Thrift Shopping in San Francisco: Part One

Earlier this week I gave you guys a look at what I wore during my San Francisco trip. But you know I couldn’t venture to a new city without checking out the thrift shopping scene. Let me tell you, San Fran thrifting is amazing! I thrifted last year in L.A. but the Bay Area is by far {in my opinion} superior and more convenient. I actually had two days of secondhand shopping, but for today, let’s focus on the shopping I did in the Mission. Chandra from MoMoMod suggested I check this area out and I’m glad she did.

The Mission is a pretty colorful neighborhood in its design {peep the awesome mural above} and the eccentric personalities. My first stop of the day was Thrift Town {2101 Mission St}. As soon as I walked in, I knew I was going to become BFFs with Thrift Town. It was organized and massive: two floors and pretty spread out.

People frequently tell me they feel overwhelmed when walking in to a thrift store, but nowadays, more of them are organizing based on garments and even color.

On the day I was there, anything with a blue tag was half off, so I naturally went looking for blue tagged items. After an hour of shopping, I had an overflowing cart of goodies that needed to be paired down, as I wanted everything to fit in my large carry-on.

I ended up buying…

Sweetheart neckline H&M dress

An oversized, silk shirt

Satin LBD from Express

A sturdy straw bag, which is perfect for summer

In total I spend $17 {the pink dress wasn’t half off, grr}. After getting a bite to eat {thrifting is a serious work out}, I made my way to Mission Thrift {2330 Mission St}

…but it was closed!

However, there was no need for disappointment, I walked a few blocks over to Valencia Street where there are a few other secondhand shops. I randomly stumbled in to Community Thrift but I was less than impressed and walked out five minutes later. But I hit the jackpot with Clothes Contact {473 Valencia St}, a vintage shop where clothes are $10 per pound.

This was another store where items were organized by decades {50s, 60, etc} and even fun categories like 80s sparkle, velvet and cocktail.

The garments here were amazing, especially if you favor girly dresses, sequins or vintage blouses. However, I did notice stains, tears and missing sequins and beads on quite a few pieces, so as with any secondhand shop, inspect everything closely.

I spent close to two hours in the shop and picked up almost a dozen pieces {high waisted jean shorts, cropped top, skirts, etc.} for $31 but below are three of my top pieces…

Though I’ve heard you’re not supposed to wear a Boy Scouts shirt unless you were an actual member, there were two racks of troop shirts and I had to get this badge-heavy one.

Clothes Contact also had a large bin of lingerie {slips, garter belts, etc} that was so reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Call me crazy but I want to wear this slip as a dress, by either wearing something underneath or adding a liner. It has such a summery, breezy feel.

My favorite piece has to be this black gown I found on the “90s prom” rack. Lace bodice with metal clasps and a slit up the back, what’s not to love? I have no idea where I’ll wear this, but I love it.

I didn’t have time or energy left to check out the Goodwill {1580 Mission St} but I ened up scoring some pieces at Goodwill on Haight St. a few days later.

Check back next week for part two of my San Francisco thrifting trip. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood has back to back thrift and vintage stores and I found some great thrift store scores.