- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Bucket O'Blood Books and Records
Categories: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Vinyl Records Bookstores, Vinyl Records [Edit]
2307 N Milwaukee Ave(between California Ave & Belden Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
Neighborhood: Logan Square
(773) 715-5901
- Nearest Transit:
-
California-o'hare (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Wed, Sun 12 pm - 7 pm
Thu-Fri 12 pm - 9 pm
Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for Bucket O'Blood Books and Records
Review Highlights
-
"If you're looking for Sci-Fi, Horror or Fantasy novels..." In 9 reviews -
"The books, all used, are all in great condition." In 3 reviews -
"The only bummer was the lack of non-fiction and DVDs." In 5 reviews
Loading...
32 reviews in English
-
Review from Edward C.
San Francisco, CA
12/27/2011
Really great little bookstore. Seemed to be the only SciFi & Fantasy specialty bookseller in the chicago area, so I stopped in here to buy a few christmas gifts. Its a small store but has a pretty good layout, and the collection of used paperbacks appears to be very carefully curated to maintain high quality both in the content and in the condition of the books.
The owner was very nice and knowledgeable about all forms of speculative fiction, and the prices were extremely reasonable for all of the used books. -
Review from Tony W.
Chicago, IL
4/14/2012
I have to say, I was really looking forward to visiting this place, as I rarely find any places that specialize in the kinds of books this shop does. As far as the shop itself goes, it was fairly worth it: a bit on the small side, but they had a few things that I was not expecting to find in a used bookstore, things I probably would've bought on the spot.
EXCEPT...
...as soon as my partner and I came in the door, the guy behind the counter immediately put on some music, VERY loudly - I thought for a second we'd come in right in the break between two songs, but the gap was too noticeable for that to be the case - and then proceeded to stare intently at his computer, not looking at us the entire time we were in the shop. Granted, it was a Saturday night, two hours before closing, but the effect was not a welcoming one. I kept expecting him to at least ask us if we were looking for anything or to acknowledge our presence, but nada. Even though I found some things I really wanted, I also really didn't want to deal with someone quite that unfriendly, so I put them back down, said "Thank you" (which wasn't acknowledged AT ALL, not by a head nod or any indication I'd been heard), and left.
I might go back at some other time, just to get those books - but if THAT guy is working there, I may just turn around and walk right back out. If he doesn't want my business, then I don't want to give it to him. -
Review from M H.
Chicago, IL
3/24/2012
Killer little book shop. The guys who run the place are very cool. Case in point: when I went to wash my hands in the bathroom, I noticed a sign that said, "All employees must carve 'Slayer' into their arm before returning to work." Not grammatically correct, but it doesn't have to be because it's badass.
You can find some great little prizes among the old vinyl. Found a record of John Denver singing with The Muppets.
Any place that specializes in SciFi, horror, speculative fiction, etc., is already awesome, but to top it all off, they hold readings by local authors in those genres.There isn't much room in the store to sit during one of these readings, but it's BYOB, so that makes up for it. Plus, it's Bucket o'Blood! -
Review from Greg S.
Kansas City, MO
12/2/2011
Good idea: visiting this place while I was in Chicago.
Bad idea: walking here from the Reckless on Milwaukee in the July heat and not having the foresight to see how far away they are from each other.
I'll be completely forthright in my review. The main reason I wanted to come here is because it is owned and operated by Marc Ruvolo of Johann's Face Records and No Empathy fame. To people that live there, you are probably like "oh yeah, that's good ol' Marc," but to me it was more like "holy shit, this guy released some of my most favorite records of all time, nerd boner activate!" And I'm pleased to say he was nice enough to deal with my hungry, sweaty, dehydrated fanboy self for the thirty minutes or so I was in there browsing and chatting.
The store mostly focuses on literature, none of which I really had the time to peruse, but there is also a decent-sized bin of punk records to thumb through. I can't necessarily say it contains all the hits, but I was able to find some locally released obscurities marked at an extremely reasonable price, and for that I was very excited. The place is small, but pretty well kept and very clean, not to mention meticulously organized by genre. Worth the walk, but I'll take a better mode of transportation next time. -
Review from Maram K.
