Located in the Retro Plaza on Brown Trail, Vintage Freak rounds out a group of “Retro” businesses. The plaza also includes Quarter Lounge, an old-school arcade, and Retro Madness, a vintage toy, collectible and game console store. This shopping center could be an all-day adventure of time travel into the past. Vintage Freak carries vinyl records, audio equipment, vintage furniture, house wares, clothing and other memorabilia. I had so much fun browsing and will definitely be back.
My seventeen year old niece has been into records lately. I suppose there has been a resurgence in their popularity because I am seeing new records being made again. Whether you are a long time fan of records or new to the concept, Vintage Freak has you covered. If you have been a record lover for awhile, this place can make your collection greater. If you are just starting down the record path, Vintage Freak can set you up with a player and records, old and new.
Apparently, when I was a small child, in the early 80’s, I destroyed my father’s 8-track tape collection. After seeing the vintage equipment I could buy, I asked the owner if he had any tapes or players of that kind. He said that he did but, it sold a couple of days ago. He did tell me, and I’ll pass it on for any 8-track tape collectors, Kate’s Tracks (http://www.katestrackshack.com/) will get you everything you need in that department. I think as a gag gift, I shall replace all the tapes my younger self destroyed…but not the player.
When you are done browsing through the large selection of records, Cd’s and cassette tapes, you still have half a store to go through. You could plan an entire throwback to the 70’s party and buy everything you need at Vintage Freak. Seriously, it looked like the costume department for That 70’s show. One of the outfits pictured looks just like something Jackie Burkhart would wear.
One of my favorite parts of the store was the nostalgia memorabilia. The store carries racks of buttons, fast food uniform pins, and slogans from generations past. They also have an entire section of political support buttons, including Kennedy (Ted?) for president in 1980. My mom was a political science major in the 70’s and one of these would be a unique, interesting gift for her.
I also enjoyed flipping through the t-shirts. If you are a “hipster” you could buy these shirts for the groups you think are cool. If you are a parent that loves to torment your child, you could present them with the Steely Dan Tour 1993 shirt and tell them that is where/when they were conceived. These old concert and band shirts would also work for the lazy/last minute costumer at a decade theme party. An 80’s rock show t-shirt, teased hair and ripped jeans makes a costume in seconds. That is what your child gets for waiting until the last minute to tell you Friday is theme day at school.
