Nashville Shopping Guide: The Short Version (2026)
- Nashville shopping guide in one line: boots on Lower Broadway, vintage in East Nashville, boutiques in 12 South, records at Third Man and Grimey’s, and outlets at Opry Mills.
- Cowboy boots: Boot Barn (listed at 318 Broadway) and discount shops such as Boot Country (304 Broadway) with its buy-one-get-two-free offer; Tecovas and Ariat have brand stores at Fifth + Broadway.
- Souvenirs worth buying: a Hatch Show Print poster from the Country Music Hall of Fame building, Goo Goo Clusters from the downtown store at 116 3rd Avenue South (daily 10 AM–6 PM) and a record from Third Man Records.
- Sales tax: 9.75% on most purchases, including candy; groceries dropped to about 6.25% on November 1, 2026.
- Closed, skip: Antique Archaeology Nashville (closed April 27, 2025) and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop (closed again in January 2026, no reopening date announced).
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This Nashville shopping guide starts where most visitors do, with cowboy boots on Lower Broadway, and then goes where the better shopping actually is: the vintage stores of East Nashville, the boutique strip of 12 South, the record shops, and three malls ranging from Tennessee’s only Nordstrom to Opry Mills’ 200-plus outlet stores and restaurants. Nashville’s best buys are things you cannot get at home, such as a letterpress concert poster, a record cut in the city or a pair of boots fitted in person.
Below you will find each shopping area with addresses and November 2026 hours, what to buy where, the sales tax you will pay (including a grocery tax cut that took effect on November 1, 2026 and a rule that changes the tax on expensive single items), and the hotels that put you closest to the shops. Two famous stops that older guides still list have closed and are flagged.
How we researched this: in November 2026 our editors checked store hours and addresses on the shops’ own websites (Third Man Records, Grimey’s, Goo Goo Chocolate Co., Black Shag Vintage, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Tecovas, Ariat) and on Simon’s mall pages, the Country Music Hall of Fame’s ticket page for Hatch Show Print, the Tennessee Department of Revenue for sales tax, and local news (WSMV, WVLT, Nashville Post) for closures. Hotel fees and parking come from our hotel registry. Where hours conflicted between sources, we say so.
Where to shop in Nashville: areas at a glance
Downtown covers boots, souvenirs and records within a 15-minute walk; East Nashville and 12 South need a 10-minute rideshare; the malls need a car. Pick by what you want to bring home.
| Area | Best for | Key stops | From Lower Broadway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Broadway | Cowboy boots, western wear, souvenirs | Boot Barn, Boot Country, Goo Goo Chocolate Co. | On the strip |
| Fifth + Broadway | Brand boots, food hall, rainy-day shopping | Tecovas, Ariat, Assembly Food Hall, NMAAM | 2–5 minute walk |
| The Arcade and Printers Alley | Galleries and local art | Arcade Arts studios | 8 minute walk |
| Edge of The Gulch | Records and lifestyle shops | Third Man Records | About 15 minutes on foot |
| East Nashville | Vintage clothing, records | Black Shag Vintage, Grimey’s | 10–15 minute drive |
| 12 South | Boutiques, denim, gifts | Imogene + Willie, White’s Mercantile | 10–15 minute drive |
| Marathon Village | Whiskey and gifts | Nelson’s Green Brier mercantile | About 7 minute drive |
| Green Hills | Department stores and luxury | The Mall at Green Hills (Nordstrom) | 15–20 minute drive |
| Music Valley | Outlets | Opry Mills | About 15 minute drive |
Cowboy boots and western wear: Lower Broadway and Fifth + Broadway
For boots, compare Broadway’s discount shops with the brand stores at Fifth + Broadway before you buy. The Broadway shops win on price and deals; Tecovas and Ariat win on fit service and consistent sizing, and all of them are within a 5-minute walk of each other.
On the strip, Boot Barn is listed by the Nashville Downtown Partnership at 318 Broadway in a two-level store, and Boot Country at 304 Broadway advertises a buy-one-get-two-free deal. Read what qualifies before you commit, including which pairs count as the free ones, because three pairs you would not otherwise buy is not a saving. Our cowboy boot shopping guide explains how the offer works and when a custom boot is worth the money.
One block north, Fifth + Broadway has Tecovas (5011 Broadway Place) and an Ariat brand shop (5034 Broadway Place, open 9 AM–9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays), plus Assembly Food Hall, open 9 AM–10 PM and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is the best place to shop on a wet day, since you can move between stores, the food hall and the National Museum of African American Music without going outside for long. For hats, shirts and secondhand western wear, see our vintage and western clothing stores guide.
