Retro Mania Vintage Market — Attraction in Tampa

I wanted to love everything about this place before I set foot in it. As the self-proclaimed spot “where the cool kids shop,” who wouldn’t? When I espied a vintage-y Yoda lamp just moments after walking in, I felt reasonably certain that I had indeed arrived, if only for that fleeting moment. The shop is a good size with individual vendors occupying spaces throughout, each with their own unique flair but similar enough in style to give an impression of cohesion. The selection throughout is, for the most part, pretty freakin’ great…if you have a mid-six-figure/year job to afford anything and the time to traipse around finding it. The laconic, nearly taciturn owner does his vendors no favors as he demonstrates an apparent resistance to any interrogative directed his way, especially with regard to merchandise that isn’t his. His precise function there rather mercurial though it seems to involve a fair amount of muttering under his breath, pretending to communicate with his vendors when pricing is missing and shuffling about the shop just close enough to be overbearing before he disappears behind the counter. Though we fell in love with many things that day, neither our budget nor our conscious would permit us a purchase as we don’t believe in rewarding and/or enabling bad shop owner behavior, unfortunate though it may be for the actual sellers. If this is where the cool kids shop, I’m delighted to be the epitome of uncool as I meander down the aisles of more welcoming and affordable vintage and thrift markets. There’s a gorgeous tattoo studio and a charming thrift shop a couple of doors down in either direction if you find yourself in the area that are worth your...

My daughters and I were wrapping up a lovely day of antique and thrift store shopping when we walked into this store. The shop is cute and has some nice items, but they are priced on the higher end. While we were browsing, the owner was on the phone loudly complaining about how most of his customers don’t buy anything, and along with the $10 customers, this job is not worth his time. He said his lease is up in 3 months and he is ready to pack everything up and leave now. He rudely barked at a customer that prices are not negotiable. Customers were in the back of the store discussing his rude behavior and the annoyingly rude sign by the register stating Karen’s will not be tolerated. My daughters had items of clothing they were interested in, but considering the prices, they wanted to try them on first to make sure they fit. There was no dressing room and the restroom was marked as out of order. Not a welcoming place at all! My daughters replaced their items and we left. Even if this store is still in business in three months, we will not be returning as the owner is not worth our time or money! He was a sour experience in an...

This is an antique mall where various sellers rent spaces for their wares and the stores handles the transactions. As with most antique (used) sellers, some over price their items and others are more competitive. It doesn't hurt to ask the store if a better price is possible. I had my eye on a wood beaded door curtain and a small stained glass lampshade. I was hoping to pay $20 for the $23.99 lampshade and $15.00 for the $17.99 beaded curtains. The store was able to give me 10% off without checking with the sellers, which brought the combined price right where I wanted it to be. They accept credit card payments if the sale is at least $10. I was taking the bus home and that beaded curtain was not going to fit in any bag. The store and I rolled it up, and they wrapped it with newspaper and plenty of packing tape, and it got home after 2 buses and 6 blocks walking just fine. Some booths participate in monthly specials, but not all participate - March is 20% off items in partipating booths. I was happy with my visit and plan to...