Design Archives

Lots of fun stuff to look through, reasonable prices, eclectic selections. Artisan goods, local vendors, nIce place to browse.

Great store! Funky, fun and full of state/​local pride! Clothing, jewelry, accessories, art, souvenirs and so much more. Highly recommend whether you are local or just passing through our wonderful downtown.

I have bought several pairs of vintage sunglasses here (the $ 5 bin is my favorite!), jewelry, & even a unicorn clock! My husband bought some patio chairs here for our anniversary last year and we love them. They offer a lot of locally made candles, t-​shirts, & other things.

They’ve got a lot of eclectic pieces. I walked through the whole store and looked at every nook and cranny. Amongst other things, they have a great selection of vintage jewelry, sunglasses, and purses. They also had these scarves I fell in love with, too bad it didn’t come in colors I’d wear. I will be returning soon or having one of my Greensboro folks to drop by to see if they have scarves in the colors I need.

This place isn’t my forte, but it is really neat. There are seemingly endless trinkets, clothing, signs, stickers, etc. I can see this being a girl’s dream of a place to browse. It’s unique and I’m glad to see such a neat place in downtown Greensboro. On my visit, a friend and I stopped in to look around while roaming downtown.

I really like this store! I personally buy a lot of jewelry here. They have a lot of great pieces at really reasonable prices. I can’t speak to much about the vintage-​ness of the place as I would really have no idea how to judge that. They do seem to have quite a few pieces if you are looking to get something unique for a theme party or just really everyday wear.
The staff are always very friendly and always willing to help. Multiple times I have seen them help a client create a head to toe look with something specific that the client had in mind.
Worth the stop!

I fell in love when I was introduced to this store. Mostly I liked the fact that vendors are supported and that there is so much variety. Design Archives has got that «vintagey» Hip feel that is laid out in a trendy museum kind of way, The store has two sections and I had a grand time walking in the circle «oohing» at all the handmade jewelry and cool clothes. They have a TON of clip on earrings (which I am a fan of) and had other miscellaneous things including: records, clothes, kitchenware, shoes etc… The negative side is that stuff is on the pricey side since it is vendor material but if you look hard enough you can find baskets of cheap supplies (found a really sick handmade hat for $ 5). Even if you do not want to buy anything it’s really enjoyable to look around and is a fun experience if you are in the Greensboro area.

Oh, how I love this place. I just adore it.
I went to college in Greensboro, NC and used to visit this place when it was on Tate St. I moved away several years ago, but every time I am in Greensboro I try my best to visit this great store. They are now located in the heart of downtown Greensboro (right across the street from another favorite, Natty Greene’s).
This place is made up of several vendors that have their own little section of the store, but every thing is so cohesive and similar in tastes, that it all just blends together. They have so many vintage/​antique items including clothing, accessories, knick-​knacks, house hold items, furniture, etc. as well as new items from great local vendors. We love the NC/​Greensboro shirts, hats, necklaces and such. They also sell food from locals as well, like hot sauce, and bbq sauce (I personally consumed this).
The ladies there are always nice and willing to help you find something you want, or didn’t even know you wanted. I threw a 1930’s themed Speakeasy birthday party for my 30^th birthday last year. After shopping around up in DC and online, I started to come to the conclusion that I would have to just pretend my clothes were vintage, or spend a ton of money buying the real thing. NOPE! I sent them a Facebook Message asking for particular items, knowing that I would becoming to town soon, and she remembered me when I came into the store. She started pulling so many wonderful peices from off of the racks and this one (which she said was her favorite) from the wall. I tried that one on last (after liking some of the other peices) and fell in love with this 30’s satin gown. IT WAS PERFECT!!! I had to do some tweaking to it, sewing, adding things, dry cleaning, but it was the most amazing dress. It was well under 90 $, which is extremely reasonable for 30’s items. I also bought an old movie reel projector, which I proudly use as décor in my home, and bbq sauce, a 70’s owl buckled belt, and who knows what else over the years.
By far one of my favorite places in Greensboro (top 5, and Stameys BBQ is definitely in theret too).
Go check it out. If I still lived in Greensboro, I would check this place out at least once a week or so.
p. s. they have tons and tons of guys stuff too! Great shirts, hats, blazers, pants, etc. etc.

I really like this place! There’s a lot to see without it being completely cluttered! The staff is friendly and helpful. Picked up an old shipping trunk from here. Very cute vintage place!

Fun shopping for vintage clothing, jewelry & housewares as well as products from local businesses/​artisans. Very friendly owner & staff. One of the few retail stores in the neighborhood that is open Sunday.

Love this joint. I know most of the vintage/​thrift scene is 100% availability, but I’m a taller/​larger sorta guy and I found a high-​end dress shirt and vintage overcoat that fit perfectly. Reasonable prices, tons of stuff for your hipster girls or vintage afficionados.
Fun place when you’re downtown.

I have been visiting this shop for years and even though I no longer live in NC, I pop in every month when I’m there on business. The selection and pricing is great. The staff is also super helpful and nice. I’ve had some really cool finds here. :)

A brightly lit, well-​organized vintage store that has some housewares and crafts as well. I was pulled in by the fun window displays of vintage dresses, but enjoyed browsing racks of those (some — like flapper frocks — brilliantly available for rent or purchase!), as well as oddities like little cloth troll dolls, and antique-​y Victorian furnishings. One of the best things, in my opinion, is the shoe selection. Several pairs of awesome cowboy boots. Lots of ‘40s-​era pumps in pretty good condition. I spotted a pair of Emilio Pucci pumps in near-​perfect condition priced at just $ 64! Size 6, damn you, fate! I had a Cinderella moment trying to cram my foot into them. To no avail. But I did land a cute pale smoke-​blue pair of slingbacks for $ 12. Definitely a fun spot to browse through when walking through DT Greensboro.

