Some shops make you browse. This one makes you lose track of time.
Behind an unassuming storefront in Des Moines, Iowa, vintage clothes, retro curios, old records, furniture, and wonderfully random finds fill room after room. Then you discover the basement, and suddenly that quick visit you planned starts looking wildly optimistic.
Who knows what you will find first? That is exactly the point, because every corner seems to be holding something you forgot you ever wanted.
A First Look That Keeps You Guessing
From the sidewalk, the building gives almost nothing away. The facade is understated, the signage is modest, and nothing about it screams “you need to come in here right now.”
That restraint is actually part of the appeal. Funky Finds Vintage and Retro, located at 1731 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309, lets its interior do all the talking.
The front section of the store is just the opening act. Customers who only browse the first room and call it a day are genuinely missing the full experience.
I almost made that mistake myself. A quick scan of the front area showed promising signs: colorful garments on racks, shelves stacked with ceramics, and framed artwork leaning against walls at various angles.
But a fellow shopper nudged me toward the back and said, “keep going.” That turned out to be the best advice I got all week.
The shop rewards patience and wandering in a way that very few retail spaces manage to pull off naturally.
The Basement That Changes Everything
Nobody warned me about the basement, and honestly, that is the way it should be discovered. The main floor already has plenty going on, but the lower level is where the shop truly opens up.
The space is enormous by vintage store standards. Furniture pieces are arranged in loose groupings, giving the whole area a vaguely domestic feel, as if someone had set up a dozen different living rooms and then filled each one with curios from a different decade.
Shelves run along every wall, packed with everything from vintage barware to old board games, decorative tins, and quirky collectibles that resist easy categorization.
I spent at least forty minutes down there without covering every corner. The stock is dense but organized enough that browsing feels enjoyable rather than overwhelming.
What surprised me most was the quality of the larger pieces. Solid wood dressers, mid-century side tables, and upholstered chairs in surprisingly good condition filled the space.
The basement alone is worth the trip, full stop.
Vintage Clothing Worth a Second Look
The clothing section at this shop is not the usual jumble of random castoffs. There is a genuine curation happening here, and it shows in the quality of what ends up on the racks.
Denim is a particular strength. Jackets, jeans, and shirts in various washes and cuts fill one section, ranging from workwear-adjacent pieces to more fashion-forward vintage styles.
Several items carry recognizable designer labels, which is not something you expect to stumble across in a midwestern shop on a Wednesday afternoon.
Beyond denim, the selection reflects the shop’s particular strength in mid-century fashion, especially pieces from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
I tried on a corduroy blazer that fit perfectly and cost far less than anything comparable in a boutique. The condition of most garments is genuinely impressive.
Whoever sources the clothing clearly has a good eye, because the racks feel edited rather than exhaustive, which makes the whole experience much more enjoyable to navigate.
Retro Memorabilia and Pop Culture Finds
Pop culture history has a physical form, and a lot of it seems to have ended up here. The memorabilia section covers a wide range of interests, from old advertising signs to vintage toys still in reasonable condition.
There is something genuinely exciting about spotting an object you have not thought about in twenty years and suddenly remembering exactly where you first encountered it. That happened to me at least three times during my visit.
Games, figurines, tin signs, and novelty items crowd the shelves in a way that feels more like an archive than a sales floor. Each piece carries its own small story, even if you have to imagine most of it yourself.
Prices are fair across the board. Nothing felt inflated to the point of absurdity, which is a common complaint about vintage shops that lean heavily into nostalgia as a selling point.
With the shop specializing primarily in treasures from the 1950s through the 1970s, there is almost certainly something in this section that will catch the right vintage fan off guard and send them straight to the checkout counter with a grin.
Vinyl Records for the Serious Digger
Record crates have a gravitational pull for a certain kind of shopper, and this shop has them in satisfying abundance.
The vinyl selection covers multiple genres, which means you are not locked into one era or style as you flip through.
Classic rock, soul, jazz, easy listening, and a few genuinely obscure pressings all share space in the crates. The covers alone are worth the time spent browsing, because album art from the 1960s and 1970s was operating on a different level of creativity entirely.
Condition varies, as it always does in vintage shops, but most of what I looked through was in solid shape. A few standout finds were priced very reasonably, which made the digging feel rewarding rather than frustrating.
Even if you do not own a turntable, the records here make excellent display pieces. Several had artwork compelling enough to frame.
