updated August 2025 for the updated storefront.

I have been ordering from Dusty Groove for years. They are very good. Their reviews are excellent, also. It can really be educational. I really appreciate the quick service. They are nice on the phone, if you call. For soul and jazz there is no one better.

I’ve never been to their brick and mortar but I must say their online store is excellent. I want to scream that from a mountain but I wish I could keep this as my little collectors secret. So I’ll write my feeling here I got some of my dream records from this store. I love the personalized written review of the music on most albums listed. it really feels like you’re talking to the local wise record store owner. Thank you dusty groove for being my go to vinyl retailer. I also must say their packaging for my record was excellent it being a holy grail of mine I was happy to unbox my record as if it were a salvaged historical item

Been ordering for YEARS. Second time I was able to get into the store this weekend. Prices have gone up a bit in some cases but you simply can't beat their selection this side of the Atlantic. If you go, bring a list... and budget. Had a hard time deciding and still went a little over it!

The go to record shop for the best of sounds & vibes...selections off the chain & prices reasonable...fast shipment when ordering...massive variety of vibes...

Their inventory seems decent but I couldn't even stand to shop around with the poor attitude and service the employee gave me. I came with a purpose and that was to only check for a record that was coming out on Record Store Day. Before I could even ask about the record, I was quickly slighted with a "we don't know what we get". I held my composure knowing this was a dishonest comment from the hipster employee, said thanks, and left. Not even 10 minutes later, I arrive to another record store with all the information I needed and more. He informed me that you request the drop list in advance and it typically arrives up until hours the day-of. So you definitely know in advance what you'll be getting, even if you don't have it yet. It blows my mind that Dusty Groove was advertising a party for...what exactly? Surprise records or a day-of disappointment for a few beverages and snacks? It doesn't take much to be kind to your customers considering that's who keeps you in business day after day.

I was in Chicago this past weekend for my Uncle's funeral which was Friday October 25, 2024. I remembered while there that Dusty Groove is in Chicago! My wife and I found the place and I enjoyed browsing and purchasing music, which I have previously done, but online. I was actually in the place. The customer service was great and the selections were too. Next time I'm in Chicago, this will be one of my stops. I wish I could post a picture that I took while there.

If you happen to be walking around Wicker Park, check this place out. I've always been a mail order/online customer of Dusty Groove since the '90s, except for the one time when I called in an order and picked it up from the window while visiting Chicago. The selection has always been good regardless of genre. I kind of miss the early days when you could call and get suggestions from a really knowledgeable employee. But if you have good to great taste in music, you should be able to find vinyl you really like on your own here.

My husband is the vinyl nut in the house but even I enjoyed our visit to Dusty Groove. The store is clean and well-appointed, and I really liked how completely organized everything is. Well-labeled, clearly organized, really easy to zero in on the genre or type of music you are seeking. They also really play some cool stuff in the store... my husband came out with a big bag of records and a new song to play on Spotify because it's what they were playing in the store. Variety and selection here are top-notch. I did find the employees to be a little brusque. There was apparently still a mask requirement in the store, but all three of us missed the sign when we walked in the door. The gentleman who asked us to please leave because we weren't wearing masks and were standing around waiting for my husband to make his choices could have been nicer. Also, we visited on Record Store Day, and it was a bit offputting that the staff seemed to be prioritizing online orders over people actually in the store requiring assistance. They had a list of items available that was supposedly up to date, and they insisted that RSD patrons use the list to mark what they wanted. But in the end, none of the items my husband marked were actually available. Disappointing and confusing, though he still found plenty to buy.

If you haven't heard of Dusty Groove then you must be new Their vinyl inventory is impressive; You gotta trust me, dude Peruse the shelves and dig in the crates to some funky tunes There's a 99.99% chance you'll turn into a wax junky soon If you wanna rep their shop, cop their affordable $9 clothes It's unfortunate the bargain basement downstairs was closed... ...due to Covid, so in the event of my untimely death, just in case Bury me on the corner of Ashland x W Haddon, my vinyl resting place

Great record store, possibly my favorite in Chicago. Their selection is smartly curated, especially in Jazz, Soul, and roots music. But service is also terrific. I have spoken to multiple employees and none have the ill-tempered attitude that is all too common in record shops. You know that Jack Black in High Fidelity character... funnier watched on screen than personally experienced.

