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20 Twenty

4.5 star rating
based on 18 reviews

Categories: Art Galleries, Thrift Stores, Used, Vintage & Consignment

Neighborhood: Ballard
5208 Ballard Ave NW
(between N 20th Ave & Vernon Pl)
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 706-0969
Hours:

Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Good for Kids:
Yes
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18 reviews for 20 Twenty

Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of Jacob D.

 

8

9

Jacob D.

Portland, OR

5 star rating
10/30/2009

I love, love, love visiting this store when I find myself in Seattle. It is staffed by a collection of the most sincere, friendly, warm people that Seattle has to offer, it's racks are filled to the brim with delicious vintage finds (( how the crap do they keep it stocked? )) including crazy designer brands from the 60's-80's at prices that remind me of Chicago. It's like a carefully cultivated thrift store....none of the fluff, all of the stuff. All of the time.
Plus? Extra double plus cool accessories made by local nice people.
AND? The art shows here at top-notch. Who curates this stuff?
Please go here if you live in/ visit Seattle. You will not be disappointed.

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Photo of cathy g.

 

374

992

cathy g.

Seattle, WA

1 star rating
10/29/2009

### An hour after my review which is not good and a major bitch out from the owner 2 5 star reviews magically appear. He has a nic e shop. Bad customer service and fake reviews hurt that  business. ####Bleah!
I saw a warm angel hair sweater from the window and noticed the neat racks. I came  in and got a desultory hello.

The stuff is excellent quality, not too crowded and everything is clean.
I was looking for a few things - no help.
I'll go yelp.
Off to another store.

**** NOTE*** Got a LENGTHY PM from owner. It is his store and he is upset. Well F it. Say hello like you mean it.
I am not int he business of teaching people customer service. I am in the business of enjoying my life and applying for jobs and I give excellent customer service. That sweater was cute. How much was it?

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Photo of Jamie B.

 

6

14

Jamie B.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
10/29/2009

My favorite typewriter came from 20twenty.  They usually have such a good collection of typewriters that I want more, even though I really don't need them.  They also usually have a bunch of Polaroid cameras looking for a loving homes.  Again, tempted.  

I enjoy the artwork that frequents the walls. (I had the opportunity to be in the Polaroid show a while back.)  Joel, the owner, was great to work with and very passionate about his shop and the show.  

As far as the clothing, there are some good finds to be found- vintage t-shirts screen printed with various designs.  

Mostly though, it's the feel of the shop that I enjoy.  Laid back and fun. Even if I can't afford to buy something I pop in for a little inspiration.

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Photo of seth t.

 

0

2

seth t.

King, WA

4 star rating
10/29/2009

This shop reminds me of the vintage clothing shops in Japan that carry only American vintage clothing. Where do they get this stuff? The way that it is curated is cool - sort of like if you took Seattle Grunge and crossed it with the costume trailer from the set of 'Revenge of the Nerds'.  

So get your vintage duds here for cheap - if the kids in Japan are doing it, you know its got to be cool.

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Photo of Janis H.

 

7

20

Janis H.

Kirkland, WA

3 star rating
8/31/2009

An enjoyable stroll down memory lane, but the fashions were a little too period 80's for me. Despite what others think, there ARE things that should NEVER be resurrected from the closet. Can you pull off the irony of an abstract flourescent colored tee shirt and floral print/princess waist-line jumper dress without looking like you wandered in from the nearest homeless shelter?

If you can do that, gawd love ya. GO to this store!

(But I am taking 20 Twenty's iconic tee shirt advice to heart regarding some of the fashions on the racks:  "It IS dead, whatever it was")

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Photo of Matthew M.

 

0

31

Matthew M.

King, WA

5 star rating
10/30/2009

im not fashionable, but i run with a flashy crowd.   so when i need a new shirt, i go to 20 20 and usually find something me in a few minutes.  hard to do anywhere else. fair prices, cool art work,  cool neighborhood, joel is a good guy...best vintage place in town.

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Photo of Kimberley D.

