13 Thrift Stores in San Francisco for The Best Bay Area Bargains
Exorbitant rentals and a high cost of living provide fertile ground for second hand markets.
And the groundswell of thrift stores in San Francisco with their eclectic, designer, and one-of-a-kind finds, are no different.
Sure, you can always stop by SF Goodwill, but we’d suggest you get off the beaten Golden Gate Bridge and see what this city really has to offer.
To make the most of your efforts, scroll through our thrift shopping tips (or watch the video below) before you pull a Macklemore and “pop some tags”.
And remember, scoring second hand steals is more than just sifting through a bunch of thrift shops in San Francisco.
Take a peek at the end of the article to see why it makes our planet greener, too.
QUICK LINKS TO THE BEST THRIFT STORES IN SAN FRANCISCO
1. THE ECOCLOSET
About The EcoCloset’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
Going purely off personal reviews, EcoCloset is clearly one of the best thrift stores in San Francisco.
Scouring their range of second hand goodies from electronics, and home goods, to accessories, and clothes, you can build your own eco closet in record time.
They offer tasteful and trendy finds for every budget.
Location: Outer Mission
2. 2ND STREET
About 2nd STREET’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
If you’re a Janapophile, this one’s for you.
2nd STREET makes the cut as one of the San Francisco thrift stores offering the sweetest deals on clothes, bags, shoes, watches, and other accessories.
Hailing from Japan (and where they happen to source the majority of their stock from), they provide unique, on-trend casual and designer clothing.
You’ll only find a few select stores in San Francisco and NYC.
Anything unsold is recycled, used to clean up factory oil spills, or resold to developing countries to create job opportunities.
Location: Haight-Ashbury
3. AFTERLIFE COLLECTIVE
About Afterlife Collective’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
Looking to pull off double-denim ala Bon Jovi or prefer to channel your inner grunge?
Operated by two families, Afterlife Collective has one of the best vintage thrift store collections in San Francisco.
Find ‘80s and ‘90s era t-shirts, sunglasses, jackets, bags, jewelry, and other accessories and you’ll be reliving those Glory Days like the Boss.
Location: Mission District
4. JANE CONSIGNMENT
About Jane Consignment’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
With consignments from a variety of eras, cultures, and genres, there are few better places to find unique women’s fashion, jewelry, and gifts than Jane Consignment.
As one of the more inclusive thrift stores in San Francisco, they also stock sizes 00 to 3X from both designer and mid-tier brands.
If you’re on a budget, be sure to check the $5 and $10 clearance racks.
Location: Outer Richmond
5. HELD OVER
About Held Over’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
It’s no surprise that Held Over is one of the most popular vintage thrift stores San Francisco retro-philes frequent.
Neatly organized with distinctive pieces at affordable prices.
Their eclectic and ever-revolving range includes vintage Military jackets, 1970s sequin dresses, vintage Hawaiian t-shirts, and pretty much everything in between.
Both men and women can find uncommon apparel, accessories, and outerwear, but act fast, because their racks are a moving feast.
Location: Haight-Ashbury
6. RELOVE
About ReLove’s Resale Shop San Francisco
ReLove’s motto is “less waste, more style.”
Serving *lewks* since 2014, they’ve curated a range of designer, vintage, and independent labels.
More than that, they’re also a community space to spark imagination and you’ll be met with warm smiles while you peruse their aisles.
This unique vibe and welcoming atmosphere make them one of the best places to shop second hand in San Francisco near Chinatown.
Location: Nob Hill
7. COMMUNITY THRIFT
About Community Thrift’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
For more than 40 years, Community Thrift has been recognized as one of the standout best thrift stores in the Bay Area.
And not just because their giant pink facade literally stands out on the street.
They’ve helped many a thrifter re-home donated merchandise. Offering a new-to-you range of low-priced kitchenware, furniture, and home decor, as well as antiques, men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes.
Some reviewers also call them the best used book store in SF.
This shop is a certified San Francisco Green Business, and your purchases here will support over 200 Bay Area charity partners.
Location: Mission District
8. CRIS CONSIGNMENT
About Cris Consignment’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
Let’s talk about consignment stores.
Featuring a well-maintained selection of boutique pieces and discount designer clothes, bags, shoes, and accessories, Cris Consignment consistently makes the top of the local lists.
