Laurie’s Planet Of Sound

Record stores ain’t what they used to be, but that sword cuts the good way as well as the bad way. It hurts to see what used to be a regular part of my week reduced to a rarity, but record shops have also lost a lot of the painful attitude that used to characterize them. Laurie’s is one of the last standing, and that’s thanks to its great quality and helpful staff; it’s got a terrific selection for its size, always the newest stuff, and a fun batch of bins filled with rarities and weird shit. They’ve also got a nice collection of books and other whatnots, and it’s in a great neighborhood. Add in the friendly and very knowledgable behind the counter, and it’s a winner.

Cute store. Cute neighborhood. Nice vibes. Good enough selection.
Laurie’s is a pretty standard small record store; they’ve got records (new and used) CD’s, some videos, a small selection of books and a random assortment of things that are bizarre.
Everything is well organized and it’s very easy to find what you’re looking for.
The people who work here are very nice.
I’ve found the selection to be good but not amazing. There’s a good variety of mainstream vinyl selections as well as some lesser known selections. The VHS selection is superb; weird stuff.
The biggest bummer about Laurie’s is that it’s a bit pricey for Chicago. Yes, it’s adorable and yes, they’ve got cool videos but a lot of the stuff is just expensive.
Laurie’s is nice and objectively speaking it is a good record store but with so many awesome places in the city, there’s nothing that stands out about this place.
Also, if you’re reading this Laurie’s… Please stop with the incense. It makes me feel uncomfortable.

This is one of my favorite record stores in the city. Although it’s small, they carry a good selection of new and old, plus movies, games, and trinkets. The staff is always nice and leave you to your searching in peace. And you really can’t beat the neighborhood!

I usually go here every Record Store Day, but I have no answer for why I don’t go here more often. It’s a GREAT, independent little shop, and is well deserving of your audio/​video/​book/​memorabilia business.
They have a great selection of vinyl for such a small store. Friendly staff. It’s got that «old record smell» when you browse the bins that is almost extinct nowadays.
Great location as well. I’m gonna try to go more often, now that I’m buildin’ up the vinyl collection again.

This is such a cool place! They have a solid selection of records, interesting books (music-​related and otherwise), magnets, pins, VHSes, y’know. There’s an old refrigerator door on which all of the old magnets are displayed, which is a charming detail. There are a ton of (subjectively) awesome musician posters on display and I wish they were for sale! The vibe is a little gritty and definitely vintage. I love this place.

I really like the store, just hate the vinyl prices. I’ve cost compared to other stores in town, and they are consistently, sometimes significantly, higher priced.
They have definitely upped the amount of newer vinyl they carry, and the selection is decent, but it’s always been worth going out of the neighborhood to find better prices, or just order the records from the label.
I’d love to give them my money, but I usually just walk out empty handed because I feel like they are gouging people.

I used to enjoy looking through albums in this store, but I will not be returning to this store anymore. No one should. There are better record stores, with better policies, and lower prices. I bought a brand new album that was faulty, and wasn’t cut properly, but they do not take responsibility for selling bad vinyl, and won’t even offer exchanges. I even had them play it to see for themselves, but returns or exchanges are not allowed, ESPECIALLY on vinyl they said. Which is ridiculous since that is their business. Buying vinyl from this store is a risk, and if it doesn’t work, you’re screwed, and it’s not their problem. Terrible policy

Laurie’s has a great selection of vinyl both old and new. They test each album before it goes out on the floor. If you are concerned about the quality of an album they will play it for you. The store is owned by a true music enthusiast who takes great pride in the store. I like to support local vendors who are not corporately owned. They wouldn’t be in business for almost 20 years if they didn’t know what their customers like. I will be back soon…

After scouring the record store 2014 scene for the week leading up to the big day, my roommate and I decided to start out at Laurie’s. And I’m so glad that ended up being the verdict! Laurie’s is a pretty neat front — the records were a little more pricey than I’ve seen elsewhere, but I would recommend the store if you’re looking for more indie music. I picked up two Mountain Goats records I couldn’t find in the rest of the Chicago area, and have been very happy with them.
Another cool thing with Laurie’s — although they’re smaller, they still host live shows. I wish we could have stayed all day to hear the music, but work was calling my name. (You’ve gotta be able to pay for more records, right?)
I definitely plan to check back with Laurie’s for record store day 2015, and hopefully get up there on a day where the shop’s not completely full to capacity of record-​lovers.

