Feb. 11--Bob Koester, owner of the Jazz Record Mart, expects this will be the last weekend the famous store at 27 E. Illinois St. will be open.
Since the Tribune first reported on Jan. 29 that Koester was putting his business up for sale, he has received several offers to buy the inventory, said Koester. He anticipates closing a deal on Monday and shutting the store at that point.
Koester, who also owns the Chicago-based Delmark Records label, has said that rising rent has forced him to sell what he long has billed as "The World's Largest Jazz and Blues Record Store." Koester began selling records in Chicago in the late 1950s and officially established the Jazz Record Mart name in 1962. The store has operated at various locations.
