(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – An Avondale record store has reopened after a burst pipe during the holidays destroyed much of its inventory of vinyl and novelties.
Water rained down on the showroom at Bric-A-Brac Records & Collectibles for several hours around Christmas, and owners had to close for a month to clean up and rustle up new stock. Co-owner Nick Mayor estimates at least 2,000 records were beyond salvaging from the disaster.
“That was rough,” he said Friday from behind the sales counter at 2845 N. Milwaukee Ave.
That was then. Record stores, labels and collectors alike helped Bric-A-Brac to restock. The retail space is now repainted and dry as a bone. As before, there is an impressive array of reissued film soundtracks (typically horror and science fiction flicks) that have become a popular in the vinyl space; toys; clothing items; old-school VHS and cassette tapes and other items. Store dog Dandelo is back on patrol.
Mayor says he’s still dealing with insurers, but there are silver linings to what happened.
“It’s not a stretch to say this was overall a net positive,” he said. “Obviously, our established clientele was super supportive and really came out for us. But I think the news coverage reached a huge new audience.”
Also helping the store rebound was a successful fundraising drive from the sale of special T-shirts and tote bags.
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