14 shops · 8 districts
The Record & Book Edit.
Fourteen shops for bookshops and record stores worth an afternoon, across 8 parts of Chicago: State Street, West Loop, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park and more. Picked from the 339 shops we list, one location each.
- 1Records & music · State StreetReckless Records LoopLoop branch of the local record-store chain that also runs Wicker Park and Lakeview shops, stocking current releases, indie titles and rare finds.
- 2Books · West LoopOpen Books West LoopWest Loop shop of Open Books, the nonprofit whose used bookstores sell mostly donated books and fund literacy programs; its Logan Square store closed in March 2026.
- 3Books · Wicker ParkMyopic BooksLarge used bookstore spread over three floors near the six-corner intersection, with deep fiction, poetry and art stacks.
- 4Books · Wicker ParkQuimby's BookstoreIndependent bookstore for zines, small-press comics, underground literature and offbeat magazines.
- 5Books · Wicker ParkBarnes & Noble Wicker ParkBookstore inside the former Noel State Bank building at the six corners, with toys and games and a vinyl section.
- 6Books · Lincoln ParkLilliput BooksSmall community bookstore with fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, children's books and a section on Chicago history and architecture.
- 7Books · PilsenPilsen Community BooksEmployee-owned new and used bookstore that reopened in February 2026 in a bigger space, with an expanded Spanish-language section, local authors and an event room.
- 8Records & music · Pilsen606 RecordsRecord shop across from Thalia Hall focused on new and used vinyl from small international and local labels, with turntables and record supplies and o
- 9Books · PilsenOpen Books PilsenNonprofit used bookstore a block south of 18th St where all children's books are free every day and adult titles are pay-what-you-want; proceeds fund literacy work.
- 10Books · AndersonvilleWomen & Children FirstFeminist bookstore in the middle of the Clark Street strip that focuses on underrepresented voices and hosts weekly children's readings and evening author programs.
- 11Records & music · AndersonvilleRattleback RecordsRecord shop at the north end of the strip selling new and used LPs, 45s, CDs and cassettes, mostly rock, blues and jazz, plus music books, posters and vintage barware.
- 12Books · Lincoln SquareThe Book CellarIndependent bookstore with a cafe serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries, wine and beer, and a regular schedule of author readings and book events.
- 13Records & music · Lincoln SquareLaurie's Planet of SoundNeighborhood record store on the 4600 block of Lincoln Avenue, near Midwest Nice; it took part in the chamber's December 2025 Shop Late evenings with free tote bags.
- 14Books · Hyde ParkSeminary Co-op BookstoreFlagship of the Seminary Co-op Bookstores on Woodlawn Ave in the University of Chicago area; open weekdays and Saturdays, closed Sundays and on major holidays.
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