For actual collectors, the stock reportedly changes often, so repeat visits are more than justified. Coming back regularly seems to be standard practice among regulars, and now I understand exactly why they keep returning.
Antique Furniture With Real Character
Furniture shopping in vintage stores can feel like a gamble, but the pieces here lean toward the reliable end of the spectrum.
Quality is evident in the construction of most items, and the selection covers a satisfying range of styles and periods.
Mid-century modern pieces show up regularly, including side tables, credenzas, and chairs with clean lines and solid bones. There are also heavier, more ornate antique pieces for shoppers whose tastes run toward the traditional.
I noticed a dining set that looked genuinely beautiful, with matching chairs in good condition and a table that had clearly been well cared for over its lifetime. The price tag was fair enough to make me briefly consider how I would get it home.
A Carl Bissman table was apparently purchased by one happy customer at a great price, which tells you something about the caliber of pieces that move through here.
The furniture section rewards patience. Pieces come and go, so checking back every few weeks is a reasonable strategy for anyone furnishing a space with character and history in mind.
Dinnerware, Art, and Decorative Pieces
Not everyone comes to a vintage shop for clothes or furniture, and the decorative side of this store has plenty to offer the detail-oriented browser. The dinnerware section alone is worth a dedicated look.
Sets in various patterns and conditions fill the shelves, from cheerful mid-century designs to more understated classic styles. Many pieces are sold individually, which is great for anyone building a mismatched collection or replacing a single item from an old set.
Art pieces are scattered throughout the shop rather than confined to one corner. Framed prints, original paintings, and decorative wall hangings appear in unexpected spots, which makes the browsing feel more like an adventure than a predictable circuit.
The ceramics selection is strong. Vases, bowls, figurines, and decorative plates show up in styles spanning several decades, and most are priced accessibly enough to make impulse buying feel completely reasonable.
I walked out with a small ceramic piece that now sits on my desk, and I think about where it came from every time I look at it.
That kind of connection is what good vintage shopping is all about.
Jewelry and Small Accessories
Jewelry hunting in a vintage shop requires patience, but the payoff here makes the effort worthwhile. The selection ranges from bold statement pieces to quieter, more delicate items that work as everyday wear.
Brooches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets fill the cases in a mix of styles and eras. Some pieces are clearly costume jewelry, cheerful and affordable.
Others carry more weight, both literally and in terms of craftsmanship.
What I appreciate about the jewelry section here is the variety of entry points. You do not need a big budget or deep knowledge of vintage accessories to find something worth buying.
The range of price points means almost anyone can walk away with a piece that feels special.
Rings deserve a particular mention. There were several with unusual settings and stones that would be nearly impossible to find in a conventional jewelry store, and all at prices that felt genuinely fair.
Accessories like scarves, belts, and handbags also appear in the mix, rounding out the section for shoppers who want a complete vintage look from head to toe.
The Atmosphere and the Experience
Some vintage shops feel chaotic in a way that is exciting for about ten minutes and then exhausting. This one manages to feel full without ever tipping into overwhelming, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds.
The layout flows reasonably well, with different categories loosely grouped so that browsing has a natural rhythm. Mannequins styled in vintage outfits add visual interest and help shoppers imagine how clothing might actually look when worn.
There is also a working vending machine on the premises, which is either a charming detail or a brilliant piece of ambient storytelling, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it fits perfectly with the overall vibe.
The shop has an inviting quality that is hard to manufacture. It feels lived-in and genuine, like a space that has been assembled by people who actually love what they do.
Stock changes often, according to regulars, which means the experience is genuinely different with each visit. That kind of freshness keeps people coming back, and it is clearly working given the loyal following the shop has built over time.
Practical Tips Before Your Visit
A few things are worth knowing before you make the trip. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12 PM to 6 PM, and it is closed Sunday through Tuesday, so plan accordingly.
Parking is easier than you might expect for a downtown location. Metered street parking is available nearby, and it is generally not difficult to find a spot on Grand Ave or the surrounding blocks.
The phone number is 515-777-0667 if you want to call ahead and check on anything specific. The website at funkyfindsvintage.com is also a useful resource, and the shop maintains a Facebook page where new arrivals and current inventory get posted regularly.
Following that page before your visit is genuinely useful. Seeing what has recently come in can help you decide whether to make the trip or wait for the next rotation.
Budget more time than you think you will need. An hour feels like plenty until you find the basement, and then your schedule quietly rearranges itself around however long it takes to see everything properly.
Consider yourself warned, and plan your afternoon accordingly.