Animal Records Opened Larger Shop in Evanston

The vintage record store has moved into a new space three times the size of its original location.

Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Bold vector editorial illustration of a stack of vintage vinyl records leaning against a clean window pane.
Animal Records has successfully relocated to a new, larger storefront at 620 Grove St. in Evanston, marking the business's second anniversary. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Animal Records has successfully relocated to a new storefront at 620 Grove St. in Evanston. The move marks the completion of the store's second anniversary celebrations.

Why it matters

The relocation allows the business to significantly expand its floor space, offering customers a larger environment to browse its collection of vintage records and CDs.

The new retail space at 620 Grove St. is three times the size of the original shop. This expansion follows two years of business operations in Evanston.

The players

Animal Records

This vintage record and CD shop serves the local Evanston community.

Greg Allen

He is the owner of the vintage record store.

The details

Animal Records has completed a move to a new site located immediately next door to its previous store. The shop continues to serve the community as a specialized retailer for vintage CDs and vinyl records.

Timeline

  1. October 2026: The store held its second anniversary and grand reopening celebration.

Market Landscape

The expansion follows the industry trend of the vinyl resurgence identified by the RIAA. This move positions the store to better compete for market share against other local music retailers.

Customers can now shop in a retail footprint three times larger than the previous store. This increased space offers a more comfortable browsing experience for local music collectors.

The takeaway

Growing a retail business often requires identifying opportunities for expansion within the existing neighborhood. Small businesses can leverage anniversaries as strategic moments to announce significant operational changes.

Further reading

For more news on new shops, visit Openings & Closings.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Evanston RoundTable.

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Do you believe local independent record stores are important community gathering spaces?