Yes, it’s a lot of tie-dye and hippie-flavored apparel, but the Haight’s deeper legacy pulses beneath the surface. As the epicenter of America’s 1960s counterculture, the Haight embraced bohemian fashion and vintage style long before they were trendy. The sixties saw a radical reimagining of fashion that blended Americana with global textiles, craft embellishments, and natural fabrics. The Haight fostered a fashion ethos rooted in sustainability, quality, and unapologetic self-expression.
A dozen vintage shops now operate along a five-block stretch from Shrader to Masonic, each with distinct selections, styles, and price points. It’s great they’re right next to each other; I can almost always find what I’m looking for and easily compare their offerings.
Some sell beautifully curated vintage pieces from the archives of American fashion, while others focus on handpicked designer or specialty items. At least one qualifies as a traditional thrift store with bargain prices. Leaving aside debates about how to define “vintage,” what most of these stores have in common is a mission to resell high-quality garments from the 2000s or earlier. Some of the best have pieces more than half a century old. Here are my favorite spots:
Decades of Fashion
1653 Haight St, San Francisco, CA
Website