Stop by for high-end brands like Hermes, Chanel, and Christian Louboutin.
Location: Polk Gulch
9. BUFFALO EXCHANGE
About Buffalo Exchange’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
With more than 40 locations around the US, San Francisco has not one but two Buffalo Exchanges—one of which contributes to the popular string of Haight Street thrift stores.
Expect to find hip and trendy clothes and accessories for men and women. Between designer duds, name-brand favorites, and quirky no-name vintage finds, there’s something for everyone.
With their Tokens for Bags program, you can opt to save a bag and instead choose which of three charities to support with the 5¢ donation. Thus far almost $1 million has been redirected to thousands of social and environmental organizations.
Through their annual Earth Day $1 sale, they donate roughly $50,000 to The Humane Society every year.
Location: Haight-Ashbury | Dolores Heights
10. CHLOE’S CLOSET
About Chloe’s Closet’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
If you’re thrifting in San Francisco for children’s clothes, shoes, and toys, Chloe’s Closet is a must-see.
Especially if you’re raising a zero waste baby or attempting to anway.
Expecting mamas can find steep discounts on big-ticket items like strollers, bouncers, and even the odd foot-powered trike.
Dress up your quickly-growing little one in brands like Hanna Anderson, Crewcuts, and Zutano. Prices for these and more are roughly 65-75% cheaper than what you’ll find in retail stores.
They add new items every day and soon maternity clothing will be on offer, too.
Location: Bernal Heights | Lincoln Way
11. OUT OF THE CLOSET
About Out of the Closet’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
Scattered around the country, Out of the Closet has two thrift stores in SF, filled with clothing, books, houseware, and more.
Shoppers can feel especially good about their secondhand steals here since 96¢ from every.single.dollar spent goes towards HIV/AIDS health services.
As a result, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is able to offer free HIV testing, pharmaceutical delivery, and more.
Location: Civic Center | Polk Gulch
12. SUI GENERIS
About Sui Generis Thrift Stores San Francisco
Of all the consignment stores in San Francisco, there are few that will make you feel like the star you are than the award-winning Sui Generis.
Recognized by the likes of Refinery29, GQ, and the New York Times, they’re THE place to get carefully curated items from European luxury designers like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Gucci, as well as hard-to-find pieces from Japanese fashion houses like Comme des Garcons.
Equipped with on-point stylists, men and women can expect not only designer deals, but a personal shopping experience.
Try on clothing, accessories, gowns, shoes, outerwear, and vintage fashion.
Location: Castro / Eureka Valley
13. CROSSROADS TRADING CO.
About Crossroads Trading Co.’s Thrift Stores San Francisco
At a crossroads and need to decide what SF thrift stores to check out?
Definitely add Crossroads Trading Co. to your list.
For 30 years, they’ve been helping conscious shoppers avoid fast fashion by making designer clothes more accessible.
In doing so, customers have access to gently-used designer and name-brand clothing, shoes, and accessories.
All damaged and unsold clothing is donated or recycled.
Location: Duboce Triangle | Japantown | Lincoln Way
WHY GO THRIFTING IN SAN FRANCISCO?
Is San Francisco good for thrifting, is like asking a local if they know the tune to the Full House intro.
San Fran was in fact recently ranked as the 6th-best city for thrifting in the US.
But beyond the thrift appeal of the location, thrifting is a generally good practice.
Americans buy 400% more clothes than merely 20 years ago.
What does that mean for you?
There are a lot of sweet secondhand steals floating around.
Although they’re one of the few cities with a textile recycling program, San Francisco sends 4,500 pounds of textiles to landfills every.single.hour.
Good thing we can team up with these thrift shops to do our part to re-route some of it—all the while dressing in some of that cool, calm, collected Cali style.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST THRIFT STORES IN SAN FRANCISCO
If you’re lucky enough to be a San Franciscan or are flying into SFO anytime soon, add these thrift stores (and these zero waste stores San Fran has to offer while you’re at it) to your itinerary while you cruise around in the cable cars.
Even if you’re far from San Francisco’s steep rolling hills, you can still access a thrift store (including some of these ones) in another way—via online thrift stores.
Feel like you’re in a Golden state of mind after reading about these unique shops?
Share with friends and family the secrets to thrifting San Francisco so we can all enjoy a bit of bay area retail therapy without the environmental cost.
