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- May 6, 2023
Venture Out to Vintage Vinyl in Evanston for the Perfect Picks
Strolling through the streets of Chicago suburb Evanston, the pink neon lights will lure you right into Vintage Vinyl.
Enter through a pink-painted door, and the ambiance continues, the walls painted bubblegum pink — a sweet backdrop to the long, narrow rows of bins filled neatly with records. Can’t find what you’re looking for right away? Make your way downstairs to the lower level for an even more extensive selection. In addition to the immense amount of records available, there are also items like CDs, posters, cassettes, memorabilia, and more.
Situated on Davis Street just off the L, this record store is a must-try for anyone in the area and even worth the trek from the city. And if you’re lucky, you might walk into a performance outside the front doors or inside the shop — think Custard Flux and Hannah Frank.
Since opening in 1979, Vintage Vinyl has served as a shop suited for avid record collectors, with a high-quality stock in top condition. In fact, its website says it generally won’t sell anything less than VG+ (very good plus on the record grading system). So this store will hook you up with a lot of items in mint or near mint connection.
Even if you aren’t a serious record collector, anyone can surely see something they like, with options ranging from rare finds to Taylor Swift. The store carries all types of music but uniquely carries genres like psychedelic, progressive, Krautrock, Mod, and more — along with the more standard jazz, blues, soul, soundtracks, folk, classical, and pretty much whatever your heart desires. Vintage Vinyl also operates a mail order division, VVMO.
Regardless of if you’re an Evanston native, you might know of Vintage Vinyl anyway. Author Audrey Niffenegger wrote store owner Steve Kay as a character in her book The Time Traveler’s Wife. Or maybe you heard about it from the major movie High Fidelity, which highlights Vintage Vinyl. John Cusack’s hometown is in Evanston, and he and Steve Pink — who worked on “High Fidelity” together — visited Vintage Vinyl a lot. It makes sense that the shop has made its mark on the pop culture scene because what’s not to love about a record collection of the highest caliber and amazing customer service?
For fans wanting to explore the record store scene in the Chicago area, look no further than Vintage Vinyls. It would be a shame to miss out on this treasure trove of some of the finest goods on the market. Sifting through the stacks, I was in awe of just how prime the offerings were.
If you’re in the mood to snag a deal, don’t worry either — take a look through the offerings Vintage Vinyl’s $5 record sale.
Vintage Vinyl is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., so see what the store is up to on Instagram, Facebook, and online and pay a visit to Vintage Vinyl.
