The Nitty Gritty

This is a great place to find vintage clothing, jewelry and accessories. It hurts to see things from the 90s, but oh well. The staff are courteous and kind.

Nitty Gritty has become the go-​to place if you are looking for a specific genre of vintage clothes.
70s disco? 80s glam? Square dancer? Flapper girl? Poodle skirt? And just plain hipster vintage awesomeness? The Nitty Gritty has the nitty gritty — I see what they did there — of putting your desired look together.
And it’s not just for the ladies. The Nitty Gritty keeps the fellas in mind as well.
Plus, I’m very excited that they are doing more with costume rentals, having recently acquired several outfits from another costume shop that went out of business.
I was in need of a circus ringleader outfit for an event — ya know, as one does from time to time. The owner was able to outfit me with a glittery gold top hat and a red marching band jacket that adequately served double-​duty. And since these pieces are truly vintage, that means they weren’t the cheap, polyester, likely highly flammable items that you get if you go to a new costume store.
I paid about $ 35 for a one day rental, which didn’t break the bank.
Nitty Gritty also has vintage pieces that you can buy. I’ve perused from time to time. The only negative I’ve found is that it can be hard to find items in anything but size small, but I know this is difficult with vintage pieces in general. And the owner and staff have always been the epitome of helpful and kind, taking time to go through pieces with you and search for just the right piece.
Nitty Gritty is impeccably clean and organized, making it easy to peruse all that they have for a particular look or time period, and has accessories, shoes, costume bits (like gloves and ties) and other goodies mixed in.
Whether you want to buy or just browse, Nitty Gritty is a fun trip to make.

No matter what age you are you will fall in love with this store. The clothes selection is great and I love love love love the vintage glasses.

When I walk into The Nitty Gritty I am transported to a different time. A time somewhere between the 1930’s and 1980’s and it’s all a magical adventure.
I love finding unique pieces that express my personality and The Nitty Gritty has some great items from vintage dresses to boots and hats. Not to mention this place is a Highlands/​Germantown staple. Looking for a flapper dress complete with feathers and a headband? They have it! Going to an 80’s concert and want to wear a rockin’ off shoulder top and flashy skirt? Yep– they have it. In love with the 70’s free-​spirited hippie look? Well, you are in luck! Guys– there is are unique items for you here too. Don’t be shy.
I recently have been on a mission to find the perfect pair of vintage cowgirl boots and I keep stopping back by «The Gritty» as I like to call it because I know in my heart they will eventually show up here. My most recent favorite purchase was a sequin headband with gorgeous feathers to complete a prohibition era Derby look. $ 10 well spent!
They do have a few items that are new– including lots of pearls and boas. I still want to stop in one day when I have lots of time and do a movie montage fashion show.

Terri, the owner is such a great person. I love their cat. And I love their clothing. I always prepare to be there for a while. They have a nice variety of stuff from different eras and everything is in good condition. It’s not too crowded and the atmosphere is lovely.

I love the clothes they sell here! If you’re looking for genuine vintage THIS IS THE PLACE! They have clothes from every decade you could imagine. It’s a neat, clean building, with a friendly staff and a laid back atmosphere. Things are reasonably priced. I go here often and I’ve never had a problem with anything.

I like it, I found some fun clothes and a great little tropical fish planter.

Really interesting store! I enjoyed how they sectioned off pieces to their respective decades (in case one might want to buy accordingly). Upstairs offered menswear and more gems which included full ensembles to rent in the event off a themed party, etc. which I thought was pretty cool.

The Nitty Gritty is such a fun and eclectic store. From vintage clothing, hats, shoes and jewelry to random vintage items you are bound to find something that meets your eye. This is the largest vintage clothing selection in Louisville. The first floor has women’s clothing and accessories while the second floor has costumes, men’s clothing and housewares. This, along with Elizabeth’s Timeless Attire, are my favorite vintage stores in town.

The ladies are always so nice to me. They give me the time to try on the outfits and give me their opinion when I need help. This time I bought 5 nice dresses. I always go back about once a month and every time the girls always make me feel welcomed. Thank you so much.

