Good vintage shop names hint at a past life (Then Again Vintage), a decade (Sixties Archive) or a find (Dust & Gold), and they're easy to say when someone tells a friend where they got their jacket. Opening a vintage clothing rail, a thrift store, an antiques centre or a secondhand homeware shop? This vintage shop name generator gives you names in eight styles, from thrift puns to proper antique shop names, and you can check each one is free before you paint the sign.
Eight good vintage shop names
All eight came from the generator:
- Then Again Vintage: a gentle nod to clothes having a second life.
- Retro Active: a pun that also says the shop is lively.
- Sixties Archive: names the decade, so collectors know what to expect.
- Chintz & Chrome: two eras in three words: floral fabric and diner chrome.
- Dust & Gold: the promise of every rummage: most of it's dust, some of it's gold.
- Lot 73 Vintage: borrows the language of auction lots.
- Cartwright Vintage & Retro: a family name for a shop that wants to feel established.
- Thrifty Business: a pun that suits a charity-style or budget rail.
Vintage, antique, retro or thrift?
The words mean different things to customers, so pick the one that matches your stock:
- Vintage is usually used for things at least 20 years old, especially clothes.
- Antique is usually kept for things around 100 years old or more. These are common trade usages, not legal definitions.
- Retro means new things made in an old style, or a look borrowed from a past decade.
- Thrift, preloved and secondhand say it's affordable rather than collectable. "Thrift store" is US wording; in the UK people say charity shop or secondhand shop.
Choose Classic antiques for an emporium or antiques centre, Thrift and resale for a budget rail, and For Instagram if you sell mostly online.
Check it's free before you paint the sign
Before you pay for a sign, a logo or printed bags, check the name is free:
- Company register: if you form a limited company in the UK, Companies House won't accept a name that's the same as one already registered. In the US, search your state's business register.
- Trade marks: search the UK IPO or USPTO register for your kind of goods, so you don't clash with an existing brand.
- Web and social: check the domain and the handles you'll use, since many customers will find you on Instagram first.
Press Check on any name, or use the Business Name Checker, to run those searches in one place. The Business Naming Best Practices guide covers the rest. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Making the name work in the shop
- Say the era if you specialise. A shop that only sells 1960s and 70s clothes is easier to find if the name says so.
- Think about the swing tag. Short names fit labels and carrier bags.
- Selling online too? Check the name works as a handle without spaces.
For new handmade stock, try the Etsy Shop and Sewing Business name generators; for a mixed shop, the Gift Shop Name Generator and Boutique Name Generator.
For more, see all the shop and brand business name generators.