It's not the biggest secret 'round town, but it's often one of the more undervalued resources for surprisingly awesome steals.
Thrift Town
2101 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
San Francisco, CA 94110
Thrift Town was one of our weekly haunts when we were in the neighborhood. You have to be willing to dig, for sure, but at the bottom of that pile of polyester pillowcases is quite often the gem of a beautiful vintage floral, or better yet, a vintage Marimekko or Vera print.
The piles can seem daunting and the constant influx of hipsters is enough to convince any bargain hunter that all of the good bounty has previously been pilfered, but don't be fooled! We snagged our gorgeous vintage desk for $40 and a vintage teak dresser that would make the most ardent Craigslist or Alameda shopper cry giant tears of jealousy....for a measly $60.
The aisles are filled with DIY projects; desks and cabinets waiting to be refinished and chairs to be reupholstered.
Our faithful treasure trove is in the housewares section. Racks of mugs, some tacky some fantastic, piles of pots and row upon row of wooden bowls.
Again, you must be willing to scavenge, but there is plenty of gold to be found, so visit often and look for the discount color tag of the day!
Comments (8)
AT Daily Email
Top House Tours
- House Call: Maggie Mason of Mighty Goods
- Leslie and Adam's Home for Two
- Scott and Marie's Perfectly Put Together Home
- Tara's Tiny San Francisco Hodge-Podge
- Lori and Ken's View with a Room
Top Posts
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
stop. you're making me jealous.
view animalhouze's profile
Hmm.. The one time I went to Thrift Town I was not impressed at all. First of all, it's a pretty seedy block, and you realize that, apart from the hipsters, most of the people shopping are there out of necessity. You need to have 1) patience, to sift through the crap and 2) time. The more time I spent in there though, the more depressed I became, and I could feel a little part of my soul dying.
view spaceagemouse's profile
Sacramento has a few Thrift Towns, too, that are great! Even if there are some people who shop there "out of necessity"! (ew, poor people, gross! and depressing!)
Don't worry, spaceagemouse, there are plenty of places in SF you can shop without fear of coming into contact with those less fortunate than you. Thrift stores in the Mission are probably not among those places, though.
view erica's profile
Wow, I used to have those blue and white sheep sheets when I was a little kid!
view kimskitchensink's profile
jealous. much.
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
who cares if the area around thrift town is seedy? big whoop! why does that even matter? is (thrift) shopping somehow better when the area is cleaned up and non-"seedy"?
also, sometimes, if you want to find gems (in thrifting or in life), you often have to dig, and work at it. and for some of us who are hardcore thrifters, the dig/hunt is a huge part of the FUN. if you don't dig and work a little, you might miss the really good stuff! and there's lots of really good stuff to be found.
i guess it's all in how you look at it...because every single time i go and dig and find amazing things at thrift town, or any other thrift, my soul SOARS. i can't even begin to recount the amazing finds i've uncovered there...it might take too long, and i'm sure some don't have the time or the patience to read it. :P
(but because i can't resist,a teaser: marimekko pillows, an eley kishimoto shift dress, a finnish mohair/wool vintage throw blanket in bright orange/red/yellow, countless pairs of designer shoes from the likes of ferragamo, stunning vintage hats...and that's just for starters).
so, for all those who die a little inside thrift town (or any other thrift) and don't bother to come back because it's too much work...FAB, more for the rest of us! :)
view bitsandbobbins's profile
What are you talking about? Your audience _are_ the hipsters.
view tooluser's profile
Wow, thanks for being meanies, everyone. I think people took my comment the wrong way. I'm not trying to sound like a snob, and I'm well aware of the work and patience it takes to go thrift shopping. In fact, I can be as tenacious as any of you, and I know victorious feeling of finding a real gem is like no other. I shop at the 26th and Valencia Salvation Army all the time, and have no problem with "people less fortunate than me", as you put it. So please don't patronize me because I feel uncomfortable around gangs and drug addicts and people who follow you around muttering obscenities (which I have experience around the Mission Thrift Town)? As for the soul dying, it's the same feeling I get in a Walmart, Costco, office cubicle, etc. They aren't designed to be pleasant places.
view spaceagemouse's profile