we’re heading down to bonnaroo in a few days and i’m hoping we have some time to make a quick stop in nashville to do some exploring! if we do, there are a couple of vintage shops that i would love to check out…
first is imogene and willie, a store that’s one-of-a-kind in itself, located in a retrofitted gas station on 12th avenue south in nashville. while they specialize in premium, customized denim that they make right there on the spot, they have a selection of vintage cowboy boots, bags and accessories that i’d love to dig through. not to mention it is owned and run by a husband and wife team who’s adorable dog you’ll likely find lounging on the couch, and in the evenings they’ll often have live music and happy hour :)
the other shop i’d love to check out, called venus and mars, is partly owned by karen elson – singer and wife of jack white. driving by the simple house on belmont ave (not far from imogene and willie) you might not even notice it but step inside and a fantasy world of vintage lies before you – while imogene and willie might appeal more to our tomboyish lou customer, venus and mars would defnitely intrigue the candys out there. the store carries high end, rare vintage garments as well as less expensive, colorful and girly vintage dresses and jewelry. says elson, “vintage isn’t just an old hand-me-down but a one-of-a-kind garment with a wonderful story.”
above image of karen elson from recent feature in nylon magazine.
i really love the store’s website, too – it’s set up like an old book that you flip through.
Nashville is awesome and definitely has a unique culture. I went to school at O’More College of Design in Franklin which is like 25 minutes south and I wanted to share some awesome places ya’ll should definitely check out.
Areas of Nashville to see: Broadway for your honkey tonk fix, Hillsboro Village for cute boutiques, East Nashville for the art scene
Yummy places to eat- Lime, Virago, Mirror, Pancake Pantry
Awesome cocktail bar- The Patterson House (a must see!)
Cute boutiques- Pangaea, Hip Zipper (vintage)
p.s. if you want the best coffee shop drink of your life go to Fido and order a dalmatian. Have fun!
-Caroline
Oh and I forgot! On 12th Ave you will also find Katy K’s Ranch Dressing which has vintage and new items. You can’t miss the adorable cowgirl sign :)
thanks caroline!!!
incredible. if i had a hot air balloon, i would be there in a heartbeat.
dude i would do anything for one of those vintage dresses! so purtay!
You should stop over in East Nashville! There are some great little eateries… Marché, The Silly Goose (which has some of the best iced tea in town… it is so good!!!!), Rose Peppers and for those of you who like vegan… the Wild Cow. Great places to eat. Plus there are some cute little shops too. There is a great thrift store off of Gallatin Pike called Human Kind. They are a socially-minded thrift store and 15% of the profits from the merchandise sold will go toward purchasing the required “standard school attire” clothing for refugee kids entering the Metro Nashville school system. It is pretty awesome. Just FYI!
I live in Nashville and Venus and Mars is definetly one of my faves. If you have time, i’d also check out Grimey’s which is the BEST record store in Nashville, and Third Man Records, owned by Jack White, is pretty neat as well. I also think you would love historic downtown Franklin, which is full of boutiques, antique stores, and wonderful southern cooking (i suggest Puckett’s). I hope you have time to stop by and have some fun!
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!