40 South Street

Very cool shop filled with a nicely organized selection of great vintage finds that have been thoughtfully curated and priced fairly.
I just moved back Boston and was looking for a great vintage store. I’ve found some awesome thrift stores, which are great for when you’re in the mood to comb the racks and find some deals, but I was seeking a true vintage store — one where I can pay a little more so I don’t have to pick through the crap to find the gems. 40 South seemed to deliver.
So why two stars?
I came in with a friend on a Sunday afternoon. There were no other shoppers in the small store, so I was a little surprised that the woman behind the counter didn’t greet us or ask us if we needed any help. No big deal though — I know that working retail on the weekend can be a drag and I’m not a high maintenance customer. My friend and I perused the racks, and pointed out a lot of great things to each other. We found things we liked, but didn’t happen to be the right size or exactly what we were looking for, but I was excited at the overall selection and definitely thought I would come back.
But then when we went to leave, being a friendly human, I waved bye to the woman behind the counter and said «thanks, have a nice day» (despite the fact that she hadn’t acknowledged us) and she looked directly at me, rolled her eyes and said «Yeah»
YIKES! After we left my friend and I went over what just happened to figure out if maybe we said something that might have offended her while we were chatting to each other. Nope. Although we didn’t buy anything, we remarked to each other that things were cute. We didn’t make a mess while we were browsing. We discussed where to grab lunch. That’s it.
At this point I was still planning to come back. I figured I’d leave a 3 or 4 star review and mention the rude employee so that the owner might know that her weekend staff was maybe not so great. But then I check out the Unilocal and see a pic of the owner and it was definitely her working in the shop that day. I have a lot of patience for retail employees — I know its a tough job that doesn’t pay well and you have to put up with a lot. But I was really turned off once I realized that it was the owner who was so rude.
TLDR: Great vintage shop, but I really didn’t like how the owner treated us so I won’t be back.

This place is a gem. A well-​curated shop with high quality vintage items and good prices. The front is all women’s clothing and the back is all men’s. The owner is also really nice. One of my favorite vintage shops in Boston.

The best vintage store I’ve been to since moving to Boston from California 1.5 years ago. I miss California — but definitely thankful for this place.

This store used to be called Gumshoe and it was the place in the early 90’s to find eclectic T’s ;rock t-​shirts and small to medium men’s button down vintage shirts-​they also had the best edited selection of levi cords and vintage jeans at great prices. There was NOT a great amount of stuff for the girls. I always loved wearing cords and cool t-​shirts so I always loved going with my boyfriend.
Well Hilken Mancini has taken the gem that was Gumshoe to a Whole Rockin new level-​this store is fun and organized and clean-​I have never seen an item with a stain in ten years of going there. I once brought a 70’s white leather jacket that I tried on, saw it was 35 $ and immediately brought it up to the counter only to have Hilken painstakingly point out every flaw in the lining and a small tear in the pocket. This is not because she knows me-​we have mutual friends that go back 20 years-​this is because she puts 100% of herself into everything she does, including owning and running 40-​she has the eyes of an artist, swirly dazzling seeing more than most people ever do and this store is what the DIY spirit that she embodies looks like when a project is well executed. Not everyone is gonna appreciate it or even like it.
it is sort of like Kathleen Hanna. Hilken is Boston’s Kathleen Hanna but her voice is a bit different. Come as you are to her store. I bet you will leave with something great!

Ok so I read all reviews including the negative one before I went into the store. I was selling some vintage items. I called and left a message per the sales person who answered the phone. After 3 days did not get a phone call (ok I get you’re busy so I didn’t find this offensive) so I stopped in. Owner was rude, kept cutting me off when I was just asking if my items would be something she would carry. I will not be back. Having been a business owner for over 20 years I was never abrupt or dismissive with anyone who graced me with their presence. Dont care dear how tired you are or how hot you are. Be Nice. It’s Free

Disregarding the insulting «review» below (damn, maybe you had a bad experience due to your poor outlook on other people? Just a thought.)…
There aren’t many vintage options here in the city and this is one of my favorites. Eclectic selection, there’s always something new to see. It’s 60s and on, very clearly, and the selection is seasonal. They also have loads of men’s stuff!
Tiny little shop, so you know everything has been picked thoughtfully, which I like. Not like G.D. which is just a hit or miss grab bag of whatever they’ve had donated at the time and is mostly actually junk.
Staff has always been sweet and helpful when I have questions about things or where to possibly find other things I’m looking for.
I alwayyyysss end up buying something when I come here, sorry, bank account.

