Shop Vintage for Back-to-School Clothing
As summer is winding down, and August is upon us, it’s time for back-to-school shopping. There’s always that desire to find a way to make yourself different and unique. This year’s back-to-school shopping options show there are plenty of places to find clothes with character. Shopping at Chattanooga’s local vintage stores is a great way for kids to find their back-to-school statement pieces. After doing some shopping around Chattanooga’s Southside and Northshore areas, it is safe to say there are plenty of unique places to visit while enjoying the activities you regularly love doing downtown. Most of these stores are within walking distance of everything else our wonderful downtown has to offer.
Vinterest Southside
Our first stop is Vinterest Southside, who sells much more than just vintage clothing. Vinterest Southside is a very homey-feeling store, filled with tons of antiques packed into every nook and cranny. Once you walk in, you’ll be overwhelmed with things to browse and discover. Their clothing is spread all throughout the store, with plenty to see along the way. Among what hangs on the racks and sits in chests on display, you’ll find unique graphic tees with novelty characters and nostalgic eye-catching designs. Their selection of apparel gives you quality and individuality, whether it’s a pair of vintage ripped jeans or a colorful head scarf. Their prices are very reasonable for a vintage market, and they are very accessible due to being on Chestnut Street. They just finished participating in the world's longest yard sale, which spanned nearly 690 miles and ran across 6 different states! This is an event that happens every year from the first Thursday through Sunday in August. Vinterest’s back lot was full of vendor booths selling a curated selection of their own personal items. That’s one of the most special things about thrifting and vintage shopping: someone else’s old belongings could very well be your new prized possessions. Overall, Vinterest has nice service and plenty of items to complement a brand new school outfit, decorate your house or dorm room, and so much more. They are a great place to go for vintage back-to-school shopping.
The Local Dive Retail
Our next stop is just across the Market Street Bridge on the edge of Chattanooga’s Northshore district. This store is called The Local Dive Retail, and is one of the more underrated vintage apparel stores in Chattanooga. There are racks and racks of refurbished vintage clothes. Their selection comes in a wide variety of silhouettes and sizes for any kid imaginable. When you walk in, you’re met with a variety of intriguing things hanging from the walls and ceilings, which let you know right away what type of vibe you just walked into. The playlist of classic R&B playing in the background sets it all off. Many of their clothes are color coordinated to make browsing that much easier, and they have tons of things to complete the perfect outfit, including jewelry. Find sterling silver necklaces and impressive sparkly pieces for prices significantly under retail value. Few vintage stores have a jewelry selection that compares to The Local Dive’s. You are guaranteed to walk out with something, if not a bag full to complete the whole first-week-of-school outfit lineup!
Ugly Duck Vintage
Another great new store that opened up not too long ago is Ugly Duck Vintage. They are within walking distance of Coolidge Park, where many kids ran and played all summer long. Ugly Duck Vintage opened in December of 2022 and business has completely taken off since then. Their variety of styles makes this a home town vintage shop for everyone to enjoy. Their clothes are divided into various categories like sports teams, popular bands, even old cartoon shows and sitcoms. What separates this store from a lot of other vintage clothing shops is their high-end choice of shoes! They have every brand from Nike to Jordan, Adidas and more! If a new pair of shoes is in your budget, this is a great place to purchase them at a steal compared to most aftermarket shoe sites. We also heard from this store that there is a big vintage clothing event set to happen this fall right in the middle of Coolidge Park. There are supposed to be hundreds of vendors set up in the park for this event with a big projected turnout, so stay posted for more details! Although Ugly Duck Vintage is relatively smaller than the others, there is still plenty of clothing to choose from for your back-to-school shopping. The shoes are a great addition!
Collective Clothing
Not too far down Frazier Avenue is another vintage clothing shop by the name of Collective Clothing. This storefront is located right on the main strip of Northshore’s shops and eateries, so you’re right in the middle of the action with this one. Their store is pretty moderately sized being right on the Northshore strip. There are plenty of options to choose from for a great back-to-school ensemble. There is a whole entire section dedicated to denim apparel, if that’s your niche. There’s a great collection of casual clothes, as well as formalwear. There are suit jackets and dresses alike should you need something for a formal dance or special school event. They have a ton of great deals and they have a great customer atmosphere as well. This is a great store if you’re wanting to make all your back-to-school outfit ideas to become a reality.
Poor Taste
Our last stop was Poor Taste, who has recently constructed a new addition to their store. They added a mini stairway leading up to another level of clothing racks and other eye-catching products. They have an impressive, large variety of vintage shirts to peruse. This store has a little bit of everything to help create your one of a kind outfit: bottoms, shoes, shades and even hats. Their ball cap collection spans almost an entire wall of the store. Their merchandise displays are sure to reel you in. There’s a vintage VHS set up with tons of movies, accompanied by women’s clothing, and an upcycled Oakley display case filled with vintage products. In one of their displays, they have an iMac computer—who still has iMac computers?! You can find Poor Taste right off of Main Street. They are definitely worth the stop!
River City Company’s interns have visited and verified that these stores are perfect for back-to-school shopping. There are tons of great styles awaiting each and every returning student. Come downtown and check out these amazing places for yourself, and be prepared to shop!
Josh Adams
Summer Intern