With its prime location at Illinois and State, the Jazz Record Mart attracted jazz and blues fans from around the world. But prime location usually means very high rent. 

After selling records for a decade at that address, owner Bob Koester shut the doors on the store. He moved most of his inventory to a storefront at his Delmark Records studios in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. 

WBEZ’s Jenn White visited Koester at the Delmark Studios and learned how his time in the music business also allowed him to see the effects of the Civil Rights Movement up close.