Queer Vintage Shopping in Austin: What We Verified

Austin has dozens of vintage and thrift shops. We could confirm a real queer connection and current details for two of them, so that is where this guide starts, followed by the shops we are still checking and the questions worth asking at any of them.

Side Kitsch Vintage

6535 N Lamar Blvd, Unit B, Austin, TX 78752
512-660-5131 · atxvintage.com · @sidekitschvintage
Mon to Fri 11am to 7pm · Sat 10am to 6pm · Sun 12pm to 6pm · North Austin · furniture and décor

Owner submitted Queer-owned

Why go: Nineteen-plus dealers under one roof, which means the stock turns over constantly and no two visits look the same. Their own site calls the place “Austin’s boldest 🏳️‍🌈 vintage collective”, and the pride flag is theirs, not ours.

Best for: Objects rather than outfits. Vintage furniture, art, retro kitchenware, and the kind of décor you did not know you were looking for.

Worth knowing: It shares an address with Scissor Sisters Hair Show, a queer-owned salon, and their site describes the two as separate businesses in a connected space. Getting a haircut and digging through mid-century furniture in one stop is a genuinely unusual errand.

Before you go: Clothing is not the main event here, so go for the furniture and the odd finds. With a collective this size the stock moves fast, so call if you are hunting something specific.

Details checked August 2026.

Top Drawer Thrift

5312 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
512-454-5161 · projecttransitions.org · @TopDrawerThriftAustin
Tue to Sat 11am to 5pm, closed Sun and Mon · North Loop · budget · thrift and collectibles

Community recommended Nonprofit

Why go: It is the agency thrift store for Project Transitions, an Austin nonprofit providing hospice care and housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. The store has run since 1993 and moved to Airport Blvd in 2023 after thirty years on Burnet Road. That is the clearest reason to pick one thrift store over another here, and you can check it rather than take it on faith.

Best for: Treasure hunting on a budget. Clothing, household goods, antiques, and collectibles, all donation-driven.

Worth knowing: One local review rates it higher for knick-knacks than for clothes, which matches how people tend to describe it. A recent reviewer wrote: “I love how proud and queer this shop is. The display of queer and trans flags was so empowering.”

Before you go: Stock depends entirely on what got donated that week, so treat it as a hunt rather than a shop with reliable inventory. We could not confirm the fitting-room setup or what sizes turn up.

Details checked August 2026.

Still checking

Real leads, not enough confirmed to list properly. That is not a knock on any of them.

• Thigh High Vintage, 2105 Justin Ln Suite 104. The owner described it as “very LGBTQ+ friendly” in a February 2026 r/Austin thread. Clothing-focused and in North Austin, which is exactly the gap in this guide. We have not verified anything past that one post.
• Never Knew, near UT. Do512’s queer shopping guide calls it queer-owned, carrying grunge through Y2K. We could not confirm a current address.
• CoCo Coquette, 2109 E Cesar Chavez St. On The Little Gay Shop’s queer business map. Alternative and costume rather than vintage proper.

What to ask at any Austin vintage shop

Austin has thirty-odd vintage and thrift stores and we have covered two. Here is the part that works everywhere else, because none of the big Austin shopping guides will tell you any of it.

• “How is the clothing organized?” By garment type, size, and era is easier to shop than men’s and women’s sections. Worth knowing before you drive across town.
• “Is there a fitting room, and can I get some privacy?” A lot of vintage shops have none at all, which is better to find out before you are holding an armful of clothes at the counter.
• “What sizes do you usually get in?” Vintage runs small and donation stock is inconsistent. “It varies” is an honest answer. A shop that promises they always have your size is guessing.
• “Do you carry anything from local makers?” The queer-made things are often at the counter rather than out on a shelf.
• Parking and timing. North Lamar and Airport are street-parking and strip-mall territory. Weekday afternoons are quieter than Saturdays at every single one of these.

None of these need justifying. They are ordinary questions about whether a shop is worth your afternoon.

Know a shop we should check?

Send us the name, address, website, and what makes it worth the trip. We check what a business publishes about itself before anything goes in here, so a submission is not a guarantee. Corrections are just as welcome, and if we have something wrong we want to know. Tell us here.