Cool Stuff Weird Things
This little gem of a store in West Nashville, with the Elvis statues outside, has everything you could ever want from a flea market: from old 45s for a dollar to wooden bookshelves for $150. Then there are crazy nick-nacks such as weird creatures made out of tin cans and tons of vintage tin signs. If you don't find it eclectic enough, check out Betty's Grill around the corner (407 49th Avenue North). This little dive is a neighbourhood treasure and the beer is only $2.50. It may seem sketchy at first but these people are the nicest drinkers in town.
• 4900 Charlotte Avenue, coolstuffweirdthings.com. Open Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Antique Archeology
Mike Wolfe personally curates this store with the finds he makes when out on the road with his partner Frank Fritz filming the show American Pickers for the History Channel. Antique Archeology started in Iowa and, once the TV show reached a larger audience, they opened a store in Nashville in 2011. You'll find it in the legendary Marathon Motor Works (the Marathon was the only car built in Tennessee), and this is the place to buy custom light fixtures made from items found in barns from $150 up. You can also find historic gas station signs (ranging from $200) but there are smaller items such as keychains and T-shirts from $5 to $20. It also has live music every weekend, usually bluegrass, Americana and folk.
• 1300 Clinton Street, Suite 130 (Marathon Village), antiquearchaeology.com. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Katy K Designs
Katy is a Parsons Design School graduate whose obsession with Dolly Parton and western wear brought her to Nashville in the mid 90s, where she has earned a name among the country music family as well as the burlesque scene. The walls of the shop are plastered with signed photos from country's music legends such as Marty Stuart and Hank Williams III and she has dressed everyone from the late Whitney Houston to Loretta Lynn. A visit to her store is like walking through a fashion museum and you can find everything from coasters and magnets starting at $4 to leather motorcycle jackets at $450.
• 2407 12th Avenue, katyk.com. Open Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat midday-6pm, Sun 1pm-5pm
Local Honey
Vintage clothing is taken seriously at Local Honey and it has a huge collection of women's and men's shoes, jackets, flannel shirts, bags and sweaters. It also keeps it local by promoting Nashville designers' clothing lines in-store. The Tidwell and Perryman collection (vintage and modern looks) is featured, as is a collection by Balee Greer, a throwback to Seattle grunge circa 1992; prices run from $20 up to $200. A lot of time is spent planning the feel of the store, and it also has a newly renovated unisex hair salon upstairs – cuts start at $45.
• 2009 Belmont Boulevard, localhoneyvintage.com. Open Mon midday-7pm, Tues-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sunday midday-4pm
Manuel
Manuel, who hails from central Mexico, is known in Nashville as the "Rhinestone Rembrandt". His work spans more than five decades and clients have included the Beatles, Elton John, Little Richard and Jack White. He also designed Elvis's famous gold lame suit, made Johnny Cash the man in black, and was the mastermind behind the Grateful Dead's roses and skeletons insignia, as well as the notorious inflated lips logo of the Rolling Stones. But with a new storefront in the heart of downtown Nashville, Manuel is bringing his ready-to-wear line to the public. He now sells rhinestone T-shirts and scarves from $20-$150.
• 800 Broadway, manuelcouture.com. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm
OMG
The first thing customers notice when they walk in here is that the entire floor is painted in gold glitter. Ashley and Kate started Old Made Good (OMG) around four years ago and have seen it grow into a 4,000-square-foot space. It's hard to categorise a store that sells clothing, home decor, furniture, paintings, candles, soap, stationery, and even some needlepoint, but what sets this store apart from a lot of Nashville's trendy shops is that Ashley makes all the art in-house: from paintings to stationery and even pet portraits (from $75).
• 3701B Gallatin Pike, oldmadegood.com. Open Sun-Mon midday-5pm, Tues-Fri 11am-6pm. Sat 10am-7pm
McKays
McKays started in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1985 and came to Nashville in 2007. It's one of the best place in town to hunt for new and used books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl, cassette tapes, and even electronics. It would take you 24 hours to sift through the inventory McKay's offers but you will undoubtedly leave with a rare album or book. Used vinyl starts at 50 cents, so there will be enough money left over to hit up the Trailer Perk outside for a cup of coffee or a smoothie.
• 636 Old Hickory Boulevard, mckaybooks.com. Open Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 11am-7pm (check website for extended summer hours)
Two Old Hippies
If country singer George Jones and George Harrison had opened a boutique, it would have been like this. As it is, Tom and Molly are the two old hippies behind this store, which has been only open for a couple of years in the trendy Gulch neighbourhood. The store has had a cameo in the ABC drama Nashville and the likes of Ringo Starr have been seen sporting its distinctive Peace T-shirts. What's special about it is that you can find everything that represents Nashville in one place: from top range Bedell or Breedlove guitars to Weber mandolins; belts, boots, sunglasses and jewellery; textiles, artwork and crafts from indigenous cultures. Rock'n'roll memorabilia adorns the walls – and better still, the store hosts weekly live music sessions.
• 401 12th Avenue South, twooldhippies.com. Open Mon-Thurs 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-5pm
The Trunk
We know all about food trucks but Nashville is home to one of the coolest travelling boutiques, The Trunk. Abby Franklin spent years on the road as a stylist for musicians such as Kiss and Bon Jovi, Prince and Michael Jackson. After years of travelling, she started her own store in Nashville but true to the gypsy inside, she had to be "on the road", so The Trunk was created. You can find everything from scarves and hats to knitted sweaters, from $15 T-shirts to $40 jeans and $200 dresses. You can track The Trunk's location on its website or you can visit the stationary location in east Nashville.
• 1006 Fatherland Street Suite 202, thetrunknashville.com. Open Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm
Pre to Post Modern
The furniture section of this vintage store looks like a set from Mad Men, with classic mid-century globe floor lamps, Chromecraft dinette tables and chairs, American of Martinsville dressers; Pop-style acrylic dining sets, starburst wall clocks, Formica coffee tables, drinks trolleys and soda siphons. For the traveller, there are smaller items such as pre-digital headphones, antique watches and jewellery. Nothing has a rhyme or reason to it, it's just kind of funky – and the prices are reasonable.
• 2110 8th Avenue South, facebook.com/pages/Pre-to-Post-Modern. Open Mon-Sat. 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm
Lindsay Scott is a writer and photographer from east Nashville
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