Aaardvark’s

Aardvark’s is closed and has been for a whole year now. I have no idea why Unilocal REFUSES to change the business info every time I do, but this store location has been bought out by Retro City (Held Over, La Rosa, Mission Thrift, etc) and the new store is called Haight Ashbury Vintage.

I used to come here when I was still in high school and thought it was THE coolest store ever. But we all grow and change. It’s just ok now. Not as many cool finds. And kind of feels like a smaller goodwill, just for clothing. I’ll be back just to check things out, but I have been let down a little. They still have fun stuff to look through and decent enough prices for a vintage-​like store.

i’ve had so many missed chances here.
first visit: decided NOT to purchase a sequin crop top that was perfect because i wasn’t willing to pay what it was tagged (lame excuse). BUT i bought a beautiful pink lacoste sweater!
second visit: arrived after it was closed while on a search for the perfect fur coat. i saw TWO, yes two perfect fur coats prominently hanging. knocked on the door. tried to sweet talk the young man into letting me in to pay cash. i could tell he wanted to, but was strong willed. i wasn’t giving enough cute-​girlness for him. so sad. so so sad.
the place is small but definitely worth the effort to dig through.

I wish I could give more than 3 stars, but I feel like I can never find anything good when I’m in here. Well, that’s not true. I find good stuff but it always turns out to be like $ 45. Or not in my size. Or something else. This is surely not the store’s fault, just my own bad luck, but still!
So, they were closed down for a while, but they are now back in business. Word on the street was someone working there got busted selling coke so they had to shut the store down for a period of time (couple months?). I have no idea if this is true. Can someone confirm? It would certainly explain the $ 45 ‘t-​shirts’. ZING!
*Edit* So, apparently they were closed because the owner had passed away. That gives me a sad. They are now under new ownership/​management, and they have pledged lower prices. Cool, I will be checking back in there sometime in the future.

Open again at long last. They told me that the owner died. It looks a little different under the new management, but it’s the same kooky and inexpensive mix of vintage and costumes.

I was in this store five minutes and found a beautiful 1980s pink and black dress/​nightgown which actually fit me. I’m a somewhat bigger girl (size 12 – 14, and 5’9″), so a lot of vintage clothes aren’t always suited to my body shape. And for only $ 12! Love it. I wish I would have had more time to shop there, but I was just looking for something special to wear to a concert, so I paid the nice man and skedaddled. It looks like there’s something there for everyone.

I discovered this place when I was a freshman in high school at Urban around the block. Halfway through the day my friends and I decided it was absolutely imperative that we wear sequins to our afternoon classes. Aaardvarks hooked it up during our lunch break! Some of the awesomest stuff they have: ridiculous colorful 70s lingerie, really inexpensive vintage fur collars, heart-​shaped sunglasses, 49ers shirts from when they were still good, an incredible selection of silk scarves … and, best of all, an incredibly sexy manager. You can usually find him behind the front counter. Ask him to do his bag trick. It will blow your mind.

Want a members only jacket… come here! They have several in stock. My friend and I have been looking for a while to get a trendy used members only jacket. You know, because all the cool kids are doing it. We stopped by here as we were making out way down Haight. The employees were really helpful and showed us exactly where the jackets were. They also had some pretty cool wigs in here… among other items. If you are in the area i would stop by and check it out.

A little expensive for a thrift store, but you can find some great styles in here.
I got really attached to a $ 15 sweater I saw in the window display one day… two days later I had to come back and buy it.
I am very happy with my purchase.
And their plastic bags are very unique.

I was building an ostrich-​inspired costume, and was unable to find a decent petticoat or any ruffled pantaloons, but Aaardvark’s had everything I needed.
They are a vintage/​used clothes store, so naturally what you find there wasn’t tailored to fit you, but that’s why you try stuff on :)
Awesome store, and the lady behind the counter was very sweet.

I haven’t actually found much here that doesn’t look awkward or ridiculous on me, although it’s a good place to find lacy/​frilly blouses if you’re into that sort of thing. I also found a really awesome dress here once, but usually I walk out empty handed.