I’ve been shopping at Laurie’s ever since I moved to Lincoln Square three years ago. In that time, I have bought what I’d consider to be a healthy amount of vinyl. Basically, it’s a strange week if I don’t spend at least one day meandering around Laurie’s for a little while. And in the three years that I’ve been doing this, the staff’s behavior towards me has never been anything besides apathetic.
Not to mention that their much venerated selection leaves a lot to be desired. Just recently I went in looking for the new Twin Peaks record (a local band currently being blasted all over XRT — figured this one was a gimme) and they didn’t have it. They ordered it for me and it took a month to arrive. I ended up buying it from Reckless where it was in stock as well as cheaper.
This gives me no pleasure. I love my neighborhood and Laurie’s is my neighborhood record store. But I can’t justify giving any more of my money to a place whose prices are high, whose inventory is lacking and whose customer service is nonexistent.

Vinyl selection was cool… not huge, but it was curated by people who care. 4 – 5 stars there.
The woman at the check out was really bad, even by hipster vinyl store standards. One-​star.
Me (spending a bit under $ 100): Love your store, I wish you guys did not put the price tags directly on the cover… especially with older albums that can get damaged.
Her: Yeah… well…this is a retail store, not a museum. The expensive ones up here (points to five albums on a shelf behind her) don’t have the price on them.
—
Haha…I still love the records I got, but Reckless gets my business next time I am in Chicago.

I’ve been to this store a couple times, and always have had the same horrible experience. The staff won’t even acknowledge you. They just talk to each other. Who cares that I was, on one visit, the only customer in the store. I was not impressed with the selection on any of my visits. The few albums I did see, I could get elsewhere cheaper. I think I’ll stick with Reckless, Dave’s and Dusty Groove…

Laurie’s isn’t just the best record store on *HER* planet-​it may just be the best in OUR world too.
Many music binges are satisfied here. Seriously talented staff at this place as well, you can help you if you need it. It’s so sad, business in album sales is slumping more and more. Owning a record or any type of media like AV rental these days is impractical. But if you care or if you need it, this is the place for you.
I love the selection. I love browsing the used records, cds or dvds, old board games, old buttons and stickers. Lotsa interesting stuff.
Grab you money and adventerous spirit and plant a flag in this sound planet, dammnit.

I love this place. It contains all the types of things one would search for on Napster but fail to completely download because the person you’d leech from would disconnect before your download would complete… Except it’s all physically there! And you’re in the company of nerds rather than awash in the light of your computer screen. Remember the fantastic 4 movie that had adverts in theaters decades ago, but was never officially released? They have that on DVD! Every time I go here I find some forgotten relic that never should have been forgotten. Place is awesome.

Ecclectic selection of vinyl and DVDs. Not many CDs but some 8 tracks and books. The kind of place that makes you want to throw your iPod out the window and buy a turntable.

So many record stores in Chicago are picked over to death but whenever I walk into Laurie’s I end up with an armful of records I really want. And the staff is wonderfully geeky, I don’t find them snobby whatsoever.

i figured the staff here would be friendlier for some reason. not sure why i thought that, probably wishful thinking. same fancy record store employee vibe like reckless etc. disappointing in that way but again i probably was seeing what i wanted to see.
other than that, great spot though. anyone old enough to remember when tangible media was a thing will appreciate. lots of great old shit. even the listening station thing? that took me back hard, i remember when that was new and edgy.

Really nice atmosphere, great selection merchandise wise especially their hard to find DVDs (although slightly expensive). However some of the staff can be a little moody. All in all great place in a great neighborhood.

I don’t know what it is about Laurie’s, but I’ve been coming here for 15 years and it’s always the same story.
I walk in and go fangirl batshit crazy and beg them to take all of my money in return for buttons, shirts, Simpsons regalia, obscure novels by Kathy Acker, old reading primers and poetry books from the 1920’s and second-​hand DVDS directed by any number of Johns (Hughs, Waters, Ford, Carpenter, etc…)
It’s pointless to set a monetary limit, because inevitably they have something weird I’ve been hunting down for years that’s 1.5x my limit, and since I’m over my budget, why not just get the other 8 cool things?
They have records, CDs, DVDs, VHS, toys, clothes, memorabilia, patches, pins, books, and a permanent mainline to my checking account.

I always feel that I am not cool enough to shop at Laurie’s Planet of Sound, but as soon as I am there, the store embraces me and makes me feel as though I belong. The staff is friendly and helpful and the selection is fun.
Laurie’s is a great place to browse/​shop for books, records, cds, and movies. They have both new and used items, and there is bound to be something that catches your eye. If you are looking for something specific, then the selection can, at times, feel a bit sparse. That being said, I usually come in just to browse, and I have never left empty handed. I always manage to find some obscure blue grass album or a wonderfully awful old horror movie that makes me want to do a happy dance.
Laurie’s also buys used music, movies, and books, which is a bonus. They won’t always take everything you are trying to sell (they have turned down items I brought in because they already had them in stock in the used section), but they tend not to be too picky. They offer either cash or store credit. You will get the biggest bang for your buck by going with the store credit, but they don’t judge you if you choose cash.