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34 L.A. thrift stores where you can find the best vintage, zero-waste holiday gifts

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Thrifting is more than a look. It’s an experience. You’ve got to dig for treasures at some vintage stores, and that’s why it’s so satisfying when you find that perfect one-of-a-kind gift at a fraction of the cost of something new (or overnighted from Amazon).

Over the past year, my colleague Jeanette Marantos and I visited a variety of thrift stores in and around Los Angeles, spanning Whittier to Ventura. Among the irresistible things we found: an exquisitely embroidered $40 silk kimono made in Japan, ceramic Yosemite salt and pepper shakers, a bowling pin lamp, a steel colander coated in avocado-green porcelain enamel and a wealth of turquoise jewelry. A Chanel bag wasn’t cheap, however, nor was a gorgeous midcentury modern teak sewing box from Denmark. Still, it’s fun to look.

Like our list of small independent gift stores in Los Angeles, this is not meant to be a definitive list of thrift stores, just a way to get you started. And if you can’t find anything, don’t worry; you’ll have fun looking.

For the purposes of gift-giving, we have included a few higher-end stores with an emphasis on vintage more than thrift. And if outdoor markets are more your thing, check out these flea markets for even more second-hand gift ideas.

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Happy shopping.

Find the best gifts for gardeners, hikers, surfers, weed enthusiasts, travelers, hosts, food lovers, book fans, white elephant parties and more in this gift guide.

Nov. 2, 2022

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Vintage clothing and accessories at Alien Artifacts
(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times )

Alien Artifacts

Long Beach Thrift store
A mix of old and new, Alien Artifacts offers colorful vintage clothing, quirky retro games and toys — “Home Alone” lunch boxes and “Star Trek” mugs — and a small selection of irreverent home decor, including glass barware and ceramic lamps.
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Jewelry, china and glassware on shelves at All Things and More.
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All Things and More

Sun Valley Thrift store
An overwhelming, chaotic mix of household goods, furniture, clothing and costume jewelry, All Things and More is one of those thrift stores where you have to dig but eventually will strike gold. Zach Alcala, who has run the shop for more than 20 years, added a tarped outdoor area during the coronavirus pandemic where there is currently a huge display of Christmas decor. He also hosts a food drive every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon.
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A woman shops for Midcentury Modern furnishings at Amsterdam Modern.
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Amsterdam Modern

Echo Park Vintage Store
Expertly sourced by owner Ellen LeComte, who obtains her vintage finds from the Netherlands, this jam-packed 10,000-square-foot warehouse can be overwhelming — in a good way — if you’re a fan of Midcentury Modern design.

Shopping is surprisingly easy given that everything has a tag and is clearly marked with dimensions, designer and price. A set of four Arnold Merckx black leather dining chairs were priced at $2,750. A Poul Volther teak dresser was listed as $1,850, and a ribbed Ernst Luthy leather “Turf” love seat was tagged at $7,850.

While the headliner here is vintage furnishings, there is also a wide variety of gift options wedged among the teak dining room tables and chairs, including a selection of gorgeous vintage ceramics.

Despite the dizzying display of goods, the sales staff is incredibly adept in helping you find what you are looking for, whether it’s a Danish modern dining chair or a Modernist coat rack.

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
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Vintage clothing on display at Avalon Vintage
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Avalon Vintage

Highland Park Thrift store
At Carmen Hawk and Rodney Klein’s secondhand vintage clothing store, Iron Maiden T-shirts are displayed opposite delicate crushed velvet gowns from the ’90s and chic Italian clutches from the ’60s. The store also features a wide selection of used records and music memorabilia and regularly buys vintage clothes, used records and music memorabilia from the public.
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Furniture and clothing nicely arranged in a thrift store with wide aisles.
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Bargain Box Thrift Store (Assistance League of Ventura)

Shopping and recreation
The Assistance League of Ventura’s “upscale resale store” is run by volunteers, women who seem committed to making the Bargain Box a place of beauty, with items so artfully chosen and displayed that it feels more like a fancy gift shop than a used-items store. Translation: Prices probably are a little higher here than at other thrift stores, but you don’t have to search so hard to find treasures — they’re carefully displayed in easy view. Expect to find books, CDs, clothing, housewares, art, purses, jewelry, scarves, belts and other accessories as well as a few pieces of furniture.

