The fashion industry thrives off of vintage, and these dealers are not only selling garments, but pieces of history. Take Blk Mkt Vintage for example, whose shop is stocked with hard-to-find Black memorabilia ranging from pins to books. Or BlackCultureVintage, which is stocked with those rare merch T-shirts from events like Freaknik and the Million Man March.
There's also the secondhand resellers like Senseless and Collected ATL that are stocked with vintage sports apparel from their specific city along with hype items. And Reinvintage based in Chicago, which has a stellar selection of vintage designer pieces. Whatever you are looking for, you are bound to find it at one of these sellers. Here are 15 Black-owned vintage shops that you can support today.
Collected ATL
Collected ATL opened its doors back in March 2018. Since then, the Marrieta Square location stationed just outside of Atlanta has become a hot spot for local rappers like Lil Yachty, pro and college athletes, and beyond. Its location has made the shop a go-to for coveted vintage gear from the 1996 Summer Olympics or the Atlanta Falcons. Champion NBA jerseys, band T-shirts, and more current streetwear offerings are also available. Collected ATL also offers a growing assortment of in-house product nodding to its home state like swim trunks covered in peaches or T-shirts paying homage to Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson inspired by bootleg rap T-shirts from the ‘90s.
JW Vintage
JW Vintage is a Miami-based operation curated by Jonathan Whitee. The collection is sold on Depop and includes a wide range of items like vintage NASCAR racing jackets, Levi’s denim, and striped Tommy Hilfiger button-ups. What sets JW Vintage apart from the dozens of other vintage dealers is its Instagram page made up of custom graphics designed to resemble retro advertisements from the ‘80s and ‘90s for vacations outfits, workwear, or a pair of Nike sneakers.
The Clarendon Trading Company
Based in Ontario, The Clarendon Trading Company has a wide selection of vintage goods that includes Nike, Nautica, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, and more. The company also offers wholesale vintage for other clothing resellers. The store has unique DIY offerings as well such as necklaces made out of Nike zippers and tie-dyed vintage Nike pieces.
Retro Heads
Retro Heads is a vintage clothing store based in Toronto. The shop includes a noteworthy assortment of vintage Adidas and basketball gear. Standouts on their webstore include a vintage Chicago Bulls T-shirt and a vintage Nike jersey.
Common Ground
Common Ground has become a go-to in Center City Philadelphia since the consignment shop opened back in 2015. Owner Phil Moore has been a notable figure in Philly’s streetwear and sneaker community for years. Along with an array of rare sneakers and newer items from brands like Supreme or Fear of God, the shop also carries a curated selection of vintage items. Philadelphia Eagles T-shirts once sold in the Lincoln Financial Field parking lot over a decade ago can be found alongside trendier items like tie-dyed Grateful Dead merch or Harley Davidson T-shirts.
Blk Mkt Vintage
Kiyanna Stewart and Jannah Handy founded Blk Mkt Vintage back in 2014. Along with their Etsy store, the two women also opened their own storefront in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in 2019 to sell various vintage memorabilia representing Black culture. The assortment of items includes everything from movie posters for Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever to HBCU letterman jackets from the ‘80s. Blk Mkt is perhaps best known for supplying various T-shirts worn by Issa Rae on the hit television show Insecure.
Imperial
Andrew Parker II has operated Houston’s Imperial since 2014. The shop’s main offering is its impressive array of vintage wrestling, NASCAR, band T-shirts, and more. The shop also sells its Imperial Lab line of 1-of-1 upcycled items like Carhartt jackets and Nike hoodies. The H-Town shop also frequently releases its own vintage-inspired graphic T-shirts that pay homage to iconic Black leaders, Dennis Rodman, and Pablo Escobar.
Backtrack San Diego
San Diego’s Backtrack is one of the most unique inclusions on this list. That’s because Eric Brown Jr. doesn’t own a traditional brick-and-mortar space. Instead, he sells his selection of ‘90s vintage gear out of a gutted school bus, which he launched in April 2019. From Polo Bears to merch from Mike Tyson’s superfights, Brown Jr.’s bus has something nostalgic for everyone.
Primetime Vintage
Primetime Vintage is a Black clothing dealer who also serves as the vintage clothing curator for Clientele, a premier streetwear boutique located inside the Menlo Park Mall in New Jersey. Current standouts on their webstore include A Tribe Called Quest wallet, a vintage Polo Sport long sleeve, and button-up shirt from Tupac’s Makeaveli line
Freshman Vintage
Freshman Vintage is a Black-owned vintage clothing store based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The store boasts an impressive stock of vintage hip-hop merch from the likes of Mase, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, and more.
Good Times
This vintage clothing store located in Charlotte, North Carolina stocks a wide range of vintage Micheal Jordan gear as well as hyped releases from brands like Supreme and BAPE. Whether you’re looking for a vintage rap tee or a rare Ghost In The Shell T-shirt, Good Times has you covered.
Senseless
Brothers Javid and Rome Watson run Senseless out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their first shop was in a doctor’s office, but they’ve since moved to 5124 Penn Ave where they sell rare sneakers including Air Jordans, Nike Air Maxes, and Adidas Yeezys. Footwear was the starting point for the brothers, but after discovering thrifting in high school they moved into collecting apparel. The shop is stocked with vintage goods like Malcolm X T-shirts, merch from Whitney Houston and Boys II Men, along with secondhand hype pieces from Supreme and Palace. They even have a space dedicated to Pittsburgh sports apparel that includes things like Steelers Starter jackets and Pirates T-shirts.
Versus ATL
This shop, located in East Atlanta at 493 Flat Shoals Ave, is filled with sneakers, streetwear, and vintage pieces. What makes it special is the ephemera that’s sprinkled throughout the store, whether that’s a promo, lifesize cut out from Outkast, album plaques from Trina and Jeezy, or toys from the Nickelodeon series, Doug. Also special to this shop is its selection of Afrocentric T-shirts, and Atlanta-themed vintage apparel including pieces from the Braves and the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Reinvintage Collection
Zena Bryant started Reinvintage as a vintage shop in Chicago, but closed that down to focus on Instagram once she realized she could make more money on that platform. Since then, she’s built up a client list that includes Kristen Noel Crawley, Kim Kardashian, and Renell Medrano. Bryant is known for her superb collection of vintage designer sunglasses, swimsuits, and handbags that err on the side of girly and sexy. For example, she’s sold a piece of Dior lingerie, a pair of white, oval Chanel sunglasses, and a pink Chanel baseball cap.
BlackCultureVintage
As its name says, this vintage shop is solely focused on Black culture and all of its facets—meaning you won’t just find music merch from Black artists, but hard to find T-shirts from specific events like the 2007 Atlanta Hair Show, the 1999Kings of Comedy tour, sponsored by Crown Royal, and Freaknik. They also carry a nice selection of pieces from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The items are curated by Greg Cates, who is based in Greensborough, North Carolina and designs his own line of T-shirts.
