On September 30, Animal Records opened at 624 Grove Street in downtown Evanston. The owner, Greg Allen, is still making finishing touches to the space. A few weeks ago, he painted the record store’s walls stripes of lemon yellow and hot pink, intending to give off a circus vibe. His records sit in fixtures that were only just obtained, and his shelves were recently installed.
The basement of the store is a whole other story, holding five truckloads of records that Allen transported from his home. He aims to expand the shopping area to the basement, but that is on the agenda for next year.
During store hours, Allen sorts through boxes of records, setting them aside as people open the door.
“This is a total work in progress. We opened up about a week and a half ago, but at least we got the door open,” he joked with his customers.
Allen always imagined the store as a hub for community building. He establishes relationships with the people he meets through his business, playing music they enjoy—even if it means taking his preferred tunes off of the record player. Luckily for Allen, it is hard to find a record that he absolutely despises.
“I love old jazz, reggae, country, western, bluegrass and everything in between,” he said.
If he had to choose a favorite, he would pick The B-52s’ first record or The Monkees’ second record. Part of the reason why he named the store Animal Records is because of his passion for The Monkees.
Allen also offers each storegoer a sticker as a token of his appreciation.
“Did you get a sticker, by the way? My name is Greg.”
Allen has been collecting records for as long as he can remember. Many of his records are extremely valuable—some sentimental and others downright expensive.
“I have hundreds of records that I feel like I could not live without,” Allen said.
His records are not the only attraction; Animal Records offers magazines, posters and t-shirts as well. There are also cassette tapes, 8-track tapes and compact disks scattered throughout the store.
Eventually, Allen hopes to alphabetize his records in the future, but at the moment, he relies on memory when customers inquire about specific albums or artists.
Allen understands that buying a record can be exciting, but not without a record player. He sells cheaper record players, priced around $15, to get people started. He says that customers should not feel pressured to purchase anything, but it is a nice bonus when they do spend some money.
“It’s supposed to be a place where people can just hang out, look through records and talk about stuff,” Allen said.
Not only does Allen sell records, but he also buys them from customers in exchange for store credit or cash.
Paul Glick, an avid record collector, decided to check out the new shop. He believes that the store meets the needs of record-enthusiasts at any level.
“It’s a warm, welcoming atmosphere for someone who is either curious about records or is already into [collecting],” he said.
Glick was quite excited to hear about Animal Records’ opening. There are only a few other record stores in Evanston, and Glick says that businesses in the industry tend to have disappointing track records.
“Unfortunately, stores like this come and go,” he explained.
However, Glick is optimistic about the future of Animal Records due to its proximity to Northwestern University, drawing interest from younger customers. He pointed out that Animal Records will also get a lot of traffic from the older crowd. He plans on returning to the store again soon.
When it comes to the best albums, artists, cover art or songs, Allen acknowledges all opinions even if he is not in agreement.
“There’s no judgment in terms of musical taste. We are not music snobs,” Allen said.
The store’s grand opening, which took place the weekend of October 18, featured a guest appearance from the ETHS Boys’ Soccer team.
Allen intends to hold more events open to the community, including live music, outdoor seating and food trucks. He hopes that the excitement around Animal Records will continue into the future.