Note the hours: It is only open two days a week, on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Sweatshirts, T-shirts and clothing hang on walls and display racks.
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The Bearded Beagle

Highland Park Thrift store
Well organized, with items easy to sift through, the Bearded Beagle has a wide selection of affordable vintage T-shirts, sweatshirts, colorful short-sleeved shirts for men and jeans. Also at 4646 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz.
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Vintage clothing, furnishings and artwork at Best of Times in Burbank.
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Best of Times Antiques

Burbank Thrift store
Laree Adel’s longtime Burbank store is overflowing with vintage jewelry and clothing (a vintage Calvin Klein dress was priced at $12), some furniture, including a Morris chair recliner on a recent visit, and records.
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The showroom at Carny Couture
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Carny Couture

Santa Monica Thrift store
Brooke Bailey and Johnny Wiskerchen stock vintage clothing, rugs, baskets and colorful quilts, paintings and silver jewelry from the 1930s in this showroom housed temporarily in a 1950s apartment building in Santa Monica. “I like 1930s and ’40s quilts and textiles, camp blankets, woods and natural fibers,” says Bailey. She also likes romantic Victorian tops, vintage rugs and the Japanese ceramics she sources from estate sales, local flea markets and the Brimfield Antique Flea Market in Massachusetts. Also open by appointment at their West Adams showroom, 4423 W. Jefferson Blvd., Ste 104 (enter on Chesapeake).
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A chess set on a table amid other furnishings and paintings at Casa Victoria thrift store in Echo Park.
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Casa Victoria

Echo Park Thrift store
Among the vintage furnishings in this tiny Echo Park showroom you will find frames and candlesticks, vases and clocks, glass figurines and paperweights and artworks to spare. Some favorite furnishings from a recent visit include a vintage Jacobean chest with four drawers and its original mirror ($495) a spindle leg drop leaf table ($495), Brown Jordan patio chairs and a gorgeous oak and brass chandelier handcrafted in Los Angeles for Fredrick Raymond in 1987 ($495).

Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
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Vintage goods, plants and low-waste sustainable products
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Earthing Earth

Long Beach Thrift store
Located on Retro Row in Long Beach, Earthing Earth is a mix of old and new: selected vintage home decor along with plants, baskets and low-waste sustainable home products.
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Furs, jeans, cowboy boots and vintage dresses at Far Outfit in Long Beach.
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Far Outfit

Long Beach Thrift store
Johanna Moynahan’s Far Outfit, which is located on Retro Row in Long Beach, features a wide selection of cowboy boots, midcentury vintage clothing in bold prints, vintage T-shirts and mink stoles, jeans and eclectic accessories and hats.
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A store full of tchotchkes.
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Gibson

Fairfax Gift Store
It’s easy to get lost in the details of designer Gary Gibson’s showroom. The homey-yet-edgy environment is a good example of what you can’t experience online. See original artworks hung salon style, sink into contemporary furnishings and be amused by the quirky found objects, such as bundles of twine and baseballs. Gibson has a great eye for what makes a statement and knows how to craft high design that feels like it belongs in a home, not a museum.
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Clothing, shoes and accessories in a resale shop
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Gift of Garb

Los Feliz Thrift store
Although Abby Lucas’s resale and consignment shop is devoted to luxury goods — I spotted a vintage Chanel bag for $5,850 on a recent visit — the store also carries affordable designer goods by independent labels Caron Callahan, Mara Hoffman, Lee Matthews and Los Angeles-based Staud, among others. Some items, including jewelry, sunglasses, shoes and bags come with tags and in some instances — a pair of Gucci monogram earrings — original packaging.
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A yellow midcentury sofa inside King Richard's Antique Center in Whittier.
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King Richard's Antique Center

Whittier Thrift store
A favorite with Hollywood set decorators, Chuck and Martha Garcera’s 57,000-square-foot antique mall, housed inside a 1902 historic citrus packing house in Whittier, is billed as California’s largest vintage and antique mall. You could spend all day perusing the four floors, with furniture from the ’50s through ’70s, clothing, housewares and an impressive assortment of oversized midcentury ceramic lamps.