Chicago, IL
12/12/2011
This is one solidly unique place if I have ever step foot into one.
They have all the horror sci/fi books/novels/graphic novels you can ever want. They have I think the entire collection by Huxley. It is laid out well and the shopkeeper is very friendly, knows his collection and incredibly nice.
My favorite thing about this place is the live readings they do periodically by the authors of some of their works and authors who write their own shorts. It can get very crowded so I can best describe it as intimate and cozy during a reading. But you are so lost in the works that it isn't too bad! -
Review from Joshua G.
Chicago, IL
8/17/2011
I've been to this store 2 times. The first time I bought a obscure zombie movie for my friend's birthday. The second time I purchased the soundtrack to Shaft (which I never knew I needed til I saw it for sale for 4 bucks!) and a number of interesting books. The bill was less then 20 dollars for 4 books and a CD. Not too shabby! This place is small but does have surprising amount of titles for such a small store.
But I have had a problem with the owner like both DC L. and Sarah C. I was laying on the floor reading a book like I was in my own living room. I'd even brought my own lunch and was ready to camp out for the afternoon. The guy told me to leave! What the hell! It was like he was trying to run a business or something! I was the only one in the whole shop he should have been glad I was there! I feel my rights as a human being were violated! Since you know this is a free country and I can sit, read, and eat anywhere I want to even in your store! -
Review from Lena B.
Chicago, IL
9/12/2011
Is it terrible to say that this place is cute? I'm sorry. It's adorable, though! I was walking by today and decided to check it out because I've always found the sign to be compelling. I thought it was going to be all horror stuff (which I am decidedly not into) but duh, it wasn't. Of course. I bought a David Sedaris book for $4 and another literary (i.e., NOT horror) book for $5. There were LPs, popular science, science fiction, Doctor Who paperbacks (seriously!), etc.
I am charmed, but not in the Alyssa Milano way. -
Review from Mike P.
Chicago, IL
10/16/2011
Okay, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, so this review is strictly about environment, service, and the record selection.
Marc is a great guy, I've come to be good friends with him in the past year and he's definitely someone who loves good music and also knows how to run a solid small business. Every time I walk in there he's very friendly and is more than willing to help you find something or just strike up a conversation.
The record selection is mainly punk, but has a lot lot of used vinyl for indie, 80s, pop, etc. There's also the weird stuff on the floor as well (you know, like books on records, poetry, etc). If you like No Idea!, Asian Man, and anything along those lines, Marc usually has it, and if not, WILL order it for you.
As for the books, there's a wide selection of sci-fi, but as aforementioned, I'm not in that "realm" of life. However, he always has dollar book deals and stuff like that, so even if you're just bored and want something new to read, check out his store, he'll definitely have something to recommend.
The prices are decent and I always leave in a better mood than when I came in, that's how you should feel when you leave a business, and Bucket 'o Blood is definitely a place to check out. -
Review from scott f.
Chicago, IL
9/12/2011
I wandered into this place aboiut a month ago... I had no inkling that it was there, despite the fact that it's about 2 blks south of my house. The owner dude was super. While the scifi and horror selection was great, I was fixated on the nice random assortment of LPs (with more than fair prices). $12 later I left with a pretty large assortment under my arm.
I recommend an occasional visit to this place. -
Review from A R.
Chicago, IL
1/15/2012
This place is so great (and right down the street from my apartment)! My fiance and I walked in with no real notion of what we wanted, but we both remembered books that we had been sort of wanting, so we checked to see if they had them. We were not disappointed and walked out with two books for $13. I would rather go here than Myopic because it is smaller and way more personable. If you get the chance, please stop in and actually look at what their selection. It's small, but it's got a lot less fluff than other places.
-
Review from Kandiss P.