Yes! Yes! Yes! When we walked into this place, my face lit up. It’s filled with amazing, vintage items. Of course my immediate thought was that stuff this cool cannot be affordable. but, guess what, it is! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the price tags, completely reasonable, especially for the quality.
There are 2 floors filled with items for purchase and items for rent. The two women working the store (owners, I think) are friendly and more than accommodating. Unfortunately, we were there on a time limit, but I cannot wait to go back.
If I lived in Louisville, let me tell ya, I would be shopping here daily.

The goto place for awesome vintage in Louisville. The collection is clearly carefully curated and the vibe is really cool. They also do costume rentals!

There are so many brilliant aspects of this shop. First of all, it smells great… certainly not a guarantee when you walk in to a vintage shop. Next, everything is incredibly well organized, including tags that size, price, date, and describe every item. There are dresses, pants, skirts, blouses, sweaters, slips, shoes, sunglasses, handbags, and hats galore. Plus it’s not just for us ladies – there’s an upstairs with home and men’s sections as well as rentable costumes for Halloween or whatever fancy dress plans you might have that occasion you to dress up in style. The staff is helpful without being overbearing, but will meet your enthusiasm in kind once you show it. I vote YAY-​plus!

I love this place! I went for the first time yesterday and it was great! I went in looking for vintage prom dresses, but I can’t say I had luck in the area; however, they do have a fantastic selection of just about everything else! And I also loved their selection of men’s apparel. My brother was with me, and found some awesome things and I purchased a ‘80s floral Laura Ashley jumpsuit so we both had a great experience!. I can’t wait to wear my find!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I love this place, I read other reviews and kept this place in mind to visiting. I stopped in with only 15 minutes to spare and that was a mistake. I never even made it to the upstairs that houses all the male vintage pieces.
My clothing style is unique signature pieces and believe me I will find all the accessory and clothing pieces here I need. Like other reviewers I can also see my wheels turning for costume ideas.
I thought it was great they even had a plus size section, since let’s face it we use to eat less and be skinnier. The plus size selection wasn’t too extensive, but it was still there. The very nice clerks also noted that the more you come back the better selection you will find.
I made my boyfriend, who dragged me out of the store, promise to bring me back. I will have you adorable hat and muff, I will have you!

This is a really great shop, both for vintage clothing and for costume pieces. The store has a pretty extensive selection, including some men’s clothes, which can be harder to find (men’s clothes, I mean). You’ll also find a variety of accessories to go with your new-​to-​you garb. As other reviewers have mentioned, the staff and the kitty-​in-​residence are friendly and welcoming.
I’m not comfortable issuing a full five stars because I’m no vintage clothing connoisseur so I can’t really speak to how it may compare to other places in terms of price or selection. Honestly, I rarely buy vintage clothing because I am worried about getting it altered for my body type. However, I did find a beautiful scarlet-​colored 40s sweater suit that fits perfectly. I’ve worn it a few times and consistently receive compliments. So thanks, Nitty Gritty!

Possibly the best vintage store I’ve ever set foot in. Even though it was close to closing time, we were welcomed in and thanks to the good organization of inventory, I found exactly what I was looking for without any trouble.
I will definitely be back.

Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Kitty greeted us upon entry. Yes, that really is the cats name and he is adorable.
I must agree, this is by far the best vintage store I have ever had the pleasure to shop at. Everything is well kept, carefully taken care of and they even put the decade on the tags so you know what era the items are from.
The staff? Incredibly nice. The clothing? TO DIE FOR. Is just all good. One 60’s Asian inspired form fitting Kimono later and my daughter was in 7^th heaven. May I add that it was there just for her? It had to be. She has has a difficult body to find anything for because her waist is teeny tiny and this fit so perfect it was just, well, right.
Great shop!

Hands down, the best vintage store in Louisville and maybe the world! The staff is great and super nice. The clothes are a great variety from every decade. Men, women, home décor, costumes, shoes. They have everything. The prices are great and very reasonable. Don’t forget to visit the rough rack upstairs. It’s a rack with stuff that needs some small fixing but the price is marked down a lot.
They also sell a lot of handmade items and play great music for the best shopping experience. GO VINTAGE!

This place is just downright cool. Rows of cool styles, separated by era. Lots of neat art everywhere. A whole men’s section upstairs.
I love vintage, and this is my first stop for clothing in Louisville!