OAK PARK, IL (CelebrityAccess) — Val’s Halla Records, the longtime independent Chicago record store, announced that after 47 years, it is closing its doors.
The record store, which first opened in 1972, is located on Harrison Street in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, at least until the end of November.
According to WBBM Radio, the store is closing down for economic reasons. Shayne Blakeley, a longtime employee, took over the store last year following the death of its longtime owner Val Camilletti, told WBBM that business has dropped off significantly in the past year.
“I have not been able to recover. It’s insurmountable,” Blakeley told WBBM.
Val’s Halla Records was one of the Chicago indie record stores featured in the 2012 documentary Re-Vinylized.