On a recent visit, many of the stalls had a great selection of Midcentury Modern furnishings, including a yellow Adrian Pearsall sectional for $2,550, a Broyhill dresser for $1,250, Eames-style lounge chair and ottoman for $1,200 and a three-piece Corbusier sofa and chairs for $1,850. Fun stuff included a commercial popcorn machine, an Elvis statue and a historic Route 66 clock.

Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Staff will help you load your car and also help you transport oversize goods home through their trusted third-party services.
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Furniture on display outside the Laguna Vintage store
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Laguna Vintage

Shopping and recreation
You can get lost in Laguna Vintage, a small store full to bursting with vintage home accessories, art, jewelry, shoes, clothing, coats, scarves, belts, hats ... just think all things funky cool and you get the picture. And unlike most thrift stores, it has a small dressing room for trying on clothes. A few doors down (on the same block), Laguna Vintage has a showroom full of furniture, but it’s open only by request, so if you’re in the market for furniture, call or text for an appointment.

Open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m. (Note that they sometimes open later on Wednesdays because they’re also working at Ventura’s Wednesday Swap Meet.)
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Clothing on racks and a stack of pillows on a shelving unit outside Lynn's Fun Fashions.
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Lynn's Consignments & Lynn's Fun Fashions

Shopping and recreation
Lynn’s Consignment is chock-a-block with furniture and home furnishings, most of which are used or consignment items. Check out the price tags, which go down 20% each month for two months after the item hits the floor, and use the lowest price. The vibe is very upbeat here, with merchandise organized into rooms and by color, with lots of matching pillows, chairs and artwork on the walls. Behind the furniture store, look for a clean, well-lit store selling good quality used clothing and accessories.

Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
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A glass case full of objects stands behind furniture and paintings.
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Magnolia and Willow

Long Beach Thrift store
This Long Beach antique mall features multiple vendors offering everything from pottery and textiles to jewelry and vintage tablecloths. Fun, quirky items can often be found here, such as a cribbage game in the shape of a whale and a USS Maine pink glass ship candy dish.
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Western goods at a stall in the Mart Collective in Santa Monica.
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The Mart Collective

Venice Thrift store
You’ll never know what you might find at this 16,000-square-foot vintage mall that is a favorite with Hollywood set decorators. From midcentury modern to country classic, more than 100 dealers offer a wide range of items: cowboy boots and hats, Danish Modern furnishings, artwork, costume jewelry, a surplus of pottery and pillows and some vintage clothing.

Open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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A clerk behind a glass case in a store with a large graffiti mural on the wall above him
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Milk Room

Shopping and recreation
The MILK Room specializes in a curated collection of “vintage luxury streetwear” — such as retro T-shirts, vintage sports jerseys or old clothing reworked by L.A.-based artists into new styles, such as a used Golden State Warriors sweatshirt cut and shaped into a stylish crop top ($50). Think of it as part repurposed clothing and accessories and part creative expression.

Open daily from noon to 8 p.m. — come just to check out their store-length mural and the distinctly hip vibe.
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Hats, cowboy boots and clothes at Meow in Long Beach.
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Meow

Long Beach Thrift store
Dig and you will find something special in this Retro Row store — an appliqued 1950s jacket from Mexico, sequined blazers for men, a leopard-print cowboy hat. Like Playclothes Vintage, Meow specializes in vintage and deadstock apparel from the 1920s to the 1990s and identifies each era on clothing labels.
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Jewelry and clothing on display at Native Sol in Long Beach.
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Native Sol

Long Beach Thrift store
This Retro Row store is an eco-friendly lifestyle store offering handmade clothing and jewelry by May Salem as well as selected vintage clothing and apothecary items by local makers.
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Gifts line shelves inside a gift shop
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Phoebe Peacock