Chicago, IL
8/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Loved this little store! The prices are right and the selection is great - there is so much to choose from. The guy working there was super nice, the music played in the shop had me tapping my toes. I picked up a few books and a comic, walked out with a big smile on my face. Glad to have a place like this in my area.
-
Review from Jason L.
12/28/2010
Great idea for a shop! Bucket O'Blood is tiny but if you're a fan of horror and science fiction, they have mostly books but also comics, memorabilia, etc. They only have a few videos and music so I hope that section grows.
The Bucket would is a great place to rendezvous before going to lunch or dinner. Power to the undead people! -
Review from Erika D.
Crown Point, IN
3/5/2011
The sign pulled me in. I had no idea what the shop was about.
Once inside...I thought it was awesome. Where else can your inner geek find all the horror or Sci-fi you want at incredibly reasonable prices?
I liked the creeky floors and the smell of the store. That's what a bookstore is supposed to be like...old books and cool stuff. -
Review from Justin B.
Chicago, IL
7/5/2010
Do you ever watch "Party Down"? Roman would totally hang out here.
Also, Anthony Michael Hall's friends in "Sixteen Candles".
If you often have your nose in a book and your head in the clouds, you should, too. -
Review from Kriss S.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2010
Bucket O'Blood has something of a task ahead of them - that they are so specialized in what they stock and choose to focus on is a great thing, unfortunately it's somewhat hard to forecast how long a business catering to such niche markets may last. The problem here is precisely the thing that makes them such a draw - can a store carry itself off of a cult base of consumers?
This was what went through my mind as I walked in today for the first time - the store itself is small and aside from a rack of movies and books in the middle, all of the wares are situated off to the main four walls - it looks like a cross between a small shop and someone's living room. Other reviewers have mentioned their stock being small in quantity, but I have serious doubts as to whether Bucket could stock more even if they wanted to due to the size of the space they're working with.
As for the stock - well, that's plus and minus. The vinyl section is tiny with very limited (but quality selection) - the price for new and unopened vinyl is actually cheaper than other shops in the city, but the used vinyl is priced somewhat higher. The small collection of seven inch vinyl for sale are more reasonably priced ranging from one dollar to five (barely any above that) which is a good compromise.
The books are very centralized to particular niches - sci fi, horror, biographies, etc. Again as with the vinyl, what they carry IS infact high quality and you can tell that the owner of the store curates the shop well and is really passionate about what he's putting on the floor. The lady ended up walking away with a King Kong novel for 3 and a book on goblins for 4. A minority of the books were above five and an even smaller number of books were above ten - in terms of price, the books are marked to move and it's somewhat surprising some of them carry the price tags they do considering how great of condition they're in.
Over all, Bucket O'Blood is a great stop for the more cult side of literature and music - again as I stated at the beginning of the review, they're gonna have to work pretty hard to build a loyal customer base to keep them going. Great stores like this never last longer than a few years unfortunately - let's hope Bucket isn't one such casualty. -
Review from Chris B.
Chicago, IL
4/17/2011
This place may be my favorite overall used book store in the city. True, the books tend to be largely (but not exclusively) horror/sci-fi/fantasy, but they are the cream of that crop. ANY lover of these genres will find something to oooooh and aaahhh over.
Unlike many used book stores, it's well-lit and well laid out, with plenty of room to peruse (even though the shop is relatively small). Even so, the selection is amazing. The shop had full runs of Vonnegut and Alfred Bester. Bester! And the pricing is more than fair--with a full selection of mass market paperbacks at just a few bucks each.
The biggest problem I have whenever I go in is limiting my purchase to just a few books.
LOVE this place! -
Review from DC L.
Chicago, IL
5/26/2011 11 Check-ins Here
Bucket of Blood (hereafter BoB) is a great little book/record shop specializing in independent records and horror/sci-fi books.
