Kstarke Records

By now, readers may know the story of how I do my reviews – I’ve reviewed 40 record stores in the Chicagoland area over all at this point. So when I make comparisons, they are based on my actual experiences with the stores, and they are based on the real-​world experiences I’ve had with stores located throughout the greater Chicagoland area. I tend to rate based on selection, quality of product, and pricing relative to other stores in the marketplace.
Here’s the lowdown for KStarke, in my view. On the positive side of things, the owner here is definitely a nice guy, as other have noted. As others have also noted, the selection is very nice if you are interested in the kinds of records KStarke specializes in offering: funk, disco, r & b, house. They are also okay on jazz and classic rock, although other places in the city, such as Dusty Groove, Jazz Record Mart, and Out of the Past (for jazz) and Reckless or Logan Hardware (for classic rock) tend to have a better selection. Prices are fair for the condition of the records, although the condition of the records can definitely vary (see minuses).
On the negative side of things, as already mentioned, although the selection is good on some things (funk, disco, r & b, house), the selection is not as strong in jazz or classic rock as other stores in the city (see above). Also, the condition of records here can really vary, as other reviewers have already mentioned. Some are definitely well worn and well played, others are in better shape.
For an overall summary – if you are looking for funk, disco, r & b, or house, you will find a good selection here. Classic rock and jazz selections vary more widely – you can find some good stuff here, but not always as often or consistently as other stores in the city (see above). Quality of records can vary, so you’ll want to take the time to check condition and do your «due diligence» with the LPs.

Kstarke is probably my favorite shop to buy records in Chicago. Always seem to find something unique and unexpected here. Real deep selection of house and disco, lots of rock, soundtracks, soul, funk, and more. The owner Kevin is friendly and has a vast knowledge of music, so just ask if you have any questions. A real old school music head. There are a couple of listening stations, which is always a plus. Will keep returning here for all my vinyl addiction needs…

Top notch record store. Best selection and prices in Chicago. This is a spot any record digger should hit if you happen to be in the Windy City. I got a nice stack of records and he gave me a great cash discount. Can’t wait till I come back.

Awesome record store! The owner was super nice and answered a few questions I had, and even said for me to send him a list of records I was looking for and if they ever come in he would ship them any where in the world. I like that kinda service.
Really good selection of Soul records and classic rock, also some hard to find stuff. Also was stocked full of tapes and other record goodies! It’s about 2 blocks down from the Empty Bottle so if your going to a show there this might be a good pre show stop to kill some time!

They have a large variety of music. Tons of different local stuff, classics, all kinds of things. In addition to beimg extremely nice, the guys working there are Very knowlegable. If your looking for something hard to find and they Don’t have it, they’ll get it for you. Great little place.

I’m reviewing this as a vinyl collector, not as a DJ. If you’re a DJ, there are some great 12s here, especially if you’re into house. The cool part is that the various varieties of house are all sorted out for you. The prices seem on the low side, until you look at the records themselves. Yes, there is a lot of obscure stuff here, but it’s all been heavily played. It’s dirty, worn, scratched up vinyl. Then the prices don’t look so good.
Again, I’m sure this is fine if you’re looking to DJ, but if you’re mostly into home listening, then these LPs are mostly unsatisfactory. I found plenty of interesting sides, but the records were almost all in the G to VG– range. Not worth it.
As much as I hate to give a tiny record shop a bad review, this just isn’t a good place for a collector looking to pay a little extra for decent vinyl. If you’re a DJ, see the other reviews.

I went for the first time today and I loved it. I found some real gems at reasonable prices. On top of that, the owner was really nice and welcoming! Cool spot, cool guy. I’ll be back.

Kstarke is my favorite record store in Chicago, hands down.
Great selection of disco and house, along with some rock and hip-​hop. I find plenty of hidden gems in here every time I go! Today I talked to the owner asking about a specific artist, and he was eager to help. He even offered me a record from his own collection that he didn’t have in stock! This man is a true music lover, and it really shows through this establishment.

Dimly lit, dirty, poor selection primarily older rock in pretty poor condition.
It’s kind of off the beaten path, too.
I don’t think I’ll be back.

