“For nearly 15 years, the two-story building at 2449 N. Lincoln Ave. served as the epicenter of an underground musical, social and cultural movement that spread across the globe. Now, nearly three decades after Wax Trax! Records moved out, the daughter of one of the shop’s co-founders is leading a charge to designate the storefront an official historic Chicago landmark.
“‘Wax Trax! was instrumental in putting Chicago on the map for a certain type of music,’ says Julia Nash, who was 9 years old when her late father, Jim Nash, opened the business with his partner, Dannie Flesher. ‘The store itself was an underground cultural mecca for people from all over the city, statewide and internationally to discover new music (like) punk and electronic. At the time they were frowned-upon genres, but they became very important in music culture.”
“Julia Nash has started a petition to gather signatures in support of the landmark status as part of an application with the Chicago Landmarks Commission; official designation is made by City Council vote.
“When Wax Trax! opened its doors in 1978 in a building that once housed a funeral parlor, there was nothing like it in the city — or country. A record label of the same name, started by Jim Nash and Flesher in 1980, remains synonymous with industrial music by the likes of Front 242 and KMFDM. The store carried a vast range of genres — dance, soul, R&B, heavy metal, electronic, rockabilly, hardcore, glam, avant-garde and more — and thousands of titles that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Offbeat, independent, bootleg and import vinyl LPs filled the bins. Huge posters, custom displays, television sets playing videos and a baby-blue neon sign contributed to the creative atmosphere and palpable energy.
“So did the people working behind the counter. Offering expert guidance and engaging conversation, Jim Nash, Flesher and their staff, largely comprised of deejays and musicians, tipped off customers to cutting-edge artists and must-hear albums that existed on the fringe. Wax Trax! Records was a ‘destination’ long before the term evolved into a marketing concept.
The influential store — neighbor to the landmarked Biograph Theater — also functioned as more than a retail shop. For many customers, particularly those who felt like outsiders at home or outcasts at school, it stood as both a social nexus and safe space.
“Metro and Smartbar owner Joe Shanahan’s connection to the shop runs just as deep. Having heard that Jim Nash and Flesher were moving to Chicago from Denver, where the original Wax Trax! store was located, the young music devotee showed up at 2449 N. Lincoln Ave. to help them prepare to open in 1978. Shanahan and a roommate pitched in by painting walls and record bins. So began a relationship that altered Shanahan’s life — and, by extension, those of countless concertgoers.
“‘Without Wax Trax!, there’s no Metro, no Smartbar,’ says Shanahan. ‘Jim and Dannie single-handedly changed my perception. They came to town with a record store idea that became this community clubhouse. They were forging an independent spirit really early on. And they had the best taste in music.’
“Shanahan fondly recalls making Saturday morning pilgrimages to the store, where Jim Nash and Flesher would tell him what records he needed, and why. Handing over to Wax Trax! Records a healthy portion of the tip money he earned at his bartending job, Shanahan built the record collection he used to start Smartbar. Once he opened Metro and Smartbar, Shanahan invited the store’s clerks to spin records and stopped by the Lincoln Avenue shop to see if he had what he deems the Wax Trax! ‘seal of quality approval’ for his shows: a record and/or poster of the concert headliner displayed in the window.
“Julia Nash adores the beautiful white porcelain brick on the facade. She fears that if left unprotected, the building — currently home to a oral surgery practice — could be subject to redevelopment or other gentrification whims.
“Julia Nash’s focus remains on honoring her father and his partner by having the city recognize their accomplishments. In many ways, Wax Trax! can be seen as an equivalent to Chess Records, whose former location at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. enjoys landmarked status. Like that of the iconic Chicago blues label and recording studio, the Wax Trax! legacy continues to resonate beyond borders and across generations.” (Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 2/14/22)