Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant and Jennifer McKee.
Grant and Jennifer, please share your story with us.
We just celebrated Bucket O’Blood’s 8th year in business! The store began as a tiny storefront in Logan Square, founded by Marc of Johanne’s Face Records and we took over in 2013 when Marc decided to focus on touring with his band. When the existing lease was up, we decided to expand and relocated to our current shop in Avondale, where we immediately settled into the neighborhood. We’ve always focused on genre fiction and loud music but the move allowed us to really embrace all the things we love and want to share with others. We have filled the space with new and used items – everything from classic sci-fi, brand new graphic novels, horror movies, underground metal cassettes, classic rock LPs, local punk albums, heavy metal vinyl, band t-shirts, just all sorts of stuff that makes us happy. And we put a lot of energy into fostering our unique community with book clubs, movie screenings, listening parties, and guest lectures.
Has it been a smooth road?
Operating a small, indie retail business is never going to be without struggles, especially in the age of Amazon, but we focus on our amazing community and put our efforts into offering a unique environment with inventory that you can’t necessarily find online or any other stores. We try to create a comfortable space to discover music, film, and literature – we put all our time and energy into it, working long hours, 7 days a week. It isn’t easy but we love what we do and we have the best customers that keep us going.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bucket O’Blood Books & Records story. Tell us more about the business.
Merchandise includes:
Books – new and used
science fiction
fantasy
horror
graphic novels
literary fiction
true crime
mystery/suspense
non-fiction
children (age 8-12)
T-shirts – new and used band shirts
Records – new and used
heavy metal
punk
hardcore
classic rock
new wave
pop
indie
soundtracks, including Waxwork and Mondo
jazz/blues/classical/country/reggae/ska/funk/soul/prog/psych
45s – variety, including punk/hardcore/powerpop
Cassette Tapes – new and used
heavy metal/punk/hardcore/classic rock/indie
Movies – new and used
blu-ray/DVD/VHS
horror, sci-fi, action, cult, underground
Patches/pins/buttons/candles/stickers/greeting cards
Events include:
Book Clubs – monthly
science fiction
horror
graphic novel
Film Screenings – monthly
double feature collaborations with Horror Society
Record Store Day – an international yearly event
Author events/lecture series/book releases/listening parties/record releases/DJ events/pop-ups –
throughout each month – follow FB for all events.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3182 N. Elston Ave Chicago, IL 60618
- Website: www.bucketoblood.com
- Phone: 312-890-3860
- Email: bucketobloodbooks@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bucketoblood/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bucket-O-Blood-Books-and-Records-123602317676003/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bucketoblood
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bucket-o-blood-books-and-records-chicago-2
- Other: https://www.discogs.com/seller/BucketOBlood/profile
Image Credit:
Jennifer McKee
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