Very disrespectful staff we had an encounter with today who did not want to help and kept pointing out bad English as the reason. As noted by the sales person, "We are having trouble understanding, there is a huge language barrier. There is no way we can give the record unless you go online and give us the item number". The gentlemen kept walking away and blaming that the language barrier repeatedly. After showing the exact record to the sales person, they refused to help advising that we should self locate the record online. What is the staff here for if it's not to locate records? Frankly, that's their only job is to locate records. Perhaps to sell as well, but clearly staff are hardly capable of that either. Being disrespectful of people whose English might not be the first language is unacceptable. Customer service after calling and trying to locate a record was absurd. The employees were pretentious, a really frustrating experience. Would not recommend.

They buy records for more than Reckless Records and have a great inventory. Also lots to dig through in the basement though I expected more. I've seen more records in Toad Hall in Rockford

This place is the holy grail of crate digging. A fantastic selection of new and used soul and jazz vinyl and CDs, all fairly/competitively priced. You'll find lots of amazing hard to find records browsing through the bins. Also a great selection of cool rock, reggae, hip hop, world music and electronic to mention a few (but not all) of some of the other genres they cover well. Also mail order from Dusty Groove is fantastic for us out of towners. And they pay well for used vinyl. Can't say enough good things about them.

Review # 36 out of 365 Online store review. Excellent concept. I can search for used and new vinyl while either selecting it in my "wish list" or putting in my basket for purchase. Then, when I have found all the vinyl and my heart is content, I purchase it and have it ready to be picked up for 30 days. Awesome. Also, the records have descriptions and it's easy to read why one may be a better choice or why it was popular. With so many choices, it's nice to see this extra effort put in. Oh and that outrageously expensive record you eye, will have an additional description explaining what's special about it. So cool.

Felt totally disrespected by owner Rick. I can't help but feel he would have treated me much differently if I wasn't a younger person as right before he was rude to me he'd been glad-handling an older customer. I simply asked to clarify his perceived value on a record (original promotional pressing of Tupac's All Eyez on Me) that I was selling. He then muttered at me not to take his offer, as I tried to tell him I just wanted to know what the shop valued it (standard procedure when buying and trading records to a used record store) he literally ran away from me to the employees only door and slammed it. This type of behavior would be unacceptable from any employee ... but the owner? Ridiculous and immature. Don't have a business where you buy used records if you are going to act like a petulant child when someone asks a reasonable question. Maybe your buying hours could be expanded (by one hour) to match the hours of your store instead of throwing a fit? I took the item to Reckless Records and they offered me more money.

1st time visit after hearing about years ago. Great store and inventory. I'll be back.

We stumble across this place months ago. My mom was dropping me off to run an errand and as she sat and waiting in the rain she mentioned she saw a record store on the corner. While we were waiting for decibel to open she remembered this place (which I didn't believe even existed) LOL. When I realized it was actually a place WOW. I am so excited. Great customer service and great selection of high-quality and reasonably priced vinyl. They have set the bar for all places in the Chi. The quality selection and prices rise well above the rest. The place was fun well organized and great customer service. I couldn't find a few things and the guy who helped me and even looked up some things I wanted to buy to see if they would be getting in. I ended up walking away with some great finds? The only set back is its a little bit further from me than I would like; or maybe its a good thing consider I would visit and spend all my lil coins in here. I cant wait to go back and add to my collection.

I made an online order, and it was well-packed and the records were in the condition they described. For a casual record buyer, they're a good option. Some collectors, though, might have issues with them. For example, one of my records originally came with an 8-page booklet, but it was missing from the copy I received. Also, they don't specify which pressing you're buying; one of my records was an RCA Record Club copy. I emailed them about the missing booklet, and they replied that they "cannot guarantee that contents match those of the original release." Will your copy of the White Album come with the poster and four photos? They "cannot guarantee" it. If these issues don't bother you, then Dusty Groove is otherwise fine.

I get what this store is trying to do. Appeal to hip hop fans and producers with their large selection of soul/jazz/funk/library/african etc. But the vinyl in this store is graded way too highly, and overpriced. Just because you have a trendy concept for a store doesn't mean you can just try to rip people off who are unaware. I would have given Dusty Groove 3 stars, but one of the only good things about the store, is the bargain basement and they closed it sadly.

Preordered a record advertised on their website. I get a cancellation email saying I don't get the record I preordered because they didn't get enough. Two thumbs down.

Preordered a record a month ago. Got a cancellation email saying they didnt get enough of them. Real bummer.

This spot has some solid records, but the fact that an employee has to operate the listening station is corny. The type of people that shop here aren't even digging like that. Pricing is a bit high, seems like everything is just above what it would be on Discogs. If you want people to continue to support the brick & mortar, don't try & extract every last cent out of each sale.

