Shopping LOCAL in Tempe: Mill Avenue, vintage, antiques and books

Tempe's independent shops don't sit in one tidy district. They are spread along a handful of streets, each with its own personality: the old commercial blocks of Mill Avenue downtown, the stretch of University Drive just west of it, a small plaza on North Scottsdale Road, and McClintock Drive, where a fifty-year-old bookstore and a new antique mall sit a few miles apart. Pick one street per outing and leave room to wander.

Mill Avenue: the downtown blocks

Mill Avenue is where Tempe's retail history runs deepest, and a few shops there have outlasted generations of students. Lotions & Potions, at 420 S. Mill Ave., says it has been on the street since 1969, which makes it the oldest business on Mill by its own account. It blends lotions, sprays and body care to order from hundreds of fragrances, and the shelves of its gift shop carry cards, souvenirs and small curiosities.

A few doors south, Cactus Sports at 514 S. Mill Ave. is the locally owned, alumni-run answer to the question of where to buy maroon and gold. It has been at it since 1992, with Sun Devil shirts, caps, youth sizes and game-day gear, and it is an easy stop before a home game or a visit from relatives who want something from ASU.

Next door at 518 S. Mill Ave., The Plant Mill gathers more than twenty local plant sellers under one roof, along with pottery, art and goods from Arizona makers. Staff will pot a plant for you on the spot, which makes it a practical place to pick up a gift that won't be shoved in a drawer.

Step one block west to the Hackett House at 95 W. Fourth St. The 1888 building is the home of Tempe Sister Cities, and its volunteer-run gift shop sells a rotating mix of gifts and collectibles; the money it raises supports the organization's exchanges and programs for local children. The shop keeps seasonal hours, so check its site before walking over.

For a break, Cornish Pasty Co. at 425 S. Mill Ave. has been a downtown fixture since 2005, Cornish-owned and serving the baked hand pies its name promises.

University Drive, west of Mill

Head west from Mill on University Drive for a slower kind of browsing. Rare Lion Antiques & Jewelry, at 403 W. University Dr., has been buying, selling and appraising antiques and estate jewelry in Tempe since 1981. Alongside the jewelry cases you'll find glassware, porcelain, Native American artwork and furniture, and its gemologist offers free verbal appraisals in the store, which is a good excuse to bring in that ring from a grandparent's dresser.

A short walk farther west, Perfect Pear Bistro at 603 W. University Dr. is a family-owned spot for salads, sandwiches and grilled cheese, and an easy place to sit down between stops.

North Scottsdale Road: vintage by the decade

At the north end of town, a small center at 2240 N. Scottsdale Road holds two local businesses that make a good pair. Luxie Vintage, in Suite 101, sells clothing from past decades, organized for browsing by era and size, and it buys and trades vintage too, so bring the pieces you no longer wear. A few doors down in Suite 113, Green New American Vegetarian serves fully plant-based comfort food, from burgers to bowls, which makes lunch an easy decision.

McClintock Drive: books and a newer antique mall

Changing Hands Bookstore is the name many Tempe readers think of first. It opened on Fifth Street downtown in 1974, spent two decades on Mill Avenue and has been at McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road since 1998. It sells new and used books and gifts, and it hosts a steady run of author talks, book clubs, workshops and game nights; its calendar is worth checking before you go.

Closer to the middle of the city, Dealers Depot Antique Mall opened in 2025 at 1401 S. McClintock Dr. It is locally owned and gathers about eighty dealers in more than 15,000 square feet: mid-century furniture, vintage clothing, Pyrex and uranium glass, coins, toys and Western pieces, with new stock arriving daily. Once a month it hides a hippo somewhere in the store for shoppers to hunt down.

Markets and shop walks this season

The easiest way to meet a lot of local makers at once is 2nd Sundays on Mill, the Downtown Tempe Authority's street market. It fills Mill Avenue between Third Street and University Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on its remaining dates this season: January 10, February 14 and April 11, 2027. Each date has a theme, and the market brings Arizona artists, small businesses and a Kids Market where young sellers offer things they've made. Admission is free and dogs are welcome.

The Tempe Festival of the Arts returns to Mill Avenue on December 4 to 6, 2026, with more than 350 artists, local music and a Kids Block, and free admission. It is a natural place to finish holiday shopping. Note that the Hackett House gift shop closes from December 23 to January 6.

Why it matters here

Shopping local in Tempe has a visible payoff. The plant shop on Mill rents space to small growers who might never afford a storefront of their own. The money spent at the Hackett House goes back into exchanges for Tempe students and teachers. A bookstore that started in a small downtown room fifty years ago is still here because readers kept coming back. And the market on Mill sets aside a space for children to try selling something they made. Each purchase keeps one of those stories going a little longer.