A great record store! Support this place.

My husband and I have been scouring the city of Chicago to expand our record collection — a new and fantastic hobby! KSTARKE is one of the best shops we’ve been to — selection, price, friendliness (Kevin is great). A definite must if you are looking for vinyl!

This record store is on point. Awesome people work here and awesome people shop here. You will find something that is amazing and you have never heard before or that one track you have been searching for… Kevin is THE MAN!

Do you like records?
Just bring all of your money to Kstarke and give it to Kevin. Right there on the counter. He’ll count it out while you dig around and find yourself a big stack of records. He may even give some of it back to you, because he’s just that nice.
The craziest deep cuts of dance music are here, as well as staff you can literally hum a tune to and they will find it for you.
Seriously though, bring all of your money; you need more records.

Location and the neighborhood colors this store faint, but once you are inside it’s easy to tell that there is gonna be a sh. t ton of records to look through.
Good selection of rock, jazz, blues, disco, some europe based dance/​house/​idm/​techno stuff. a lot of retro music though, I will have to go there later and see what kind of contemporary stuff can be found.
There is always great music playing, they have a neat listening station and the pricing seems fair.

Excellent record store. It has got alot of great records from disco to soul, italo to classic rock. These are the things I am usually looking for and always find something great. I can only imagine that the rest of their selections are excellent as well. If you are looking to expand your horizons with something you have never heard before you can always ask Brandon or Kevin (the owner) for some suggestions. They are extremely helpful and never pretentious. These are two very knowledgeable people. The prices are usually pretty fair too. Go to this record store and buy records!

This is my favorite place in Chicago to dig. Kevin is friendly, helpful, and always has great music playing. He has a great selection of dance music and the laid back atmosphere makes spending time going through all of it enjoyable. A plus is the free play Mortal Kombat machine. if I’m done searching before my friends are, I can always work on fine-​tuning my finishing moves.
It’s nice to spend time in a place where good music is appreciated and sharing that obsession is encouraged.

Kstarke records is one of the best record stores in Chicago hands down. The selection is always fresh for me. I really only look at the rock section 99% of the time and I can even tell you Kstarke has a huge collection of genres specializing in dance type music. House Techno is mainly what kevin is known for and knows a whole hell of a lot about.
So when it comes to rock it isn’t the main focus of this place and it still has one of the best selections. This is a place where I can find that rare record i can’t even dream of seeing outside of ebay or recklesses’ UsedRareLP pricing guide for records they only see once every three years.
I picked up a 7″ original Molly’s Lips — Nirvana split Sub Pop single for $ 10.00 a while back. Have only seen that at reckless 2x ever. Once it was $ 75.00 and once $ 55.00.
Very friendly and very fair.

One of my favroite record stores in the city, hands down. I almost want to give it a bad review and keep this place as my little secret. Has a good selection of genres. Disco selection is spot on! Kevin (the owner) is usually spinning something along those lines and it’s always a challenge to keep myself from busting out some of my signature groove moves. You’re most likely to be the only one in the store, which is nice because it allows opportunity to ask for help/​recommendations and take your time at the listening section. Records are very well priced and this is definitely the place to get lucky and come across that album you’ve been searching forever for. If what you’re looking for isn’t there, let kevin know and he’ll keep a look out for you.
Basically, its almost impossible to leave this place empty handed.

I really love this place. It’s the best record store in Chicago, as far as I am concerned. Has a great selection of stuff in their Rock section. The staff is nice and knowledgeable, and very often have helpful suggestions of other stuff I might like. I walk out of here with a stack of 10 things about every month, and never regret it.

I walked past KStarke one day on the other side of the street on a very bad day. I saw the vibrant colours of the discs in the window and knew that I was in for a treat. I vowed to go back another day. After a failed attempt at getting to Gramaphone by the way of the Diversey bus, I decided to stop by KStarke.
This spot is strictly for vinyl heads, with a good selection of old funk and disco, and a perpetually growing section of house. The staff is friendly, the prices are good, and the vinyl is plentiful… I think I just found my new neighbourhood record store!