Make sure you know what you're selling and what it's worth before you contact Skip at Dusty Groove. My older parents contacted him a few weeks ago and they arranged a deal to sell him LP's and some pocket books from a large collection of rare books, albums, DVDs and LP's. Unsupervised and greedy, Skip took over 15 boxes of comics and other rare books that were not agreed upon. I actually see the comics and other things that he stole listed on the Dusty Groove website today. He had the audacity to leave boxes behind that contained rare materials that he wasn't supposed to take to pick up for later. When my dad called him out on his actions, he returned 13 boxes of books (he never even took the records my parents sold him) the next day. He completely took advantage of the situation and acted from a place of greed and dishonesty. Be careful and make sure you supervise any sales if you have a large collection- you wouldn't want this to happen to someone you know!

They really know there stuff up in here!! I couldn't figure out who the artist was of this song that I heard at a old school bbq. So I brought the tape (lol) to Dusty Groove on a boom box and one of the sales associates told me who the artist was. It was Swing out Sister-When the laughter is over!! Great a song! Go listen!!

I walked in to this store because I'd always been curious to stop in and look and I was very impressed. this place is spotless and very very organized. Things are visible and easy to find. They had exactly what I was looking for so now this place is a treasure spot for me.

I used to live in Noble Square, right by Chicago Avenue, which meant I was near three of the best record stores in the city: Permanent, Reckless, and Dusty Groove. I called it the Danger Zone. It was terrible for my wallet, but I bought many beautiful records, so I regret nothing. Dusty is a sleek, modern space that might be the most shopper-friendly of all the local record shops. -It is so clean. Maybe too damn clean. -Stacks are easy to flip through. There's space between the records as opposed to them being crammed into shelving. -The staff always play cool artists like Makaya McCraven. -Dusty has lots of new vinyl but its used game is very strong. -Its wall is covered with rare, super expensive pressings of albums that make me want to cry like the Velvet Underground's debut with a pink banana, Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus, or Coltrane's A Love Supreme. No, I won't complain about their cost because they are glorious. -Rock is not Dusty's focus yet their selection is better than most people realize. -If Dusty was a person, it would be like Ginger Baker, a stylish rebel equally at home in London and Lagos, the kind of person who would drive overland across Africa in an old Range Rover or be high on shrooms discussing Mingus wearing a velvet suit. -It also, real talk, has more customers with melanin than every other store, and I don't need to explain what that means. Over the years, I've gotten clean copies of the following records and more. All used, mostly originals. The Walker Brothers, Nite Flights (SUPER RARE!) Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (OMG. People tend not to part with her.) Cocteau Twins, The Pink Opaque Tom Waits, Small Change The Blue Nile, Hats (promo, damn!) The Gun Club, Miami I love Dusty. Could it be cheaper? Maybe. Could it be better? Not really.

I shop all over the country for high-quality, relatively reasonably priced vinyl. Dusty Groove set a new standard for quality, selection and price. Simply none better anywhere I have been. Luckily (or maybe unfortunately) I don't live too far away. I will be a frequent customer for sure. Hope they start a frequent shopper discount program!

I loved everything about my experience here today! The atheistic was top notch. The staff were helpful and kind. The selection was on point. There was one particular staff who I asked about an Aphex Twin record that was playing in the shop. He said he was holding it for himself but gave it to me anyway. Thanks for sharing the musical joy! Overall, great experience.

I finally bought a record player and was excited to go record shopping for the first time. After hitting up three other places on the Milwaukee stretch between Damen and Division, I arrived here and found it to be my favorite. While the others were either too large and overwhelming or too small and with a bad quality selection, this one is the perfect size, well organized, and has records in really good condition that you actually want. This is the Goldilocks of record shops. I definitely will be coming back here from time to time whenever I want something old that's new to me.

I have never been to the physical store, only to the website. I can't wait until I end up in Chicago someday so I can visit this amazing place. The website offers a fantastic selection of an incredible variety of musical genres. The prices blew me away-- they were so reasonable! Perhaps even better was the discussion of how to sell records to them. They give very detailed explanations on how to grade a vinyl record and its cover which I found very useful.

