Purple Dog Records

It is a tiny little shop which is fine. it is all well and good, but my word is it expensive. You’re easily going to spend 2 or 3 times what you’d spend online.
For example, for less than $ 20 you can get a brand new Re-​Issue for just about any random Beatles album. You can get a used older record for around $ 7 to $ 15 in most cases or less if you’re willing to keep an eye on things. Here you’re spending $ 30 or $ 40 for that used Beatles Album. These aren’t necessarily NM copies either.
If you like the idea of a record store and you’re willing to spend the extra it requires to keep a place that open, then I’m sure this place will do, but that isn’t for me.

Purple Dog Records, along with Mile Long Records in Wheaton and Rediscover Records in Elgin, represent a new batch of record stores that have opened up in the Western suburbs within the last few years. This «new crop» is interesting, as they are opening in locations where stores might have not been found in the past (typically the down town areas of their respective towns). In addition, they are focusing much more heavily on stocking LPs rather than CDs. In most cases, the stores also offer other services, such as turntable repair, cartridge sales, or special ordering of LPs, which makes them like some of the stores they’ve replaced that used to service these areas at one time (e.g., Remember When, Threshold, Record Swap, etc.)
On the whole, it’s good for the record buyer that these places have turned up, as there is now more choice of shopping possibilities for LP buyers in the Western and Northwestern suburbs now than there has been in some time. This is especially true when one also combines the various Half Price Books locations that have been springing up the last 5 years or so, 2^nd and Charles in Naperville, and older stores that are «still around» like Kiss the Sky in Batavia, Algonquin Records in Des Plaines, and Rainbow Records in Barrington.
Purple Dog Records is the Naperville addition to this newer set of stores. Like others in this group, they have nice prices and a nice selection of new LPs – that is, LPs that are still sealed and come from the factory that way. The place is also run by a guy who seems really nice and is definitely a fan of music.
Unlike Mile Long and Rediscover, or Music Masters in Downers Grove, the prices on used LPs make Purple Dog stand out – and in a very good way! The prices here are *very reasonable* – like the prices at Remember When when it was open or places like Oak Park Records and The Old School. This makes Purple Dog stand out so much because the prices at the other places like Mile Long and Rediscover are often 2 to 3 times what they should be, particularly on «collectable records,”* given what the realities of the actual local Chicagoland marketplace (and NOT Ebay auction outcomes, which is what other stores seem to be basing prices on, at least in part).
The one negative for this store is that it is much too small. The records are currently jammed into a space of what seems like the back room of another store. I’m sure this keeps the rent down, especially since they only opened a few months back. But they have clearly already outgrown the space they have. The impact of this is that they have a lot less room to display the new LPs they offer than stores like Mile Long and Music Matters, and thus, they are currently having to offer most only through sale on their online website (or by request).
This is a small negative, however, and one they hopefully will correct in time (by moving to a bigger space). Overall, this is a nice addition to the stores in the suburbs and the Chicagoland area more generally. Definitely a place to check out!
(* I put «collectable» in quotes because often times, these albums really are not – for instance, stuff by Dylan, Hendrix, or Springsteen, and US Pressings of Bowie, Floyd, and Stones stuff, can actually be found pretty easily, and in good condition, at affordable prices, if one is patient enough. Thus, they are not actually rare, which is one thing that «collectable» is used to mean. Another, and what makes it get called «collectable» by many of the suburban stores – is that it is expected than fans of these groups will want the album when they find it and probably don’t want to wait. Hence they’ll pay more for them. This also explains why the albums often sell for higher than they should on Ebay, a second factor which encourages stores like this to charge more for these kinds of LPs, as Ebay prices seem to influence decisions. However, stores I can think of offhand who offer the records at 2 – 3 times less than the prices one tends to see at stores like Mile Long or Rediscover in this category are Half Price Books, Reckless, Oak Park Records, The Old School Records, Logan Hardware, and, of course, Purple Dog, as mentioned above. See my reviews of the other 40+ stores in the Chicagoland area I have now reviewed for comparison/​contrast.)

I love this little shop. Very nice staff and great prices. Not to mention I love all of the art on the walls!
I’ve slowly been building on my vinyl collection and always seem to find something special when I come here!

As a vinyl junkie I was excited to hear there was a new record shop in the downtown Naperville area. At the same time, I know how disappointing these suburban record shops can be with their high prices and weak selections.
Let me say, I am very pleased that Purple Dog is a great little shop! It’s a small little joint but it’s well packed with all genres well represented. Everything is well organized and records are nicely shelved in their sleeves. Prices range from around $ 5 — $ 15 for most of the stuff I saw. I came across a decent variety, but the rock selections are mostly concentrated around the 70’s/80’s rock classics like Kinks, Petty, Blondie, etc.
This is great if you are building your vinyl collection in this area. Again all is nicely and appropriately priced. Also, there is a cool indie record shop vibe going on here (rare in the burbs)!
I spent close to an hour there flipping through everything and walked away with some nice picks from their blues section. The shop owner is a nice dude and very helpful and even willing to play your picks if you want to test them out — nice!
My only wish is they carry more current modern indie/​rock selections. I’m sure it just depends on what comes in the door. For sure, I’ll be adding this place to my regular vinyl hunting stops. Totally worth checking out in downtown Naperville!

Excellent selection of vinyl. Punk, classic rock, jazz, oldies, 80s. Even some CDs too. The owners are really nice. Definitely a place I’ll be going to again!