From the outside Design Archives looks like a treasure trove on Elm street. Bright vintage clothing displayed on the window heated up my passion for great vintage finds and I walked in with anticipation. Once inside, what a disappointment!
Clothes on racks were either authentically vintage and in appalling condition or not real vintage (Gap skirts, and such) but passed off as vintage (with specified year on tag of era item is supposedly from).
I would have given Design Archives two solid stars because the young lady who worked there was helpful and friendly. Playing old music made me want to sing and she was encouraging (though my singing may have scared off a few customers). However, I am giving it one star because after posting a two star review, Kit the owner, wrote me a very arrogant and condescending message offending me for giving her shop two stars. There’s ways to express our disagreements and difference of opinion without having to offend each other. People aren’t always going to like our business/​our art and it’s no reason to lash out and disrespect them for having an opinion. Ultimately I am just ONE opinion. Businesses are best off focusing their energy on taking the positive from my review rather than spending breath lashing out with outrage, but again, that’s just my opinion.
But back to the store review: It was an entertaining way to pass the time (though no more than 20minutes) and I didn’t buy anything since most the authentic stuff was torn and tattered, everything not tattered was not actually vintage and ALL items were overpriced across the board.
I don’t care if that sweater is 100% cashmere, you can’t price it at $ 36! I own plenty of cashmere vintage sweaters that I have paid $ 8-​$ 12 for. You can’t bank on the fact that it’s cashmere to hike it up so high. Also if you want to sell overpriced vintage items you might have a better chance getting away with it if you downsized and got rid of all the non-​vintage items; might legitimize the store a bit more.
Another thing I have seen vintage store dealers do in their stores across the US, is that they get an expert seamstress to work on fixing the items before they put them out on the floor. This place charges you as if the item was pristine and steamed when it’s just falling apart! In comparison to the numerous authentically vintage shops I have visited and reviewed, Design Archives is a scam. Beware before you spend your money!

Great Looking Storefront, Fantastic Display windows, great looking interior and merchandise! This was my first visit and I’ll visit every time I’m in Town! This is a place I first heard about on Unilocal and was excited about seeing in person — My Expectations were Surpassed!!!

I don’t have a stong opinion of this place. Some items looked semi-​interesting but there was nothing in the store that I wanted to take home. I liked the overall layout of the store. It was spacious and some items were displayed in vintage furniture.
FYI:
Some items were not priced and that is an inconvenience for a lazy person like me.
For more info, read Kate M’s review!

Most vintage shops are big and full of crap or small and full of great pieces. Design Archives is kind of a cross between the two. It’s relatively large and has both good stuff and some crap. You have to dig, but you don’t have to dig very hard. Dresses tend to be long and polyester, but many of the pieces have hemming and basic tailoring included in the price, which is awesome and is not something I’ve ever seen at a vintage store before. Prices were good, especially for the pieces that included tailoring. Jewelry and shoe sections were large and well-​priced, kind of boring, but all definitely, as the store’s motto says, wearable.
One thing I did notice in the shoe section was that not everything was vintage. In fact, I saw the exact same pair of shoes there that I’d bought new maybe 5 years ago. And I do mean exact, down to the brand. So, be careful and don’t automatically assume that everything you see is 25+ years old.

Looked pretty sweet for the ladies, but I can’t even believe they represent themselves as a men’s vintage store as well. I wash my car with cooler vintage rags than anything on the 1 rack of gents clothing in this store.

This is why I love North Carolina – though vintage is, and always will be, a hot commodity, North Carolina is hospitable enough to keep prices moderate. Design Archives is no exception – this place is completely affordable. Goodwill this is not – you may pick up a dime-​a-​dozen polyester shirt you could probably find cheaper, but these have all been artfully selected, priced, and appraised. There’s care behind the pricetag, and that’s enough for me.
Recently, the store moved locations and into the old Exchange building on Tate St. It’s an old restaurant they’ve outfitted into a clothing store. I got a pair of old cowboy boots there. The jewelry is plentiful, as are the women’s shoes. Hint: if you have tiny feet and/​or collect 40’s era shoes, this place is a must-​see. As for regular clodhopper folks like myself, finding a dainty pair of sandals is a bit tougher.
The men’s selection hers is great and the Design Archives folks make great effort in scouring and salvaging vintage items, receiving donations, and doing everything to promote vintage while keeping prices modest. This store is funky and has something for everyone. I especially love the bags and belts. Oh, and there’s furniture too. I think they may keep a separate store for that, but it’s amazing. Long ago, I got a 60’s circular coffee table. It’s fabulous. I go to North Carolina just to shop.

This is the BEST vintage/​consignment store I’ve ever been to in the whole southeast region. They carry men’s and women’s fashions from the 1920s through the 1980s. The building they occupy is very close to downtown Greensboro and is a two story height open space. On the first floor are the men’s and women’s clothing & shoes, on the stairs are magazines and books, and on the second floor is swanky, 2^nd hand modern furniture & housewares. The big ticket items are usually dresses for girls but they carry everything. Be prepared to spend a good day here. Don’t miss out the other vintage shops on Elm Street South.