When Jen Plumridge attended CHIRP Record Fair and Other Delights on Saturday, she did her fair share of shopping and observing.
“It’s interesting to see who comes to these events and what they’re looking for,” said Plumridge, 34, of Edgewater. As a knitter, she knows what it’s like to have a niche interest. For Plumridge, the attendees rifling through about 100 tables of vinyl albums, CDs, local band merch and other music-related items were like kindred spirits.
“These are the record people,” she said with a hint of recognition and fascination.
Hosted by community radio station CHIRP 107.1 FM in Plumbers Hall in the West Loop, the annual affair has been a destination for that community of music lovers for two decades. To their dismay, this is the final year for the event, which features DJs, food, drinks, kids activities and the wares of independent record dealers from Chicago and beyond. Promoted as the largest record fair in the Midwest, it will leave a void not only because of its magnitude, but due to its rare inventory.
“That’s such a bummer,” said Plumridge, who was holding her own unique find: a record of golf instructions by Arnold Palmer. “These are all record collectors that aren’t necessarily record store owners, so it’s their private collections. You find a little bit more niche and random and interesting things.”
The reason for the fair’s end is financial, said its founder, Shawn Campbell, who is general manager of CHIRP radio. As a fundraiser for the North Center-based radio station, the ticketed event has seen dips in attendance and profit. In recent years, the fair has struggled to bring in $10,000, she said.
“What we’ve found is it’s a different landscape in terms of record fairs in 2024,” she said. “There are a bunch of them in Chicago now, and they tend to be smaller. And they typically don’t charge admission at the door. And, in some cases, they don’t charge vendor fees. We wish we could just do it out of the goodness of our hearts. But we’re a nonprofit, and we don’t have any commercials. So, we fund the station through events and individual giving.”
Campbell said CHIRP radio will continue to hold its record fair at Pitchfork Music Festival and CD blowout sales at Burning Bush Brewery, 4014 N. Rockwell St. in North Center.
“We feel like we’re leaving the city in good hands,” she said, referencing the other record fairs.
Campbell said she was expecting about 1,000 attendees shopping among dozens of vendors this year.
“Some of the dealers have been there since Day One,” she said. “And it’s great to see them back. And I think that there are people in the community who see each other once a year, and it’s kind of a homecoming.”
Aadam Jacobs, a CHIRP Record fair vendor for 20 years, brought about 2,000 records, including rare pressings from Nirvana and John Coltrane. It’s just a small portion of his total collection, which tops out at about 25,000.
“I like talking to people about music,” said Jacobs, 57, of Hermosa. “My partner doesn’t like to talk about music. And so, coming here, I can geek out with people and talk about the stuff that I enjoy. And I think that’s good for anybody on either side of the table.”
That includes customer Frank Latin, who also praised the camaraderie fostered by the event.
“I’ve met a couple people here,” said Latin, 55, of Garfield Park. “We talk and exchange numbers. It’s more than just getting the record. It’s networking and communicating with like-minded people.”
A fan of 1970s jazz, funk and blues, Latin scored the self-titled album by The Blackbyrds, which he remembers hearing as a kid.
For Patrick Berger, a good vinyl haul is about sound, whether it’s the sophistication of equipment used to record an album or the top-notch talent of an orchestra, like those featured on Dean Martin’s projects, he said.
Berger, 57, of North Aurora, also expressed disappointment about the fair ending.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “It’s an influx of different pressings, different vendors, different styles.”
Longtime Ohio-based vendor Dean Rinehart also lamented the closing of the fair.
“The fun is over,” said Rinehart, 73, who plans to frame one of the old CHIRP Record Fair posters that were also for sale on Saturday. “This is a hobby only, and it’s been a great joy. And we’ll just have to go to other shows.”