They over price there cds way too high might as well shop online get free shipping save me gas money it's a clean place i walked in both employees ignored me im sure cause im not from around here make me feel uncomfortable and way to pricey wont be back again to each there own but this place used to be ok now garbage it is if u looking for hip hop cds don't come here all there are over priced or internet priced shop on ebay or discogs instead

Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon. Really couldn't get away too soon. No no no no. Groovin'. Groovin'. I kept singing this song to myself when we visited this store. No joke - we visited on a Sunday afternoon and once I get something in my head - watch out! We were a couple miles away enjoying a day out when someone suggested that we check out Dusty Groove for some vinyl. We ran a map and grooved on over. This place was great! We spent hours flipping through their eclectic selection. I literally sat on the floor and looked through their bargain boxes while my hubby walked through and looked at every section in the store. Our sixteen year old son was with us and he was entertained for about a half hour before he was bored. Thankfully, they had some chairs at the front of the store and he had his iPhone to provide mindless entertainment. We loved listening to the jazz play above our heads while we reminisced about the tunes and searched for our favorites. They had a little bit of everything. Not a lot of pop type stuff, but more of the needle in the haystack stuff. The staff were helpful and held our bags behind the counter. The setup was kinda cool. I think we have a clothespin assigned to our bag so we didn't have to carry it around (I'm sure this helps deter the would be thieves as well). We were looking for a few specific artists when we first came in and they didn't happen to have any of those, but their selection is rapidly changing. During our visit, a couple brought in records to sell. You know that whole 'one man's junk is another man's treasure' thing? I think that could easily apply here. We left with a heavy bag of goodies and know that we'll groove on back just the next time we're looking for some different vinyl.

I can never go wrong in this store. Some of my most treasured discoveries I have found here! Great compilations, very unique selections of books and soundtracks. I have never shopped with them online because I love discovering what they seem to curate in their bins and shelves. Some of the reviews said staff was less then warm and snuggly...well, I come for the music not a group hug. If you read Mojo, Q and are a crate digger...this is a very reliable spot for great music!

Relatively good selection. Really fair prices. Biggest issue is they don't grade CDs (there is a specific guarantee that CDs/cases will be clean), they sell some really junky stuff that is clearly dirty and banged up, and they don't take any accountability for not meeting their posted expectations. I spent a fair amount of money with them online only to be told they don't want me as a customer any more because I requested to return stained, liquid damaged CDs that stank like cigarette smoke covered up with perfume. I tried to be flexible and air out the smell on most of the items but they deemed a stained CD "clean" and asked me to find another store.

Super rude staff. Prices OK. Product condition leaves a lot to be desired.

This is one of my "go to" record stores in Chicago! The selection is excellent and you will find a lot of stuff that you don't see in other stores. The vibe is real chill and the sales staff don't have that "elitist" vibe. You crate diggers know what I'm talking about. Be sure to check out the Bargain Basement for some extra digging! The records are 50 cents! Well worth digging!

Three years ago, I was a mail order customer, and had an argument over a price issue. Now 3 years, later they still will not let me mail order from them. Snotty people, much better places to order from like Forced Exposure, etc.

Dusty Groove has so many amazing records for a somewhat fair price. I find lots of good soul, jazz and hip hop records every time I come here. However, I wouldn't recommend digging in the basement (Unless you are interested in Barbara Streisand and Johnny Mathis.) I recommend Dusty Groove to anyone in the area.

I can't leave this at four stars, nope. I always find something here, really a great record store on the level of Double Decker.

over priced hipster record store. douche bag record buyers, really pretentious, think they know it all lol. just go in there with one of your most expensive records for fun(if you have time to waste) and watch them offer you maybe $3 for it. there's tons of other record stores in chicago, go somewhere else..

Fun shop! They had a huge pile of 60s/70s movie posters from obscure/foreign/x-rated films priced at $7 per full-sized poster. Grabbed a couple to hopefully frame at some point. Music was priced full-on discogs for the most part, although condition of everything I pulled was immaculate. The bargain basement wasn't that impressive when we went in. I think someone must have cleaned them out, although we did find a few albums worth grabbing for $0.50 a pop. Service was friendly and they were playing some funky african music. And they have free stickers by checkout, which I am a total sucker for.

This place is great and prices reasonably for what I was looking for, hip hop and house. Very friendly and allowed me to listen to a used record. Not a place you want to go to and try and listen to everything on a player. Bring headphones and a phone and use YouTube.

The bargain section is where it's at! Everything else was alright. Still a cool store and in a cool area.

What a great store. It's all about lovingly micro-curated, fairly-priced selections that span every conceivable (and inconceivable) genre: jazz, funk, deep funk, gospel, Latin, blues, soul, hip hop, vocals, reggae, classical, and a half dozen other categories I'm forgetting. They all get equal billing with "rock" (the bread-and-butter of most record shops). One of the best digs in the US.