Aardvark’s is my go to place for the following:
1. pretty scarves.
2. dreamy nightgowns and slips
great selection and really great prices. I haven’t really bought much else here, but I think they have a larger men’s selection than womens. The staff is friendly, and even those this place is fairly small, they carry an array of items.

All the hippies who tweaked a bit much in their hey-​day shop here.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon I was with a friend looking for a dress to rock at the Great Gatsby party. At the very back corner there is a collection of sequined and 20s style frocks. As I got to the end of the rack I needed I bumped into a hippy also shopping just past the 50s section.
Lauren: This is the extent of our choices because it’s getting further and further down the ages as we progress.
Hippy Lady: Oh but I like these ones. They’re like Pollyanna.
(wide-​eyed look of wonder)
I went to the dressing room to make a decision and suddenly I see my friend’s hand on the wall in the mirror.
Friend: Sorry, I’m not trying to get a peek. There’s just not a lot of room.
I zipped my frock and opened the door and the hippy is on the phone and practically on top of my friend. She interrupts her conversation to look at me and comment.
Hippy Lady: Oh that’s really cute.
(wide-​eyed look)
I took the dress off immediately and left it in the store. Ended up with a dress that was decent and only 10 bucks. With a little doctoring, I’d be the talk of the party.
Aaardvark’s is great but can only be truly enjoyed in the company of friends.

They gave me four dollars off my Anza high school cheerleader sweater because I didn’t need the skirt that came with it (I already have one at home — a fetish from a previous life? Perhaps.)
I was just getting ready to swipe the full twenty bucks on my card when the manager dude dove in and gave me a discount at the last second, Indiana Jones style.
That’s right, this shop makes me spew 80’s pop references left and right.
He did it like this:
«Naw, it’s okay to give her the sweater for sixteen, if she doesn’t want the skirt.»
Material. That’s my new word for «Aw, yeah».

The next time I’m attending a ball in the 80s, I’ll make a stop here first. For that matter, if I decide to get married in the 80s, I’ll go pick up that fabulous 80s wedding dress that I saw at Aaardvark’s. It would have working terrificly for the Unilocal White Party in DC… aside from the fact that that party was on the other side of the country.
If you feel like digging for hours to find something that will probably be dirty cheap, go for it. I couldn’t handle the dusk and the musk, but the cute boy at the register drew my attention away from my constant sneezing.

me: (totally done with shopping on height) yeah, i guess… we can go in… whatever… :[
my cousin: (completely NOT done with shopping on height) oh cool! yeay! lets go!!! :D
me: (poking around trying not to let the thrift shop-​y smell get to me) shop fast girl! hmmm… soft fuzzy cardigans. angora, lambs wool, cashmere. lets see if they fit. (going into miniscule dim dressing room) these fit. perfectly. i wasn’t even going to buy anything! :\
my cousin: those look great on you. you have to buy them :]
me: i know! wheres the register? ;}
update…you will probably need this:

If you come often enough and stay long enough, you’ll find something perfect for a costume…
Most of their items are second-hand…and some are new. Some of the stuff is ridiculously way-​out-​there, and other is just cool for wearing.
Prices = some of it is dirt-​cheap. Others, more expensive than you’d expect. Buyer beware.
Otherwise, please browse here, be careful with the merchandise and enjoy yourselves!

As a confirmed member of Broke Fi Broke, I can’t actually buy fun vintage clothes. But if I could, I would get them here.
The Haight feels so commerical and anti-​hippie to me; hippies do not shop at most of these places because, to reiterate, hippies be po’. But Aardvark’s is still keeping it real, petticoats-​and-​latex-​overalls style.

I’ve been shopping here since used 501s were all the rage in high school. Nowadays I usually stop in for Halloween or Burning Man.
Regardless of my history, this place is cheap, and they have tons of cool stuff. You won’t be wading through a bunch of cheap 5 years out of style crap. I send all my budget constrained friends here for playa shopping.

Aardvark’s is always fun to take a spin through, but I’ve never found much that has seemed particularly wearable. Except for these really great boy scout shirts they have a good selection of. They are super cute on girls!
Anyway the staff here is really nice. Worth checking out for sure.