Entry No. 166 — the Denver file — filed under: records
Fifty-Two 80s: A Totally Awesome Shop
Crammed into 900 square feet on South Broadway, Fifty-Two 80s is equal parts retail shop, personal museum, and time capsule — 6,000-plus items spanning roughly 1975 to 1995, all sourced from Colorado basements and attics. Owners Dede Thompson and Tony Vecchio claim to run the first store in the country devoted exclusively to 1980s merchandise, and the place backs that up: working Atari systems, boomboxes, CRT TVs running period commercials, over 200 varieties of non-sports trading card packs (reportedly the largest assortment in Denver), vintage fast-food glassware, He-Man, Garbage Pail Kids, and costumes you didn't know you needed. Atlas Obscura called it "a tightly-packed womb of nostalgia," and that's not hyperbole — there is no online store, no chain, just one slightly overwhelming room that smells faintly of bubblegum while cassette-era pop plays overhead. The "Yo! Nineties" signage inside is an in-store section, not a second location, which means even locals who've heard of it tend to underestimate the scope of what's actually in there.
The move: Go on a weekday afternoon (Wed–Fri, noon–6pm) when it's quiet enough to actually dig through the trading card wall together — pick a random pack each, then grab a beer at one of the SoBo bars a block up Broadway to compare pulls.
📍 Before you go South Broadway is long — look for the storefront near the S Broadway & Jewell corner, at the south end of SoBo's antiques-and-vintage stretch in Baker. It's a small space tucked between neighbors like Regal Vintage and Azucar Bakery, so it's easy to walk right past; the eye-catching window display is your landmark. Park on the street, which fills up on weekends, or on the side streets a few doors off Broadway. The shop keeps limited days, generally later in the week, so check ahead. Make a half-day of it — the surrounding blocks are wall-to-wall vintage shops, record stores, and bakeries worth wandering between.
- 📍 Baker / South Broadway
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1874 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Yelp · 303magazine.com · Westword · denver7.com
last checked: 2026-06-09