About Us

Joey Grillo & Anastasia Elkina, Co-Owners of Vintage Grind House. Joey Grillo is a man who knows what he wants. In a world overcrowded with “mega stores,” Joey has taken the necessary risks to thrive as a small business owner. Fearless and confident, he has helped establish his six-year old store, Vintage Grind House, as one of Chicago’s most successful eclectic vintage and signature designer furniture galleries. What is the secret behind the store’s success and steady stream of loyal shoppers? Much of it can be attributed to Joey’s keen eye and resourceful determination. Joey grew up in Brooklyn, NY as a child of Italian immigrants. His family has been in the NY fashion industry over 50 years, with Joey (and his brothers) studying at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology. Joey’s love for art and travel fueled his studies in illustration and interior design at FIT. As the fashion industry became more competitive overseas, Joey changed gears and became a licensed stockbroker in New York City's Financial District. After seven years on Wall Street, the grind had gotten to him. Determined to find an outlet for his creative passions (coupled with his desire to live a slower-paced life), Joey moved to Chicago to partner and assist a childhood friend in developing a successful security company and began collecting and restoring antique and vintage furniture as a hobby. Joey met Anastasia in 2007 and they fell in love instantly -- not only with each other but also over their love of travel and appreciation of antiques and vintage furnishings. Through their travels, they sourced unique pieces that they would work to restore or refurbish together. Anastasia Elkina was born in Moscow and moved to America as a child. She grew up in her grandmother’s interior design shop where she was surrounded by custom lamp shades, pillows, chandeliers and decorative items -- all hand made with beautiful fabrics, silk flowers and delicate trim. Anastasia began her career in accounting to prepare herself to understand how successful businesses operate. Her business savvy brings operational experience to Joey’s creative passion. Coupled together, they make perfect life and business partners. With their clever combination of entrepreneurial spirit, imaginative thinking and business savvy, Joey and Anastasia decided to develop a pop-up sale of the pieces they had collected. It was an immediate success and few sales later, they are reaping the fruits of their labor with a massive retail location in the city they love. Joey and Anastasia have established Vintage Grind House as the gold standard for rare and unique antique and vintage pieces from all over the world. Joey and Anastasia go on several buying adventures every year, searching the globe for chic collections and products to fill the store. Anastasia makes sure that those precious items are also realistic within the store and the customer’s budget, admitting that it can be hard to be creative as well as business conscientious. Anastasia’s level-headedness, coupled with Joey’s passion and creative eye are essential aspects of the success of Vintage Grind House.