Entry No. 37 — the Memphis file — filed under: vintage tees
Bad Timing
Nate Packard and Nick "Ish" Blanco ran pop-ups inside Urban Outfitters and downtown before opening to the public in December 2019, and the shop still works like two collectors' personal stash with a price tag attached. The window is roughly 1980 to 2005: band and wrestling merch, movie promotional tees, sports pieces, authentic hats, sneakers. Everything is hand-inspected and reprints are refused outright, which is the entire pitch in a category where fakes now outnumber originals. It runs as buy, sell and trade with worldwide shipping and a DM counter that's often busier than the door. "You see a jacket with a character on it, and the memories come flowing," Packard told Choose901 — which is a fair description of what the racks do to you.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Memphis — never the same twice
The story
Bad Timing started the way a lot of vintage businesses start — as two people's collections that got out of hand. Nate Packard and Nick "Ish" Blanco tested the idea in public before committing to rent, running a pop-up inside Urban Outfitters and a second temporary shop downtown, and opened a permanent storefront to the public in December 2019. The name carries no deeper meaning than the one they wanted: Packard found it as a Bombay Bicycle Club song title on Tumblr and kept it because it matched the energy they were after.
The window they buy in runs roughly 1980 to the early 2000s, and the categories are the ones that stop people mid-aisle: band tees, wrestling merch, movie promo shirts, sports pieces, authentic hats, sneakers. Everything is hand-inspected and reprints are refused outright — less a boast than the entire product, in a category where modern reproductions now outnumber originals and a convincing fake tag costs almost nothing to print. Packard's own account of what he hunts for is about memory rather than resale comps: "You see a jacket with a character on it, and the memories come flowing," he told Choose901.
The shop now sits at 626 Minor Street, a small side-street storefront off Highland rather than a strip-mall frontage — a move from its original North Cleveland address that older write-ups still haven't caught up with. It runs as buy, sell and trade with worldwide shipping and an active DM counter that frequently does more work than the front door, which means the racks you flip through on a Tuesday afternoon are whatever survived the online round.
What it's like
Come Tuesday through Saturday between noon and 7 — those are the only hours, and the door is locked Sunday and Monday. It's a small side-street storefront on Minor, not a signed retail frontage, so navigate to the number and trust the address over the sign. Inside reads like two collectors' personal stash with price tags attached: racks arranged by someone who remembers exactly what he paid for each shirt. Ask questions, because provenance is the actual product here. If you're bringing pieces to sell or trade, arrive well before closing so there's time to price them properly, and don't take offense if a reprint gets handed back — that refusal is the house rule the whole shop is built on.
The move: Show up Tuesday through Saturday before seven with one rule: each of you brings something from your own closet you're willing to trade, not just cash. Let them price it, then spend whatever it's worth on a tee for the other person from a movie, band or wrestler you're certain they've never mentioned. Wear them out that night and see who gets asked about it first.
📍 Before you go Tuesday–Saturday noon–7pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Phone (901) 544-5811. It's a small side-street storefront on Minor between Crosstown and Highland, not a strip-mall frontage, so trust the address over the sign. Note that the older Choose901 write-up still lists the original 433 N Cleveland address — the shop has since moved to Minor Street. If you're bringing pieces to sell or trade, come well before closing.
- 📍 Memphis
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 626 Minor Street, Memphis, TN 38111
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- RP Tracks — It's about two minutes up the street on Walker Ave — the same pocket of the city — and the kitchen runs until 1 a.m. six nights a week, so it's the obvious place to take whatever you just bought.
- Comics & Collectibles — The other Memphis buy-sell-trade counter working the same 1980s-through-2000s nostalgia, only in longboxes and vintage action figures instead of graphic tees.
- Flashback — Vintage pointed the opposite direction — period clothing sharing 2,800 square feet with Eames-era furniture on Central Avenue — but it closes at 5:30, so hit Flashback first and Bad Timing after.
More weird in Memphis
Good to know
When is it open, and how do I find it?
Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. The address is 626 Minor Street, Memphis, TN 38111, a small side street off Highland, and the phone is (901) 544-5811.
Some articles list a North Cleveland address — which is right?
626 Minor Street. The older Choose901 write-up still lists 433 N. Cleveland, the original storefront the shop opened in December 2019; the Memphis Chamber directory has the current Minor Street address and phone.
Can I sell or trade my own clothes here?
Yes — buy, sell and trade is the model, not a sideline. Bring pieces well before the 7 p.m. close so there's time to go through them, and expect anything that reads as a reprint to be declined.
What does it cost?
There's no published price list, and pricing tracks rarity rather than a flat rack rate. Because the stock is authenticated originals from roughly 1980 to the early 2000s rather than reproductions, band, wrestling and movie promo pieces sit at collector rather than thrift-store money — trading something in is the standard way to offset that.
Can I buy without going to the store?
Yes. They ship worldwide and are active on Instagram, Facebook and eBay, and a large share of sales happen through direct messages rather than over the counter.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: members.memphischamber.com · wearememphis.com · choose901.com
last checked: 2026-08-26