I’ll never come here again.
I finally had time in my schedule to pay a visit to some of the vintage stores in the area. After leaving Bobby from Boston empty handed, I thought that maybe this place would be able to help me.
The items in this store are 60s counterculture and onward. I was really hoping to find 20s through 50s clothing, so I kept looking through the racks. No dice and some of the clothes were stained in such a way that, while I understand the point of used clothing, you wonder if there’s any sort of standard as to what is taken and what isn’t. All of the shoes were too big for me and I saw an adorable basket purse, but the inside had holes, crumbs, a massive ink stain, a white stain, and the smell of moldy milk. I thought about buying it and trying to salvage the inside somehow, but it was a lost cause. A tragic one, at that; That purse was adorable and I’ve been looking for a basket purse for ages.
I feel as though I should have shown up here dressed like I fished my clothes out of the dumpster known as The Garment District, because the person behind the counter seemed unfriendly and when I thanked them for helping me with my purchase, I got a «Yeah.» in the most passive aggressive way possible. Yet, someone who showed up after I had was greeted kinder and looked like crap. I really hate that pretentious, Hipster attitude where if someone is dressed nicely, you feel warranted to treat them like shit. You aren’t superior to anyone else for buying people’s used hand me downs, guys.
The woman behind the counter seemed unwashed and on drugs and I’m not even saying that because I had a bad experience. She had the type of eyes where you can just tell, if you’ve had people in your life who have been strung out.

I love this place. I’ve been by it many times and finally went in.
First, the music they place is GREAT! Makes me wanna hang out. The clothes are fantastic; tons of women’s and men’s too. I got a nice pair of frye boots for the fiancé.
The staff is super friendly and no attitudes; nice change from some vintage stores.
I love the jewelry here; big selection, funky, fun, and very fairly priced. I would go back for that alone. :)

Stumbled upon this place today and had a great shopping experience! The service was helpful without being invasive or pushy, and the layout was organized, with pieces from different decades, in good condition. I walked out with the perfect dress for a wedding i’m attending, and a couple of other items I couldn’t resist! Definitely returning: D

Adorable little store packed with vintage, consigned, and retro-​inspired goodies. The front of the store has the women’s selection, the back part of the store has the men’s selection.
You step into the store and they currently have their dresses easy to peruse on 4-​armed racks grouped by size. Most looked like they were from the 1940s-​1970s and many had belts paired hanging off the hanger hook. All very wearable. There was an adorable baby blue dress with a bright blue bird print that a little too big for me. On the left were sweaters, shirts, and skirts and a sale rack. On the right were shoes and jackets. Some of the shoes I checked out were in like new condition, no scuffing on the soles! However, overall the selection for petites was pretty limited.
The men’s selection was bigger with shirts, sweaters, vests, jackets, ties, and jeans. Prices were moderate and pretty affordable. The sales associate was very nice and friendly. An excellent reason to make the trek to JP.

I was so excited to go to this place after reading all of the reviews and I was disappointed.
I get that it’s a second hand store so the stock is constantly changing but I didn’t realize how small the store is! It’s hard to have good luck when the selection is small. I didn’t find anything I was even tempted to buy and I was a little bummed.
As for selection — when I went there were a LOT of 80s or vintage looking sweaters. Also a fair number of shorts. Not a lot of dresses (boo!) and it’s hard to reach the boots to try them on — they’re high up on a shelf (like I said, space is at a premium).
If you’re looking for jackets/​coats and dresses, might not be the place for you. Sweaters that look like my 3^rd grade picture — you’re in luck. Or maybe I just went on a bad day.

At first, I meekly tip-​toed into the front room, but I soon realized that the real adventure was in the back: a room full of jeans in all sizes, all fits, and most standard colors! This room alone made the trip worth taking. Many boutiques and department stores never have this many options!
Outside of jeans, the rest of the clothes for the masculine-​ly inclined are within the gray space of urban twentysomething-​year-​old street clothes. Nothing to write home about, but again the selection is great and the prices aren’t too bad either. The space is tight for sure, but most folks were respectful and the dressing rooms were fine.

Probably the best vintage clothing store in Boston. Specializing primarily in 60s and 70s clothes, this little hole-​in-​the-​wall has a pretty excellent selection, and will arm you in plaid shirts forever.
Prices are pretty reasonable, and they frequently have 50% off sales. If you’re looking for something specific, ask the staff, because apparently, there is a huge warehouse somewhere where they store the majority of the year 1965.

