Downtown and Surrounding Area Stores : Lucky Magazine

Boutique Bella

With Vanderbilt University in the neighborhood, it's no surprise that this boutique reflects a youngish aesthetic. Jill Stuart Jeans, Michael Stars, and Eberjey are some of the dozens of lines regularly snapped up by locals; find wearables from Ella Moss, Splendid, Lauren Moffatt, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The roomy nylon Hervé Chapelier tote bags (priced from $55 to $95) are the preferred backpack substitute of fashionable Vandy-ites.
2817 West End Ave., Ste. 111, 615-467-1471, boutiquebella.com for more information

Products: Women's Clothing, Bags
Type of Store: Boutique

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Store

No trip to Nashville is complete without a stop at this museum and its accompanying gift shop. You can order a custom CD of your favorite country music songs played in the museum and have it waiting for you when you leave ($22 to $24 for 12 tracks). The gold- and platinum-record-decorated shop also boasts a sizable selection of releases, from a Patsy Cline compilation to The Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack, along with essential souvenirs, such as guitar-shaped flyswatters ($2).
222 Fifth Ave. S, 615-416-2096,615-416-2001, countrymusichalloffame.com for more information

Products: Books/Stationery, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Downtown Antique Mall

Nashville suffers from no lack of antiques, and a fair percentage of the city's selection is on the affordable side. This mall, located in an old warehouse, has the added bonus of being near railroad tracks: Listening to the rattle of trains while browsing is surprisingly relaxing. We unearthed a trove of old kitchenwares in booth B-19 for less than $10, and a vintage stained-glass church window in B-15 for $200.
612 Eighth Ave. S, 615-256-6616
Products: Antique, Decorative/Lighting, Outdoor, Linens, Tabletop, Books/Stationery, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Fair/Flea Market

Ernest Tubb Record Shop

Decades ago, this shop played home to the Midnight Jamboree, a wildly popular Saturday-night jam session attended by many country stars who'd walk over after they finished their shows at the nearby Grand Ole Opry. The Jamboree has relocated, but this spot is still one of the best places in town to load up on all types of Southern music, from bluegrass to banjo plucking. The selection is phenomenal (check out the sounds of Kitty Wells, the first woman to reach number one on the country charts). And don't miss the selection of nonmusic-related Southern essentials, like GooGoo Clusters and hillbilly cookbooks.
417 Broadway, 615-255-7503; newer location at 2416 Music Valley Dr., 615-889-2474, etrecordshop.com for more information

Products: Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Gruhn Guitars

Even if you have zero musical talent, it's still an unofficial rite of passage for any Nashville visitor to stop by a guitar store. This long-standing shop has seen nearly every country music star (or any music star, for that matter) as a customer, from Metallica to Dolly Parton. There are thousands of guitars here to poke through (and pluck), along with special-edition models such as the Washburn Ryman LE, a guitar made from the actual pews inside Ryman Auditorium, the best-known historical home of the Grand Ole Opry.
400 Broadway, 615-256-2033, gruhn.com for more information

Products: Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Hatch Show Print

One of our favorite spots in town, this old-school print shop was an early original producer of the much-copied Opry posters. Today, Hatch has rereleased some of the posters—most cost between $5 and $15—and added many new designs in its signature country-meets-Old-West style (each poster is printed by hand on century-old presses). Visit on a weekday, when you can go behind the scenes and see the printmaking process in action.
316 Broadway, 615-256-2805, hatchshowprint.com for more information

Products: Books/Stationery
Type of Store: Boutique

Legends Gift Shop

There's no lack of tourist shops hawking raunchy tees and unsettling redneck memorabilia in the downtown area. Legends Gift Shop is one of the few locations that makes the effort to raise the bar with its mix of unexpected and amusing trinkets. There's a chunky brass Hank Williams belt buckle for a scant $11, retro tees that proclaim "Country Till I Die" in a rope-looking font ($11), and a disturbing yet irresistible banjo-shaped magnet that plays the theme from Deliverance ($7).
424 Broadway, 615-248-6738
Products: Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Manuel

At this shop you'll see tons of heavily embroidered, rhinestone-encrusted suits crafted by the store's owner, who, for the past 60 years, has created similarly elaborate garments for musicians the likes of the Beatles and Elvis (he made every single one of the King's glitzy ensembles). Manuel also designs many pieces for women. The prices start at a dizzying $695 for a Western shirt, but the workmanship is too unbelievable to pass up. Plus, all the pieces are one-of-a-kind.
1922 Broadway, 615-321-5444
Products: Women's Clothing, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse

Expect a mother lode of shoes at up to 75 percent off in this footwear warehouse. Most of the stock is from the current season, but shoppers can also find some past-season styles. Kenneth Cole, BCBG Max Azria, and Steve Madden are a few of the labels we spotted—and a pair of slide-on sneakers by DKNY ($50) caught our eyes.
118 16th Ave. S, (615) 255-5995; two other locations on the outskirts of Nashville, offbroadwayshoes.com for more information

Products: Shoes
Type of Store: Designer Discount

Venus & Mars Silvery Moon

These two vintage shops (Venus & Mars, Silvery Moon) have combined. Many well-known musicians, both those living in Nashville and those in town recording, are customers of this vintage store. A sampling of who's stopped by: Gillian Welch, Matchbox Twenty, and Ryan Adams. Expect a mix of items, like a tatted-lace skirt-and-top set ($28) and leather hippie purses ($9). The good-condition stock is both fresh and affordable, with items like a gauzy hippie blouse ($12) and an earth-tone Mexican dress ($20). Don't miss the '80s rock accessories, like a Guns N' Roses necklace ($7).
2830 Bransford Ave., 615-269-8357, venusandmarsvintage.com for more information

Products: Women's Clothing, Bags, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique