Throwbacks Too in Chattanooga: Affordable Vintage Clothing for Everyday Wear
Throwbacks Too is a single-dealer vintage and secondhand clothing shop on Main Street specializing in affordable everyday wear from the 1970s through early 2000s, positioned as an entry point for casual vintage shoppers rather than collectors hunting rare pieces.
What Throwbacks Too actually is
The store occupies roughly 1,200 square feet and stocks primarily women's and men's clothing organized by category rather than era. Inventory leans toward casual basics, band tees, denim, outerwear, and graphic-print pieces typical of the decades it covers. Prices range from $4 to $35 for most items, with the bulk of stock under $20. This price positioning sits well below specialist vintage boutiques in Chattanooga but above typical thrift-store pricing, reflecting the curation involved without premium-market markups. The shop does not carry formal wear, designer-label focus pieces, or condition-pristine collectible items; instead it functions as a place to build a wardrobe or find specific casual pieces at roughly 30 to 50 percent below new retail.
Stock, pricing, and what you will actually find
Most clothing sits in the $8 to $18 range. Jeans typically cost $12 to $16. Band and graphic tees run $6 to $12. Outerwear, including denim jackets and wool coats, ranges $15 to $30 depending on condition and weight. Items are priced individually, not by weight or category, so you can target specific pieces without the randomness of bulk-discount thrift stores. The owner refreshes stock two to three times per week, drawing from local donations and estate-sale purchases, so repeat visits yield genuinely different selection rather than the same rotated merchandise. Returns are not accepted, but items can be tried on in a single fitting room, and the owner will hold pieces for 48 hours if you ask.
How it compares to other Chattanooga vintage options
Throwbacks Too differs meaningfully from both Goodwill and from higher-end vintage dealers like those operating in North Shore consignment spaces. Goodwill locations (there are several across Chattanooga) offer lower prices on average ($3 to $8 most items), but inventory is unvetted and unorganized, requiring patience and luck. Consignment shops on North Shore or Downtown, by contrast, stock designer labels and condition-pristine pieces at $40 to $100-plus per item, targeting collectors and those seeking specific vintage investment pieces. Throwbacks Too occupies the middle: curated enough to save time, priced accessibly for trend-testing or frequent-wear use, but without the investment-piece expectation or the luck-dependent hunt of general thrift. Choose Throwbacks Too if you want a specific vintage item fast and affordably; choose Goodwill if price is the only variable; choose a consignment boutique if you are seeking rare or designer-label vintage.
Who shops here and who does not
This shop suits people building casual weekend or streetwear looks, students or young professionals on tight budgets, and shoppers testing whether vintage clothes suit their lifestyle before committing to higher prices elsewhere. It does not serve those seeking formal vintage wear, designer-label reproductions, or rare collectible pieces. The store also skews toward common sizes; very large or very small sizes may have limited selection.
What the first visit involves
Enter directly from Main Street. The space is narrow and densely packed; clothing hangs on wall-mounted racks and rolling carts organized by type (tops, bottoms, outerwear, etc.). There is room to move and shop comfortably, but it is not a sprawling store. The single fitting room is behind the counter. Check the condition of any piece carefully before trying it on, as items are sold as-is. The owner is typically present and can answer questions about specific items' eras or origins if you ask, though the shop is self-service browsing.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Throwbacks Too is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; closed Monday. Parking is street-accessible along Main Street; a paid lot is two blocks away if street spots are full. The shop accepts cash and card. No online shopping or mail orders.
Throwbacks Too fills a practical gap in Chattanooga's vintage market for casual, affordable, and browsable secondhand clothing, avoiding both the randomness of pure thrift and the price barrier of boutique vintage dealers.