I really like the store. The only reason that I gave BoB four stars instead of five is that I had a similar experience to Sarah C. It was a Tuesday and had no money and nothing to do so I decided to wander over to BoB, hang out, and try to read the entire Discworld series. I set up camp under the T-Shirt rack as to keep out of the way, even though there weren't any customers in there at the time.
I wasn't even three chapters into 'The Colour of Magic' before the owner came up and was all like "Can I help you?". C'mon dude, can't you see I'm tryin' to get my wizards on here. Yeesh!
Somewhere around 'Equal Rites' I was getting hungry, so I went down the street to get a bucket of BBQ rib-tips, The BBQ joint was crowded, so I decided to take my lunch back to BoB and get some reading done while I ate. When I got back the owner (Marc) was in the back (or something), so I just set up under the shirt rack where I had been.
Ten minutes later Marc was FREAKING OUT. And I'm all like "What's the deal, I'm licking all the sauce off of my fingers before turning the page, and I'm Using this Das Kapital shirt as a bib because I didn't want to spill sauce on the Traitors shirt I'm using as a napkin. You don't have to be a dick about it."
Then he asked me to leave. SERIOUSLY?!?! This is a free country which means that i can do whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want regardless of how it effects others - It's in the Magna Carta or something. You'd think that the guy was trying to run a business.
Oh, and Sarah C is 100% right: As the owner was kicking me out he was also openly advocating the creation of a totalitarian single-party state =TOTAL FASCIST!
Shop at BoB if you're shopping for obscure records or looking to pick up some speculative fiction, but be warned: Marc's a dick (and Gar's a drunk). -
Review from Melissa M.
Chicago, IL
7/22/2010
I must admit the name of the store was what made me curious of the place. I am a huge fan of horror, so I was extremely delighted that there was a store to catered to my needs.
The only bummer was the lack of non-fiction and DVDs.
Overall, it's worth the trip :) -
Review from Steven G.
Wicker Park, Chicago, IL
2/16/2011
This is one of the coolest bookstores ever. If you're looking for Sci-Fi, Horror or Fantasy novels, then this is the place for you. Conveniently located a few steps from the California Blue Line stop. They also host musical performances every so often. I was introduced to the place by my friend Patrick a couple weeks ago, and we played a show there. What a blast!
-
Review from Chris G.
Seattle, WA
1/10/2011
I came for the vinyl, but I stayed for the books.
I visited Bucket O'Blood when I was visiting Chicago for the holidays. I was looking for a music store which had metal vinyl. Unfortunately, Bucket O'Blood doesn't have much of a selection of music, but it more than makes up for it in their SciFi & Fantasy used book selection.
They have a great selection with quite reasonable prices. I ended up buying 3 Gene Wolfe hardbacks at $5 a piece and a couple of paperbacks for $3 and $2.50. The owner was kind enough to mail them back to me in Seattle at book rate, so I wouldn't have to take them on the airplane.
I'll defiantly be stopping by again when I come back to Chicago. -
Review from Jonathan W.
Chicago, IL
5/20/2011 2 Check-ins Here
They have my number. One of my favorite stores in the whole city. Love the small but carefully conceived record selection. Interesting book selection although I'm not a huge reader.
-
Review from Sophia A.
Los Angeles, CA
6/22/2010
Open for only a couple weeks at the time of my visit, I was pleased that Bucket O'Blood is not only open on Sundays, but carried black women authors of speculative fiction. The stock is slim, at best, but with CD's and records at a couple bucks each, and the books sold at appropriate prices for used texts, it is worth stopping in and browsing. The design of the store itself is clean and tidy, with the lack of decor (as one reviewer noted) actually quite nice. I'd say the storefront is appealing enough to capture anybody's attention anyway.
The owner is also really great and very knowledgeable about the material he carries. I'd say he could afford to raise prices a bit if he wanted to - seriously, the stuff there is so classic and so inexpensive that I don't think most avid book/record collectors would mind paying $5 for a truly great find (I got a really great condition copy of Octavia Butler's _Kindred_ for like 3 dollars!). -
Review from Andrew B.
