Vintage and thrift shopping have been my (relatively) new-found hobby ever since I moved to the Bay Area. And boy, do I miss a lot. Lots of cool fashion finds at a fraction of the price you normally pay at retail.
If you’re just starting out and want a diverse list, go check out 7×7.com’s list for their favorite vintage stores. SF Indie Fashion also has a “vintage” category on their blog, so you can check out all the cool finds fashionistas find all the time.
One of my coolest find is this Joseph Magnin’s dress that I found at Schauplatz (see image). I always try to stop by this store at Valencia whenever I’m in the neighborhood (which is often, since I always go to the Fabric Outlet and Community Thrift Store, where I found my gorgeous $7 FCUK mini dress at).
If you’re in the Mill Valey area, I also just found out about Family Thrift Store over the Labor Day weekend. Clean, organized small family store with warm atmosphere, I found two leather belts and one men’s shirt that I’m going to reconstruct there. Lovely.
Sometimes your Goodwill stores can have hidden gems, so don’t discredit those. I found the ones in San Francisco, Japan Town, and Palo Alto to be the ones I most frequently visit. I usually get my DIY inspirations at these locations. The one in Palo Alto has exceptional selection of jackets and blazers, by the way.
Let me also list two other thrift stores. One is in Burlingame and the other one is in San Carlos. Last time I went to Pick of the Litter (the Burlingame one), I wasn’t too thrilled about the fashion selection but I heard the day before was quite crazy, so maybe they ran out of the cute stuff. But I have to admit the furniture and home decor section is kind of cool. On the other hand, I always have great luck with he Thrift Center in San Carlos. I totally love it. Definitely a place to go to get your DIY materials.
And you know what? DNA (designers + artists) will hold All Vintage Everything 3: Fall Edition this Saturday on Mission! Which means, I can check out all the cool finds PLUS go to my usual Valencia/Mission neighborhood stops. For all the do-list in SF this week, check out SF Indie’s post.
Are you into vintage/thrift shopping yet?
Musank
Mira, you should also try consignment stores! Sometimes people have a hard time just giving their designer clothes away, so they leave them at consignment stores and get a portion of the sale price for their items. Definitely lots of good finds!
Thanks Sharon, that’s so true….I used to go to Afterwards (consignment store) in Palo Alto, but haven’t had time to check it for a while now :(
You wear the dress so beautifully.
Thank you :)
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