Try boots on in the afternoon
Feet swell over the day, so try boots on after a few hours of walking, wearing the socks you will use. Walk the store on a hard floor, not just the carpet, and keep the receipt and box: our what to wear in Nashville guide explains why breaking in new boots on Broadway’s first night is a mistake.
Vintage and thrift shopping in East Nashville
East Nashville, across the Cumberland, is the city’s vintage district, with most shops on or near Gallatin Avenue and around Five Points. Expect band tees, denim, leather jackets and western shirts, at prices that reward patience more than speed.
The anchor is Black Shag Vintage (1220 Gallatin Avenue), in a historic 1930s firehouse, open Monday–Saturday 11 AM–7 PM and Sunday noon–5 PM, with free parking behind the building. Combine it with Grimey’s record store a short drive north and lunch in Five Points; our East Nashville guide covers the neighborhood. Vintage shop hours change more often than chain stores, so check each one on the day. The downside of East Nashville for visitors is distance: shops are spread out, so budget for rideshares between clusters rather than planning to walk it all.
Boutique neighborhoods: 12 South, The Gulch, Marathon Village and The Arcade
12 South is the best single street for boutiques, The Gulch suits shoppers staying in its hotels, and Marathon Village and The Arcade are better for an hour of browsing than a full shopping trip. Hillsboro Village and Germantown each have a handful of independent shops but work best combined with a meal.
- 12 South. About half a mile of shops along 12th Avenue South: Imogene + Willie for denim in a converted gas station, White’s Mercantile, the general store Holly Williams opened in December 2013, women’s boutiques such as MODA and Finnleys, and a Todd Snyder store that opened in May 2025. Weekends are crowded and street parking is tight. Our 12 South neighborhood guide maps the block.
- The Gulch. Lifestyle and brand boutiques along 11th and 12th Avenues South, the “What Lifts You” wings mural at 302 11th Avenue South, and Third Man Records just to the east. Best for guests of the W and the Thompson; see our Gulch area guide.
- Marathon Village (Clinton Street). The 1910s car factory still has a gift shop, local vendors and Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery (1414 Clinton Street), whose mercantile is open Sunday–Thursday 11 AM–6 PM and to 7 PM on Fridays and Saturdays; tours with a four-whiskey tasting are $25. Mike Wolfe’s Antique Archaeology store closed on April 27, 2025; our Marathon Village guide covers what remains.
- The Arcade (between 4th and 5th Avenues North). The 1902 glass-roofed passage has artist studios upstairs that open for the Second Saturday Art Crawl, 5 to 9 PM; see our Arcade guide.
Records, guitars and music souvenirs
Music City’s best souvenirs are records and prints: Third Man Records for Jack White’s label, Grimey’s for new and used vinyl, and Hatch Show Print for letterpress posters. Gruhn Guitars is a showroom worth a look even if you are not buying.
- Third Man Records (627 7th Avenue South). Open daily 11 AM–6 PM, with the Blue Room bar open Thursday–Saturday 7 PM–midnight. Its 1947 Voice-o-Graph record booth is out of order, so call before you go to cut a disc.
- Grimey’s New & Preloved Music (1060 East Trinity Lane, East Nashville). Records, CDs and books; Tuesday–Thursday 11 AM–6 PM, Friday–Saturday to 7 PM, Sunday noon–5 PM. Its site lists Monday hours inconsistently, so call on a Monday.
- Hatch Show Print (Country Music Hall of Fame building, 224 Rep. John Lewis Way South). The letterpress shop has printed show posters since 1879; posters are sold in its store, and a guided tour costs $23 as a museum add-on or $54.95 with admission. More in our Hall of Fame and Hatch Show Print guide.
- Gruhn Guitars (2120 8th Avenue South). The vintage guitar dealer is listed as open Monday–Saturday 10 AM–6 PM; call to confirm.
- Goo Goo Chocolate Co. (116 3rd Avenue South). The 1912 candy bar’s shop is open daily 10 AM–6 PM; Goo Goo Clusters are the easiest edible souvenir to pack.
Skip the Ernest Tubb Record Shop for now. The Lower Broadway landmark reopened on November 13, 2025 with bars added, then closed again on January 16, 2026 for a change of management; we found no reopening date in November 2026.
Malls and outlets: Green Hills, CoolSprings Galleria and Opry Mills
Choose The Mall at Green Hills for department stores and luxury brands, Opry Mills for outlet prices, and CoolSprings Galleria only if you are already heading south to Franklin. None is walkable from downtown.
