Purple Narwhal, located at 326-B N. Stonestreet Ave. in Rockville, closed its storefront on June 21, 2025.
The store, known for offering vinyl records, CDs, manga, anime, and tapes, is transitioning to an online-only model and plans to continue selling at record shows and conventions. Its online store is temporarily offline during a reorganization period, with updates expected in the future.
Owners Alice Goldberg-FitzHugh and Will FitzHugh founded the business in 2016, combining their interests in Japanese animation and music. Purple Narwhal originally opened at 822 Rockville Pike in September 2016 before relocating to Stonestreet Avenue in July 2019.