Jeff and Jessika Law have been together for 27 years. Music has brought them together and is what has kept their marriage going strong.
“Music is everything,” Jeff, of Evergreen Park, said. “It doesn’t judge you. It picks you up and it pushes you. It’s truly your best friend.”
Jeff, 54, is a native of Evergreen Park, who attended Northwest, Central and Evergreen Park Community High School. During his teenage years, he could be found at Beverly Records, adding to his growing vinyl collection.
At 21, he decided to open his own record shop in Joliet. After that shop closed, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he again found his calling in music at a mom-and-pop record store.
Little did he know this endeavor would lead him to meet his future wife.
“I was a customer,” Jessika, 46, said. “I would visit often and pass him notes because this was a time before cell phones. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And for me, I found love in a record shop.”
Their friendship developed into a relationship and eventually a marriage. For a decade after their son was born, Jeff took a corporate job but never felt at home. With his wife’s support, he decided to change careers, and together they opened a record store.
They ran the Arizona store successfully for a decade before relocating back to Evergreen Park to be close to Jeff’s mother, Judith.
“I’m an only child and my mother was always everything to me,” Jeff said. “She was always there for me, and we would talk on the phone every Sunday. Even as an adult, whenever Jessika and I had any problem that we couldn’t figure out together, our solution was always, ‘Let’s call mom.’”
Judith, who had resided in Evergreen Park since 1978, was a strong advocate for small businesses.
“Her mantra was to go out and buy from small business owners, or as she would simply say, ‘Buy some s***,’” Jeff said. “That’s what keeps communities like Evergreen Park alive and thriving. We have to support one another.”
When Judith passed away eight months ago, it left Jeff and Jessika heartbroken but also looking forward.
“We moved back into the house he (Jeff) grew up in,” Jessika said. “This was the same house that our son took his first steps in. It’s a part of us and a part of our history.”
“Losing my mother taught me to look forward and to treat every day as a gift,” Jeff said. “That’s what she would have wanted.”
Part of moving forward was opening another record shop in the heart of the Evergreen Park community. It is the first record store to grace 95th Street in Evergreen Park.
Opened Nov. 15 and cleverly named the Record Shop on 95th, it has been drawing a crowd ever since.
“We named it the Record Shop on 95th because you know what we do and where we’re at,” Jeff said. “When I was a kid, it was always ‘the video store on 95th,’ or ‘the bakery on 95th.’”
The Record Shop on 95th sells used and new records from all genres, along with analog hi-fi turntables and speakers, self-assembled record crates to display your collection, T-shirts, bags and other accoutrements. The store also offers buy-sell-trades, and custom orders are always free.
Something that makes them incredibly unique is instead of by genre, they are the only record shop that organizes their vinyl by price point.
“Everyone has a budget, so if you only have a certain amount of money, or for kids, allowance, to spend, you get more vintage,” Jeff said.
He added that the pricing strategy has received a positive response from the community as well.
Going forward, Jeff and Jessika plan to become even more involved in the local area, whether through school events, park district outings or other activities.
“We want to shed some kind of happiness onto others through music,” Jeff said. “The community has been amazing. We could not have asked for more support. I’m awe-struck.”
Jessika agreed with Jeff’s sentiments.
“What we did was create a record shop that we would want to walk into,” she said. “We welcome everyone and everyone who comes in becomes family.”
The Record Shop on 95th, 3576 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday.
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