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San Francisco is a second-hand-clothing shopper’s paradise. Scouring the city’s mix of thrift stores, vintage boutiques, consignment shops, clothing swaps (opens in new tab), and recurring (opens in new tab) flea markets (opens in new tab) can deliver everything from eye-catching, one-of-a-kind pieces and costume box (opens in new tab) fodder to outfit staples and luxury labels at discounted prices. But it can be hard to figure out which shops are worth your time.
As more people embrace buying used clothes for the sake of the environment, their finances, and the cool factor, the city’s second-hand fashion scene has boomed (opens in new tab) well beyond the Haight Street thrift corridor. To sort through the selection and inspire your next thrifting spree, we asked professional thrifters for their favorite shops and most memorable purchases.
Favorite shop: Community Thrift Store (opens in new tab) at 623 Valencia St.
Best for: Jewelry, eclectic clothes
There’s so much to love about CTS, as it’s known by devotees: It’s bright pink, its proceeds benefit local charities, and it’s a consistent source of “killer” finds, according to Porter.
Porter shows off her beloved fruit earrings from Community Thrift Store. | Source: Courtesy of Katie Porter
“It gets turned over so much that everything feels like it’s just been put out,” she said. She has furnished multiple apartments with items found there, found favorite reads for $2 in the “shockingly organized” book section, and discovered eclectic clothing and accessories.
“They have the best jewelry section,” Porter gushes. “If you’re somebody who likes to pick through a bucket, like I do, it’s there for you.”
One of her most memorable CTS purchases was a limited-edition batik art print in a gold frame with robin’s-egg-blue matting that she found nearly a decade ago and has since carted to every place she’s lived.
“I went on one of their half-off art days, and it was like $15, and at the cash register, the guy says, ‘You know, this is like a $500 frame job,’” she recalled. “It’s so beautiful.”
Favorite store: Out of the Closet (opens in new tab) at 1498 Polk St.
Best for: Luxury bags and jackets
Kai, who regularly documents her scores on TikTok, swears by the Russian Hill-adjacent branch of California mini-chain Out of the Closet.
Kai bought two vintage Coach bags at Out of the Closet for $30 a pop. | Source: Courtesy of Erica Kai
“It’s smack in the middle of the city, so the inventory always feels top-notch,” she said. “It feels like the perfect mix of incredible, longtime San Franciscans’ vintage and new-school tech kids donating new-with-tags Patagonia jackets and Lululemon.”
She has overfilled her shelves from the store’s book collection over the years, but her best purchases were two vintage Coach bags. “I paid about $30 each, and a similar one is currently listed for close to $900 on eBay, though I would never sell it,” she said.
Her pro tip: Sign up for the store’s rewards program, which allows you to rack up points. The best part is that 96 cents of every dollar (opens in new tab) the store makes goes toward HIV prevention and treatment services.
Favorite store: Moody Goose (opens in new tab) at 2036 Polk St.
Best for: Vintage jackets, Y2K-era clothes
Ally Chen shows off her haul from Moody Goose. | Source: Courtesy of Ally Chen
Chen fell instantly in love with Moody Goose’s sky-blue storefront, well-curated selection, and SF vibe. “It’s a sweet mother-daughter collective with a really thoughtful mix of tops, jackets, dresses, shoes, and accessories,” she said, including “lots of whimsical Y2K pieces, like printed skirts, chunky natural-fiber knits, beaded and embroidered details, and really unique tops that feel like a time capsule.”
She loves the old Muni seat on the second floor where shoppers can lounge when they need a break from scouring racks of clothes, and the “thermal photo booth that prints your pictures on receipt paper.” Chen recommends the outerwear section, where she found her best (now-pilfered) jacket: “My favorite chocolate-brown suede jacket actually got stolen by my mom from my closet, which says everything.”
Favorite store: Love Street Vintage (opens in new tab) at 1801 Balboa St.
Best for: Indigenous jewelry
Since Hansen opened her Haight Street shop in 1968, she has accrued such a vast collection of vintage clothing that she’s more likely to dig through her own inventory than go shopping elsewhere. But when she just can’t help herself, she hits Love Street Vintage in the Richmond. “The owner has created such a lovely presentation of her merchandise,” Hansen said, noting the wide selection of Navajo, Zuni, and Mexican jewelry.
Hansen is a firm believer that vintage fashion is where it’s at. “The quality, the uniqueness, the ‘green’ environmental aspect, and the bargain” make for a great combination of perks, she said.
Favorite shop: The Golden Hour (opens in new tab) at 147 Clement St.
Best for: Designer pieces
The main reason to shop at The Golden Hour, according to Baldwin, is to hang out with owner Morgan Mapes. Baldwin calls her the “nicest, funniest person” and admires how she manages to stock “some of the coolest finds, including a lot of designer pieces.”
“I am just obsessed with her,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin counts a bright-purple Victor Costa blazer with bold buttons as her top snag from the shop — she wore it the day she met Tommy Hilfiger and felt like a million bucks.
Favorite shop: SCRAP (opens in new tab) at 2150 Newcomb Ave.
Best for: Vintage dead stock
Cofounded by artist Ruth Asawa, Bayview’s second-hand craft-supply warehouse SCRAP (which is currently on the hunt for a new home) (opens in new tab) is a creative wonderland that “embodies what I love about San Francisco,” said Okagaki. He’s been a regular at the shop since he was a high school kid making art. “It’s scrappy, beautifully chaotic, and full of surprises — a legit treasure trove that inspires your next passion project every visit.”
Kenny Okagaki, who launched Chameleon Vintage in 2022, is a SCRAP devotee. | Source: Jillian D’Onfro/The Standard
SCRAP (opens in new tab) is not a clothing store; it has a rotating stock of textiles, accessories, and other materials for art projects of every kind. “You never know what you’re going to find, and every time you go, it’s instant inspiration at mind-blowing, affordable prices,” he said.
Okagaki relied on SCRAP as he built out his vintage shops — including one in Japantown and one on Haight Street — and uses materials sourced there to repair his wares: “My favorite thing I’ve purchased there was a huge bag of vintage dead stock ’70s Talon zippers that I used to mend clothes to stock.”
Favorite store: Goodwill (opens in new tab) at 4631 Mission St.
Best for: High-quality fabrics
Paulino’s go-to thrift recommendation is a humble Goodwill. Of the five in the city, the Excelsior location has the most gems.
“They seem to put out new stuff from mid-morning all the way until they close,” she said. Her best purchase was something of a fluke: An employee gave her a wild deal on a Breville espresso machine (opens in new tab) as a final act of rebellion on his last day of work.
That’s not the only thrift magic she’s seen at that location, though: “One time I was there with my cousin, and she found a $600 cashmere sweater — crew neck, oatmeal colored — for $8.99,” she said. “It still haunts me that she found it first. Every time I see her she wears it.”
Paulino, who inherited her love of a good deal from her mom, advises new thrifters to learn the feel of different types of fabric, so as you’re swiping through racks “you’re able to identify high-quality fabrics just by touching them.”