No More Shake, Rattle And Read In Chicago.

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to going to the local music store to buy a record (that is what it used to be back in the day) or my favorite cassette singles. Now, with everything digital, it has put a strain on local owners of music and book stores.

Then I read about a Chicago record store that was going out of business after 50 years! The name of the store was Shake, Rattle and Read. A very clever name for a store.

The store started back in 1966 by Rick Addy's sister as a bookstore. It evolved into a record/book store and it thrived in the uptown Chicago area for years. Then the digital revolution came.

On May 24th and 25th, Rick decided that after 50 years, enough was enough. So, he took to Facebook and announced the store was closing. But, instead of selling everything, he GAVE everything away. Books, records, shelving and even pictures of the walls. The reason? He didn't want to throw everything away into a dumpster.

People still read books. The record companies are producing vinyl records once again. But, when you can go to I tunes and Amazon to download music and books, the end for local business was near. That is why Rick decided to get out of the business. To me, it really is a shame. A part of my childhood is being taken away.

Please support your local Rockford businesses because you never know when they may face the same situation.