Dusty Groove is amazing. The store was just so perfect to walk into. I have a break down of how I rate a record store and this is what it is: 1. Mark Up and Cost of Records - The prices are super super fair. I ended up getting my favorite record of all "The Drum Battle" By Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. This record was available for only $2. I was blown away literally and so grateful to find it. They had a ton of other records I picked up at a fair price. 2. Quality of Records and Assortment - The records are super crisp. They play perfectly and a super clean. All types of music but if you are looking for Hip Hop, Soundtracks, Soul, R&B, Jazz and Worldly this is your spot. 3. Lay Out and Organization - Super organized and clean. 4. Displays or Store Recommendations - I don't remember seeing a display vividly but it might be because I grab and go. 5. Staff Interactions - I absolutely love the Dusty Groove staff. I ended up adding one of them on IG to share vinyl pictures. They are super awesome. I am sure if you wanted a recommendation they'd totally help you. If you are in Chicago this is a MUST STOP for vinyl. It can get overwhelming because there are so many spots but they are a gem and Chicago class. It's my second city literally and when I visit my mom again I will pop in. Love them!

I found this place to be super cool and staff to be very knowledgeable. They have a huge selection of records for fair prices. It's fun to just go browse for a while. If you go to the bargain basement downstairs, you can find deals and records for 50 cents. So rad!

This store has a good selection of many genres of music--good selection of house and hip hop. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The prices are fair and reasonable as well. Def worth a stop in no matter what you are looking for.

I would say more like 4.5 stars. Many scarce records in reasonable shape for good prices. They also seem to grade about a half rating below the visual, though I'm not sure if that is because they play grade or if they are jus conservative. I didn't give five stars because they don't have a listening station and I think that is necessary if you sell VG- records (or even VG). The guy offered to put things on the store system, but that is not very convenient if you have a stack of ten records you want to test.

Outstanding record store. They have a large selection of both CDs and vinyl. The CDs are all in plastic sleeves with bar codes that show the first three letters of the artist's name on the top. It makes it very easy to find a particular artist you might be looking for. Plus the jewel cases are in great shape and you don't have to scrape off the price stickers after you buy them. The prices are very reasonable. Lots of interesting stuff to be had for under 6 bucks. Flipping randomly through the racks will reward you with albums that you don't see at every used record store. The staff are really nice. There to help, but will let you browse. A friend found a ton of worthwhile stuff in the bargain basement to. Very well organized, brightly lit store that invites you to browse and discover. Highly recommended Chicago spot!

If you're digging through the crates you need to stop here. Nice collection of Jazz and Hip Hop as well as much more. New and old. Well rounded staff. Good music, good vibes.

I really need to avoid this place. Great selection of soul, jazz, funk, and foreign artists. Everytime I go there I wind up spending a couple hours and buying way more than I should. I like that their on-line information regarding stock is in real-time as well, so if there is something I am looking for that is in, I can get it and not waste a trip and still spend $100 per trip. Although their bargain bin is hit or miss, for $0.50, it is worth it to still find some little gem, even if they are a little rough (but I have scored some brand new records in the bargain basement). And even if hit or miss, I still wind up with enough for the nice people there to give me a box to carry them in instead of a flimsy plastic bag....

The only reason I am giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 is because of their awesome selection. Other than that I hated my experience there. I used to buy records from them online and was very excited the first time I walked into the actual store (back in January 2012), I spent about $300 that day and they did not offer any kind of discount. I was a little frustrated but happy with what I had bought so I did not say anything...until today! I went back there for the second time today with the intention of spending somewhere between $150-200 and ended up leaving 2/3 of my stack on the counter. Thinking about it now I should have done no business with these people. Let me explain why: the main reason I still shop in record stores is because I love finding out about new bands and new music to listen and what better place than a record store for this? Except when the staff is unapproachable, and when you ask to listen to records they tell you you can't! I can understand not wanting to unseal a new copy of a record, but if the seal is already broken/if there is no seal: where is the problem? They will not allow you to listen to more than 5 records at the time and you have to be accompanied by one of the employee who puts the needle on the record for you (yes you are here to buy records but yo are not allowed to touch them!!!), so it makes it very awkward when you want to skip to a different song... When I go record shopping I usually dig in crates for 1 or 2 hours and then listen to what I have in my stack and usually end up buying 90-95% of my selection. Dusty Groove America made it impossible to happen! I guess I'm done with them...too bad, considering they have one of the best deep funk and soul selections I have seen in years.