Burbank Gift Store
The parasols hanging from the ceiling at Jennifer Hardaway’s charming Burbank gift shop are your first indication that you will find something fun and unexpected inside. Hardway offers a wide variety of goods including her own line of KleanSpa perfume and body products (you can even book a session and create your custom scent based on your personal selections), vintage glassware, candles, incense and home decor. On a recent visit, the store featured an entire wall devoted to tea, including specialty looseleaf types, vintage tea cups, honey sticks and other tea-themed gifts.
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Vintage clothing and accessories at Playclothes Vintage in Burbank.
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Playclothes Vintage

Burbank Thrift store
This vintage emporium is packed with clothing, accessories and housewares from the ’30s to the ’80s. Items such as purses, hats, gloves and bathing suits are grouped by era with, an emphasis on clothing from the ’40s through the ’60s. Home decor spans Victorian to shabby chic, including furniture, lamps, pottery and soft furnishings.
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A showroom filled with furniture and artwork.
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Pop Up Home

East Hollywood Vintage Store
Tricia Benitez Beanum’s three-story luxury vintage showroom on Western Avenue offers goods from the ’50s through the ’80s, with new inventory arriving every week, largely from Europe.

“I wanted it to feel like New York,” Beanum says of the airy third floor, which is filled with curvaceous furnishings in leather, velvet and corduroy. “Everyone is interested in postmodern furnishings right now.” In addition to furniture and accessories, including a wide variety of ceramics, artwork is mixed in with the furniture and decor as part of UNREPD, a gallery devoted to emerging and mid-career artists of color as well as women artists and LGBTQIA+ artists. Beanum also offers custom upholstery.
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stacks of clothes at reDress second-hand clothing store
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ReDress

Atwater Village Thrift store
At the consignment boutique ReDress, sellers offer their previously worn clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry by “renting-a-rack” in the showroom. The goods span high-end designer clothing to affordable pieces from Madewell and Free People. It’s fun to go through the racks and find one you like, especially if one seller’s taste is similar to your own. Dressing rooms are available.
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Ceramics, bentwood chairs and lighting at Salvare Goods in Elysian Valley.
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Salvare Goods

Elysian Valley Thrift store
Artists and art directors Selina Becker and Seth Meisterman opened Salvare Goods in 2014 as a way to offer vintage furniture, lighting, pottery, baskets, clothing, art and custom-made designs to the public.

Their showroom features a mix of Midcentury Modern, postmodern and antiques. There is always a nice selection of lighting, such as El Pato lamps, and quirky accessories. Recent furniture standouts include bentwood stacking chairs, a marble table from the 70s, pieces by Mies Van der Rohe and ladderback rush chairs.
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Midcentury Modern furniture including a metal fireplace in a living room vignette at Sunbeam Vintage.
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Sunbeam Vintage

Highland Park Vintage Store
Although the emphasis here is on vintage Midcentury Modern furniture, owner Iberia Martinez also offers the Modern Collection, midcentury-inspired goods that are made today, and a Sunbeam Exclusive collection of wooden credenzas, benches and shelves that are handmade to order in Los Angeles.

Many of the furnishings in the 6,500-square-foot former movie theater are displayed in period vignettes, including a baroque living room with chandelier and gold lamé walls, a midcentury cabin with an Eames lounge chair, a velvet sofa and fireplace, and a cozy den with a velvet sofa and a Danish Modern wall unit. Custom sofas and sectionals start at $1,395 and are available in more than 100 fabrics. Estimated turnaround is eight weeks.

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
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Books, scarves and knicknacks in a thrift store
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The Attic

Atwater Village Thrift store
In addition to stocking a wide selection of vintage clothing and accessories, including shoes, purses, leather belts, scarves and $6 totes, this Atwater Village shop offers humorous relics such as “The Joy of Sex,” retro telephones and maracas. There’s definitely something for everyone in this jam-packed shop, from crystals and cameras to books and costume jewelry.
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Clocks, leather Converse basketball shoes and more on shelves at a thrift store.
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The Coalition Thrift Store

Shopping and recreation
The Coalition Thrift Store is another of Ventura’s cavernous warehouses filled with every kind of used merchandise and people eager to browse and buy. Donations were coming in so fast that employees were nearly running trying to shelve items, some of which hadn’t even been priced yet, and the line to make purchases reached halfway to the back of the wide, deep store, even with three cashiers at their posts.

