If you love thrifting, you need to check out Charlotte Avenue, specifically the strip around the Richland Park Library Branch. I used to work in the area, and I still visit often for the great thrift stores and restaurants. It’s one of the few places in Nashville where you can park and walk on sidewalks — yes, sidewalks! — to visit shops. Here’s my guide to thrifting and eating on this section of Charlotte Avenue.
🚗 Where To Park
I always park at Richland Park. It’s free, with plenty of parking. The Richland Park Farmers Market is on Saturdays, and even though it can get busy, I still never have parking issues.
You can also park at the Southern Thrift Store, assuming you’re going to shop there, which I recommend.
☕ First Stop: Coffee
If you blink, you might miss Headquarters, but look again! It’s a tiny but charming coffee shop, perfect for a grab-and-go beverage. They have lots of coffee options, and usually some light snacks, too, including gluten-free muffins. If you’re more of a hot tea drinker, like me, they have a few selections, and right now they’re serving hot chocolate, too!
Can you find Elvis? (Whitney Pastorek / City Cast Nashville)
🛍️ Thrift Stores Galore
- Southern Thrift Store: Browsing in this two-story thrifters paradise is so much fun. They sell everything: Clothes, furniture, board games, books, movies, dishes, and other randomness. Like all thrift stores, some days are better than others. Sometimes I find excellent deals; other days nothing at all. But it’s always my first thrift store stop.
- Rhino’s Booksellers: This is a classic, hole-in-the-wall used bookstore. Meander around the labyrinth of shelves, and don’t forget to pet the cat.
- Cool Stuff Weird Things: This truly is a weird little thrift store, best for knick-knacks, furniture, and oddities. You’ll know it by the Elvis statue by the front door.
- Unique Thrift Store: Much like Southern Thrift, this is a fun stop to find clothes and other fun odds and ends. They can be a bit expensive, but that doesn’t mean you won’t happen upon something special.
- Sanders Furniture: This is not a thrift store, but a locally owned furniture store that has very reasonable prices, and will deliver. Our couch came from here, and we’ve had it for over a decade!
- A little bit West on Charlotte, you’ll find two other stores worth shopping at: The Great Escape (which sells records, books, and other media) and Social Furniture.
The playground at Hugh Baby’s, perfect for antsy kids. (Margaret Kingsbury / City Cast Nashville)
🍽️ Where To Eat
After all your thrifting, you’ll almost certainly work up an appetite. Here’s where to eat once you’re done shopping.
- The Café at Thistle Farms is my favorite place to eat lunch. The cafe employs women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
- If my kid is with me, we’re either going to Hugh Baby’s for burgers, which has a small play area, or M.L. Rose, which feels nicer but is still kid friendly.
- Coco's Italian Market is delicious, and has gluten-free pasta! I used to go here after work all the time.
- Hattie B’s is slightly farther down the road, but perfect for hot chicken cravings.