- The Mall at Green Hills (2126 Abbott Martin Road). Simon’s upscale mall with Tennessee’s only Nordstrom; open 10 AM–8 PM Monday–Saturday and 11 AM–6 PM on Sundays. About 15–20 minutes by car from downtown, near the Bluebird Cafe.
- Opry Mills (Opry Mills Drive, Music Valley). Simon calls it Nashville’s largest outlet destination, with 200-plus stores and restaurants, a Regal cinema with IMAX, Dave & Buster’s and an Escape Game location. Open 10 AM–8 PM Monday–Saturday and 11 AM–7 PM Sunday. It sits next to Gaylord Opryland and the Opry, so combine them.
- CoolSprings Galleria (1800 Galleria Boulevard, Franklin). An enclosed regional mall about 20 miles south; directories disagree on its hours, so check the mall’s site before driving. Pair it with our Franklin day trip.
Malls are closed or run special hours on holidays, and Thanksgiving falls on November 26, 2026, so check holiday hours on the mall sites before planning a Black Friday trip.
Nashville sales tax on shopping in 2026
Most purchases in Nashville carry 9.75% sales tax: 7% state plus 2.75% local, including the 0.5% transit surcharge in effect since February 1, 2025. Groceries are taxed less, and an expensive single item is taxed differently, but candy such as Goo Goo Clusters pays the full rate.
| What you buy | Tax rate (Davidson County) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing, boots, records, souvenirs | 9.75% | No tax-free shopping for visitors |
| Candy, alcohol, prepared food | 9.75% | Excluded from the grocery rate |
| Groceries (food and food ingredients) | About 6.25% from November 1, 2026 | 4% state plus an effective 2.25% local rate, down from 2.75% |
| Single item over $1,600 | 7% state on the full price, local tax on the first $1,600 only | Plus 2.75% state single-article tax on the $1,600–$3,200 slice |
The single-article rule matters for custom boots and vintage guitars. Because the extra 2.75% state tax on the $1,600–$3,200 slice replaces the capped local tax, the overall rate works out close to 9.75% up to $3,200 and only falls on items above that; on a $5,000 guitar, for example, the tax is about $438 rather than $487.50. Ask the store to itemize the tax lines on big purchases. Hotel bills are taxed separately at 16.75% plus $2.50 a night, as our Nashville hotel taxes explainer shows.
Where to stay for a Nashville shopping trip
Stay in SoBro or downtown if boots and souvenirs are the goal, and in The Gulch if you prefer boutiques and restaurants on your doorstep. 1 Hotel Nashville is about 4 minutes from the Broadway boot shops; Fairlane Hotel is about 2 minutes from The Arcade.
Each of these five hotels charges a destination fee, from $25 at the Graduate to $35 at 1 Hotel, plus tax, and valet runs $48–$58 a night, so a shopping trip by car costs more than one by rideshare. Thompson Nashville and W Nashville are both in The Gulch, 12 to 14 minutes uphill from Broadway on foot. The Graduate in Midtown has the lowest fee and parking charge of the five, but it is a ride from every shopping area.
| Hotel | Area | Price level | Walk to Broadway | Pool | Resort fee | Parking | Booking.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Hotel Nashville | SoBro (Opposite Music City Center) | Luxury | About 7–8 minutes on foot to the honky-tonks at Broadway & 4th (4–7 minutes to Bridgestone Arena) | No pool — full Bamford Wellness Spa + Harriet's 19th-floor rooftop lounge | $32 + tax per night (about $37.37 with tax, per booking-site listings; the hotel lists what it includes) | Valet only: $70 + tax overnight with in-and-out | Check prices |
| Fairlane Hotel Nashville, by Oliver | Downtown Arts District / 4th Ave North | Mid-range | 3.5 blocks north of Lower Broadway & 1 block from Printers Alley (5-minute walk) | No pool — famous for seasonal 4th-floor Penthouse pop-up rooftop bar | $26 + tax per night | Valet $50/night | Check prices |
| Thompson Nashville, by Hyatt | The Gulch | Luxury | 12-minute walk (or 4-minute Uber) to Lower Broadway | No pool — famous for L.A. Jackson indoor/outdoor rooftop bar | $32 + tax per night (Destination Fee; waived on Hyatt points stays) | Valet $56/night (Gulch garages 1 block away ~$30–$35) | Check prices |
| W Nashville | The Gulch | Luxury | 14-minute walk (or 4-minute Uber) to Lower Broadway | 9,700-sq-ft WET Deck heated resort pool with private cabanas & pool bar | $30 + tax per night (Destination Amenity Fee) | Valet $58/night | Check prices |
