Uptown's Shake, Rattle & Read Is Giving Away All Its Records And Books

By Mae Rice in Arts & Entertainment on May 23, 2016 3:24PM

Shake, Rattle & Read's interior circa this past winter (Matt Tuteur/Chicagoist)

Uptown record-book-and-ephemera store Shake, Rattle & Read (4812 N. Broadway) is hosting an epic sale this week, one where everything is marked down... all the way. Every single item in the store will be free on Tuesday and Wednesday, owner Ric Addy announced on Monday.

"I am trying to avoid putting it all in a dumpster!" Addy wrote.

The store phone will be disconnected, and visitors will need to bring their own boxes and bags to transport their finds—but from noon to 6 p.m. on both days, the store will be a paradise for freegans and record lovers alike.

The space is a little disheveled right now, but that's to be expected; the store officially closed on Saturday, Addy wrote on Facebook Monday.

Here's what it currently looks like:

Photo courtesy of Ric Addy

Don't be fooled by the disarray, though. Addy has amassed an incredible collection of relics since he opened the store in 1986, including a Keith Richards autograph (one of the few things he has no plans to give away, he told us back in February). Addy's only giving away the bulk of his stock now because he's retiring to Florida.

“I’d like to leave and not take anything with me, just start fresh,” he told us in February. “I’m taking pictures of the stuff and documenting it, but I mean, how long do you hold onto stuff for?”

Somewhere, Marie Kondo is nodding vigorously.

Read our full feature on Addy and his store here.