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For the record

Ribbon Records is located at 641 W. Main St. Photo via Jenny Foster.

Nestled between Pitch Karaoke bar and North Sheridan Road is a vintage clothing and record store- Ribbon Records.

Ribbon Records offers a nostalgic experience for Bradley students. The store is the perfect place to find an obscure but interesting novella, the record you didn’t know you needed or a one-of-a-kind sweater to go with any fall ensemble.

The store started in 2011 in the Warehouse District at the Murray Building. Since then, the record store has changed ownership and location, but only added to its inventory.

At the front of the store sits boxes upon boxes of records ranging from The Beatles to the Bee Gees and account for almost every musical taste.

For the budget conscious, Ribbon provides hundreds of bargain albums that can be purchased for $3 each or five albums for $10. The inventory is updated every week with new arrivals.

“Overall, it’s pretty easy to walk out of the store with a good find for under twenty dollars,” McClellan said.

One of the most helpful aspects of Ribbon Records is the “Listening Station,” which allows customers the chance to listen to records before purchasing them, a convenient tool for the customer who wants to buy records but may not know what they’re interested in.

Customers of Ribbon Records can expect to be helped by current owners, Matt McClellan and Jenny Foster, to find specific things they are looking for or help find items that might fit their taste.

The room just to the right of the entry presents a selection of clothing, shoes and other accessories that spans all generations, lately with a heavier focus on the 80s and 90s.

Ribbon allows individuals the chance to develop a personal style without paying high prices for mass-produced fashion.

“The nice thing about vintage clothing is that when you cut the price tag off it’s still worth about the same amount of money,” McClellan said. “Doing the same with a 30 dollar shirt from a department store, you’re likely to get little money out of it should you not want it next season.”

Another benefit to buying from Ribbon Records is that customers keep items out of dumpsters and actively participate in textile recycling. And because Ribbon Records doesn’t buy in bulk, there’s virtually no chance of walking out of the store with the same thing that someone else has purchased.

As of right now, the store is open Fridays and Saturdays 12-8 p.m. and Sundays 12-6 p.m. But even though the store is only open three days a week, running it is a full time job for McClellan and Foster.

“On the days we’re not open, we’re sourcing stuff, cleaning the clothes, pricing things and rearranging,” Foster said.

It’s because of this effort that many customers comment about feeling “stuck in time” upon entering.

From the records to the vintage clothing, and regardless of age or interest or style, owners say that Ribbon Records has something for everyone.

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