| Graduate by Hilton Nashville | Midtown / Vanderbilt (West End Ave) | Mid-range | 6-minute Uber (1.5 miles) down Broadway to Honky Tonk Highway | No hotel pool: the Governor's Pool is part of the White Limozeen rooftop bar (reservations required, May–September) | Destination charge: booking sites list $23.49 + tax per night (confirm at booking) | Valet only: $55/night (no self-parking) | Check prices |
1 Hotel Nashville
- Plant-covered living facade in SoBro
- Harriet’s 19th-floor rooftop bar
- Bamford Wellness Spa & gym
- About 7–8 min on foot to the Broadway honky-tonks
Nature-inspired luxury hotel wrapped in living plants across from Music City Center, with the Bamford Wellness Spa and Harriet’s Rooftop.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
Fairlane Hotel Nashville, by Oliver
- Mid-century modern 1972 brutalist-chic boutique tower
- Famous seasonal themed rooftop pop-up bar
- Ellington’s restaurant & Bagelshop on-site
- 1 block from Printers Alley
Retro-modern boutique hotel in a restored 1972 mid-century bank building one block from Printers Alley, beloved for its rotating rooftop pop-up bars.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
Thompson Nashville, by Hyatt
- Home to iconic L.A. Jackson rooftop bar
- Prime heart-of-The-Gulch location
- Hardwood floors & brass rain showers
- Marsh House Southern seafood restaurant downstairs
The boutique anchor of The Gulch, famous for its industrial-chic rooms, Marsh House seafood restaurant and the legendary L.A. Jackson rooftop bar.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
W Nashville
- Massive 9,700-sq-ft WET Deck heated pool
- Butterfly rooftop bar (José Andrés Group, 2026)
- Zaytinya & Bar Mar by José Andrés Group
- Prime Gulch walkability
High-voltage luxury in The Gulch boasting a 9,700-square-foot WET Deck pool oasis and, since 2026, José Andrés Group dining: Zaytinya, Bar Mar and the Butterfly rooftop bar.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
Graduate by Hilton Nashville
- Home to the White Limozeen rooftop bar (reservations)
- Cross-Eyed Critters animatronic karaoke bar
- Maximalist Grand Ole Opry & Minnie Pearl decor
- Walk to Vanderbilt & Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
Playful, Dolly Parton-inspired boutique hotel in Midtown, home to the pink White Limozeen rooftop bar and the Cross-Eyed Critters animatronic karaoke bar.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
Sources and How We Verified This
- Third Man Records, Nashville store: address, hours, Blue Room and record booth status.
- Grimey’s New & Preloved Music: address, hours and what it sells.
- Goo Goo Chocolate Co.: downtown store address and hours.
- Country Music Hall of Fame: Hatch Show Print tour and package prices.
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: single-article tax rules.
- WSMV: the November 1, 2026 grocery tax cut and the effective local food rate.
- WSMV: the Ernest Tubb Record Shop’s January 2026 closure.
- WVLT: Antique Archaeology’s Nashville closure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where is the best shopping in Nashville?
It depends on what you want. Lower Broadway and Fifth + Broadway are best for cowboy boots and souvenirs, East Nashville for vintage clothing and records, 12 South for boutiques, The Mall at Green Hills for department stores and luxury brands, and Opry Mills for outlet prices with 200-plus stores and restaurants.
Where should I buy cowboy boots in Nashville?
Compare the Broadway discount stores, such as Boot Country at 304 Broadway with its buy-one-get-two-free offer and Boot Barn, listed at 318 Broadway, with the Tecovas and Ariat brand stores at Fifth + Broadway one block away. Try boots on later in the day and check which pairs qualify for any multi-pair deal.
What is the sales tax in Nashville on shopping?
Most purchases, including clothing, boots, records and candy, carry 9.75%: 7% state and 2.75% local, which includes the 0.5% transit surcharge. Groceries are taxed at about 6.25% since November 1, 2026. On a single item over $1,600, local tax applies only to the first $1,600 and a 2.75% state single-article tax covers the $1,600–$3,200 slice.
Is the Ernest Tubb Record Shop open?
Not as of November 2026, as far as we could confirm. The Lower Broadway record shop reopened on November 13, 2025 after a three-year closure, then closed again on January 16, 2026 while its management changed, and no reopening date had been announced. For records, go to Third Man Records or Grimey’s instead.
Does Nashville have outlet shopping?
Yes. Opry Mills in Music Valley, next to Gaylord Opryland, is the city’s outlet mall, with 200-plus stores and restaurants plus a Regal IMAX cinema and Dave & Buster’s. It opens 10 AM to 8 PM Monday to Saturday and 11 AM to 7 PM on Sundays, about 15 minutes by car from downtown.
