Vintage Vols: Retro Clothing at Local College Bar Pop-Up

Daniel Hahofer
2 min readSep 24, 2024

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Hayden Formica (hand) browsing through racks full of vintage sweatshirts and jackets.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Saturday, Sept. 22, approximately eight hours before the Tennessee Volunteers would face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, UT students and other Knoxville residents were already gathering at Cool Beans Bar and Grill. The orange-clad masses, however, did not show up to watch football. Instead, many turned up to garner even more orange and white apparel, looking for rare vintage items drenched in their favorite colors, as the college town bar on 1817 Lake Ave hosted a Volunteers-themed vintage market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Protected from the sun, under the roof of a tent, several vintage sellers showcased their inventory hung on clothing racks in front of Cool Beans Bar & Grill. As part of its competition in search for the best college town in America, Barstool — specifically its Tennessee branch — sponsored and organized the event. Multiple sellers from the area were selected to partake and present their colorful collections.

Author Daniel Hahofer looking for the perfect jersey for gamedays.

Ethan D’Aquilante from New Jersey, a student at the local Pellisippi Community College, offered a wide variety of orange t-shirts, jackets and jerseys. After moving to Knoxville about two years ago, he grew an affection for vintage clothing. “I met some people at a thrift store, who eventually became my best friends. After a while, we all started reselling different items we could find”, said D’Aquilante.

Over time, the undecided sophomore realized that vintage UT clothing was especially sought after around the city of Knoxville, so he decided to fully invest himself into the niche he found and focus on thrifting and trading for rare, UT-embroidered clothing pieces.

Ethan D’Aquilante presenting one of his rarest items.

Reasons to buy Vols merchandise that was originally sold years, or even decades ago, instead of visiting the Vol Shop on campus, vary. Hayden Formica, a senior at UT, weighed in on the discussion, “This stuff might be old, some might say it’s ‘retro’, but that’s what makes it unique.”

The Journalism major was particularly fascinated by the jackets some of the curators had to offer. Nevertheless, Formica is hoping for an even bigger selection, should the pop-up market come back for another event.

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