AWESOME STORE. :D
I stumbled upon this store while reading Unilocal 2 Friday’s ago and I was surprised to see so many 5 star reviews. That alone convinced me to check it out so I called the store and was given detailed directions to get there from Back Bay. I hopped on the 39 bus that took a whole hour! Luckily, I still had an hour left to shop.
The small store had the women’s section in the front packed with shirts and skirts neatly hung and racks of dresses organized by size. There is a good selection of vintage boots also organized by size that looked really nice. I grabbed a few pieces to try on in the dressing room and there are two. I then ventured into the back to sift through the men’s section for my boyfriend, and boy oh boy, so many shirts to choose from! I love shopping for him and I was truly amazed at all the options for guys!
Sam, the guy who was working, showed me the back room where they keep the men’s vintage denim, jackets, courduroys, and cut offs. There were stacks upon stacks to choose from, you really could spend a few hours trying on colors and sizes. He was so friendly and also helpful when I asked for his opinion on which denim jacket to get for my boyfriend. He tried them on, explained what he thought was cooler, and asked me what type of fit my bf’s style was.
I picked up a vintage navy blue polka dotted dress (which recently came in and I was told another girl had wanted to put on hold, but they don’t do holds) and a new necklace for myself. For the boyfriend, I picked up a blue gingham short sleeve button up for $ 14 (also newly brought in) and a vintage medium blue Levi’s denim jacket (discounted for $ 38). Prices are very reasonable and there seem to be sales going on all summer but more so for older items. All in all, rad shopping experience and worth the long bus ride and the sweat poured out digging for treasures!

LOVE THIS PLACE.
The people who work here are very sweet, and the clothes! Oh, the clothes! Beautifully curated selection of vintage clothing and accessories. The cowboy boot/​leather jacket section is great too. 40 South has been 5 stars ever since it got more normal hours and a credit card machine. Amazing little store!

So, I went in here the other day expecting something pretty kick-​ass, and was mildly disappointed. I LOVE that they actually have their clothes organized by size, but I didn’t find anything that I liked. Maybe I just went on a bad day, but everything on the racks was… frumpy. Not the cool vintage finds I was hoping for.
BUT…the boots! Oh, the boots! If only I didn’t have such giant feet, I would have bought lots and lots of boots! They were cheap, high-​quality, and in great condition. There were even plentiful sizes. Just no 11s…

So this place is pretty dope. I always find something. The vintage clothes are great. The place is kind of small but stocked full of everything you can imagine. I also found boots that I had been looking for forever. I walked in and there they were! The place is also in a sweet location as it is in between my work and house.
Awesome!
Go here :)

This is by far one of the best vintage clothing shops EVER. The clothes are so unique and such good quality. The best thing about it is that the prices are very resonable — I vertnure to even say a bargain! I’ve bought sunglasses, pants, a wallet, belts, necklaces, etc and would have paid more for every item.
The people who there there are super friendly too and they dont try to push items on you… they’re honest if you ak their opinion.
I bought a vintage wallet that had a pen mark on it, and wihtout me even mentioning the mark, the lady helping me made it 50% off because of the pen mark (i didnt even notice it!). Everyone is so great and they get new stuff in all the time.
If you like unique vintage clothes, you’ll never go anywhere else.
I love love LOVE this shop.

I would waste money here any day. All of the stuff they have to offer is great. I am a big fan of the dresses but they are usually too long for me so i’ll hesitate on buying them due to the future work of the hemming and the sewing i’d have to do. Great accessories and boots. and they have a huge men’s section! When I dropped by last weekend they had opened The whole back room up and turned it into an extended men’s section. 50’s, 60’s cardigans and dresses here are just waiting for you to add them to your wardrobe.
It’s totally worth the lame bus ride out to Jamaica Plains to go see what they’ve got to offer. Then while you’re out there you can enjoy all the other fun and cute things Jamaica Plains has to offer :)

Forty South Street is the hybrid of former menswear shop Gumshoe meets Hilken Mancini’s feminine vintage wonderland. Whereas before the Gumshoe hours were sporadic and weekends-​only, Forty South Street has expanded hours: Thursday-​Sunday. Finally a real life vintage store in Jamaica Plain where women’s stuff isn’t some haphazard find (Boomerang’s). I love, love, love the menswear here, though I can’t wait to see what incredible womenswear pops up.
Oh, and there’s always an amazing soundtrack to shop to. Get brunch on Sunday and head over to Forty South St. to buy your afternoon ensemble. Gumshoe had amazing sales; I hope this place keeps up the generosity.