Chicago, IL
5/24/2011
Despite the hype about this place, I was underwhelmed by the limited collection that was mostly, and expectedly, sci-fi and horror-themed books. They did have some good vinyls and I was able to snag a copy of Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance" for less than 10 bucks, which was pretty cool, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to go again.
-
Review from Luke H.
Chicago, IL
6/30/2011
I really enjoyed my visit to Bucket O' Blood. I loved the selection of books and really enjoyed talking to the owner.
-
Review from John A.
Oak Park, IL
4/2/2011
What a great store! If you are into horror books, vinyl & cool digs check them out! A very friendly vibe and cool stuff gracing the entire space!
-
Review from Justin V.
Chicago, IL
10/1/2010
This place is great.
I'm a huge fan of sci fi and fantasy novels, and it's great to have a shop where you can talk about those specific genres with someone with a more than solid grasp of the material. I really like the selection, and I'm definitely going back. They also have a quality selection of horror literature, as well as underground music.
Some nice perks are the occasional fun toy on the shelves (like an old Jabba the hutt figure for example), and the events. I missed the Chris Connelly (Ministry) and 3 Floyds event. But I'm down for the next one.
Check it out. -
Review from Hungry P.
Chicago, IL
6/19/2010
I walked into this place on a lark. I mean who wouldn't be curious about a store by this name?! Inside there is a small selection of mystery, sci-fi, and horror books, and some records. If you want to find something cheap and different, this is a cool place to visit. The shelves are full of books about conspiracies and UFOs, and heavy metal records. The attendant, who I assume is the owner, was really helpful, even though they didn't carry the obscure title i was looking for.
-
Review from Matthew T.
Brooklyn, NY
9/12/2010
I saw a poster for this store and had to find out about it. Went in, and met the owner, who is the coolest and nicest dude ever. He hand picks all his records. Apparently he's a huge Styx fan. The records are awesome, and fairly priced. The books, all used, are all in great condition. Great selection of horror and SF. Hope this store lasts forever. Great T-shirts too....
-
Review from Rebecca F.
Chicago, IL
5/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really love niche interest stores like this, it makes me really happy to see small businesses run by people who love what they do. This places is great, had a bunch of cool records and books. I bought a book awhile back, it's about time I return there again!
-
Review from Carol T.
Oak Park, IL
5/25/2011
Excellent used book store with a fantastic selection of classic and current sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. It is true that the selection isn't enormous, but every book on the shelves is worth a read, so you don't have to sort through a ton of crap to find a gem. Great prices, too.
-
Review from Cassandra A.
Waukegan, IL
7/25/2010
the owner is just about one of the coolest guys that has ever graced the streets of Chicago.
-
Review from Sarah c.
Chicago, IL
5/6/2011
First, I really wanted to love this store. I live in Logan Square. I like the concept of the store. I'm into music and books but from the moment I went in it seemed a bit more of a collector's store than one that actually wanted to have customers. I'm not hatin' on collectors, which I have a soft spot for but if you're gonna have a weird eclectic book store you have to expect people to browse. I went in and started looking at a book. My bag was heavy so I sat down out of the way and started reading a couple pages to get a feel for the book. About two minutes later the guy came over and awkwardly stared at me for a long period. Confused, I looked back then said Hi. I then started shuffling books on the shelf above my head. It was weird and kind of passive aggressive. There was NO ONE else in the store on a Friday afternoon. I would think he would be happy he had some customers. About two minutes later he comes marching over with same weird passive aggressive expression and tells me something to the effect of look, this isn't a library. I'd been there maybe 10-15 minutes. I was sitting on the floor, not in the way or obnoxiously. I had a mostly eaten apple core, I understand if he's uptight about that. I would have gladly gotten rid of it if he asked. Instead, he was basically asking me to leave! It was nuts. It was really overreactive and unnecessary. This guy takes punk rock to the fascist degree. No thanks dude. It is a free country after all even in your store.