This store is short on glamour, but if you can’t find something to buy here you really aren’t trying. Toys, furniture, racks of shoes, old 8-track tapes, a huge wall of books, a separate room for housewares and linens and long aisles of every type of clothes, including designer wear chained on the wall (and priced accordingly, such as the ribbed Chanel mini dress made in Italy for $200). I recently spotted a pair of 1930s-era black leather Converse “All Star” basketball shoes in pristine condition for $1,499.99, but you can also get a Hermione doll complete with shoes, socks, sweater, skirt and Gryffindor robe for $9, perfect-condition woven round placemats for 69 cents each, and an 8-track tape of “The Beatles (The White Album)” for $6. If I’m on a mission to find a specific used item, the Coalition is usually my first stop.

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Sunday, when it opens at 10 a.m.
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Jeans, clothing, bags on display inside a thrift store
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The Curatorial Dept.

Atwater Village Thrift store
Although Wendi Weger specializes in high-end vintage designer goods — an Yves Saint Laurent plaid dress and Farewell Frances patchwork dress were both priced at $498 on a recent visit — there are many affordable smaller items for gift-giving including jewelry, scarves, T-shirts and purses. Don’t miss the $40 discount rack outside the showroom on the way in as well as the potted succulents, in colorful planters, priced at $12 a piece.
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Racks of clothing in a thrift store
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The Lucky Pig

Atwater Village Thrift store
You can always find something unique at Shannon Tonsfeldt’s lifestyle store, from vintage jeans and upcycled T-shirts to the landscape paintings that line the walls.

In addition to womenswear, Tonsfeldt stocks a nice selection of menswear, including jeans, baseball caps and jackets.
In terms of lifestyle offerings, there is a small selection of rugs, knitted afghans, napkins and glassware, plants, books and frames.

Outside is a selection of furniture — spanning Midcentury Modern to wicker — and a rack of discounted clothing.

The sales staff is always friendly and will point out something particularly special, such as the adorable ceramic Yosemite salt and pepper shakers I spotted on a recent visit.
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Racks of clothing, shoes and hats in a thrift store
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The Plus Bus

Highland Park Thrift store
Jen Wilder and Marcy Guevara-Prete opened The Plus Bus in 2016 in an effort to provide second-hand clothing to a community of plus-size women. Step into the Highland Park showroom and you’ll find everything from mini skirts to sparkling evening gowns in sizes 12-28. You’ll also find a terrific selection of denim jeans, shoes, hats, lingerie, jewelry and scarves. While some consignment stores can be overwhelming, the racks are divided by color and style, which makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.
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A stall displays several chairs and lamps at Urban Americana in Long Beach.
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Urban Americana

Long Beach Vintage Store
This 16,000-square-foot warehouse offers vintage items from more than 40 dealers, including Midcentury Modern furniture and a large selection of colorful glazed ceramic metal fireplaces.

The finds on a recent visit included a leather and chrome Wasily chair by Marcel Breuer ($495), a Westnofa dining table with four chairs ($6,995), a pair of rare sculpted Modeline of California lamps ($2,995) and bright-red Eames molded plastic chairs ($220 apiece).

For your al fresco needs, a large outdoor area offers a wide assortment of vintage ceramic planters and outdoor patio furniture.

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
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Clothing, ceramics and furnishings at Venice Vintage Paradise
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Venice Vintage Paradise

Venice Thrift store
Owners Jeanie Reynolds and Sal Torres offer an eclectic mix of vintage goods spanning one-of-a-kind pottery and artworks to vintage clothing, Murano glass and midcentury modern furniture, including a vintage Knoll tulip dining table on a recent visit. The shop is known for its collection of colorful textiles from around the globe, including pillows, rugs and vintage Pendleton blankets.
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