This Way Out

Always fun to drink way to much upstairs and go down and buy stuff I don’t even need but that’s OK. Place is decorated great and errything is for sale but to quote Buggin’ Out from Do the Right Thing «How Come Ya’ Aint Got No Brothas Up On The Wall?!!» Wish they had a better selection of ass-​less chaps and siren whistles from the 80s but that’s my perversion… not yours…

The shop is super-​small and only two-​thirds of it is filled with clothes, but I always find something I want. They have some of the best vintage prices and seem to always be rotating stock so, you don’t see the same things sitting there for a long time. For its size, they boast a decent selection of men’s shirts and t-​shirts as well. They also know how to pick unique things and are knowledgable about the era their pieces come from. I always make sure to stop by when at the Beachland.

Cool vintage store in the basement of the Beachland Ballroom. Found a 1970’s Angela Davis Life Magazine! Lots of vinyl too!

Can’t emphasize enough how awesome it is to have this treasure trove to root around in during shit opener bands (you know who you are). Two Sundays ago I stopped in en route to Lake County (a fate worse than death). In that smaller than a bedroom space I spied so many great finds it blew my mind. This is undoubtedly the most valuable real estate on Waterloo. Bought a killer art deco garbage can for my shitter and a five dollar Beachland coffee mug. Five dollars. That is cheaper than a cup of Shitbucks. I probably came off like a tourist. I guess I am in a sense, being a seven year west sider now. This place is the only thing I think about when cruising down route 2. Top notch.

This has been my go to vintage shop since I was old enough to discover anything cool. In the basement of the Beachland Ballroom, it always gives some entertainment during the icky opening bands.
There is lots of vinyl to sift through, and the selection is ever changing. This Way Out fuels my obsession of vintage men’s button ups and fun hats (where else can you find a gold baseball cap).
The guy behind the counter has always been there as long as I’ve been going, with his super friendly hipster powers and good taste in music.

I must maintain the «just looking» mentality when I got to super awesome vintage shops like This Way Out. If I don’t, I won’t know where to stop. Addicts of kitsch, jewelry, vinyl, rock history, fashion, irony, and unique items for the home feel the primal tug to buy, buy, buy. The only cure is to not break the seal. I’ve been here literally dozens of times, and much to the chagrin of the owner, I’m sure, I have never purchased anything. I just can’t. That makes me sound horrible, doesn’t it? I think that’s why I’m not getting around to a review till now. But, I’ve made suggestions of purchases a plenty to friends I’ve been with. A couple years back, a sister purchased a 1980’s navy Coach bag that became her daytime purse. She’s still using it and gets weekly compliments on it. It was reasonably priced around $ 25. Steal! I love this place, even if it’s just to look and vicariously live through those I talk into making purchases. They never regret them.
Tip: you may use your credit card to purchase tickets at the counter.

Nice little vintage shop located directly beneath the Beachland Ballroom (which means it’s great hipster-​watching territory). Cool knickknacks and trinkets abound, mostly of the I-​was-​young-​in-​the-​1980s type. The real catch here is the superb used vinyl collection, which is only rivaled in Cleveland by Blue Arrow down the street. It’s not the usual used collection of grandma’s Streisand and Neil Diamond — it’s excellent stuff from the 1950s to 1980s that you would actually want to listen to. When I hit the place, there were copious amounts of Costello, Bowie, Dylan, Neil Young, AC/​DC, Aerosmith, Leonard Cohen — the list goes on. A hidden treasure.