Elite '09

187

493

Kimberley D.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
3/25/2009

Update: I went to visit the physical store and it too is quite cool. It's a mixture of new clothes and vintage. Some of the vintage ones have also been screenprinted with 20twenty designs and some are just random cool stuff.

My experience with this store was actually via their etsy mail order (http://www.etsy.com/sh...). The clothes were great and the service very friendly. Then I learned there's now a full store in Ballard, so I plan on checking it out ASAP.

I bought a shirt for my boyfriend from their etsy store and it's great... stylish, cute, and soft. He's fond of it and it looks good. They have clothing for men, woman and children as well as accessories. The designs are screenprints of things like bikes, polaroid cameras, modern geometric line art, snakes, etc.

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Photo of Amanda B.

Elite '09

88

116

Amanda B.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
9/8/2008

Hello?  I love you.  Won't you tell me your name?

Vintage rules.  There's nothing better than finding a really cute dress that fits, is affordable and even better, one of a kind.  It makes me want to punch a Norbot out of sheer glee.  I love the selection of truly pretty typewriters, ironic vintage t-shirts and even new handmade items like silkscreened t-shirts.  Last but not least, adorable vintage kids clothes, so you can dress your hipster spawn in equally cool duds.

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Photo of terrell m.

Elite '09

155

426

terrell m.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
4/16/2007

Found some shirts in here I would love to own, but couldn't make myself pay the price. Something about shelling out more money than the shirt sold for in the 70s. But, I admire the artistic touches they add to the vintage clothing.

Eventually I'll probably break down and buy something. There are definitely some good buys if you look hard enough. Not your average junk/thrift store, for sure!

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Photo of Chris B.

 

2

65

Chris B.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
1/13/2009

I like to imagine myself writing a great novel on a beat up typewriter I would buy from here. In a small room above a garage. In the winter, with a dog at my feet. I actually don't know if they sell the typewriters, but they are cool to look at (most useful review, ever). I also love the old books that were made into sprial bound notebooks.

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Photo of Ginger B.

 

10

27

Ginger B.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
12/12/2006

"It's Dead....Whatever It Was."

This was emblazoned in sketchy black silkscreen ink on the first tee-shirt I saw from 20 Twenty...on a rack they shared with OkOk Gallery at Bumbershoot 2005.  This store/gallery/hangout that seems to refuse to be categorized has since become one of my favorite places to spend the cash for which I daily sell my soul to Paul Allen.  The shop is located on the apparently hip Ballard Ave, right across the street from the Tractor Tavern and Hattie's Hat, occupying a simple, hospital green room with more going on in it than an Everything bagel.

What you'll find:  ultracool silk-screened tee-shirts designed by local artists/designers; vintage clothing, accessories, and shoes for guys, gals, and small fry; journals from Olympia's ExLibris Anonymous; jewelry and accessories made by local crafties; vintage clothing silk-screened or embroidered by local crafties; vintage typewriters and cameras; vintage neckties updated with silk-screened images; monthly rotating art shows by local artists, with amazing (and affordable!) art; a sweet staff of artsy/musicy/awesome-type people you instantly want to be friends with.

What you won't find:  anything that you wouldn't want to own, bad attitudes, and anything that you can find at Wal-Mart .

Over the past year, my 20Twenty shopping adventures have net me: two vintage silk-screened  ties (one with a camera, another with a bicycle), 3 vintage men's western shirts (so I can embroider sea monsters on them for my best friends), an eel-skin vintage clutch, two paintings by Sarah Sandman, at least 6 tee-shirts with an array of silk-screened designs (robots, planes dropping riffs not bombs, people with umbrellas, etc) , a place to take my friends to impress them, a never-fail gift idea center, connections with local artists, and a few  cool friends on the staff.

They're open from 11 to 7 pm Mon - Sat, and 11-5 Sun.  I suggest going in the evening on a Second Saturday of any month (they're open late for art walk) when the new art comes in and the PBR is flowing.  They still have those dead monster shirts, too.  =)

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Photo of lucy n.

 

1

10

lucy n.

New York, NY

5 star rating
5/26/2007

Double thumbs up to this little vintage/second or third time around clothing shop. Pretty equal amount of inventory for men and women as well as some pieces for the little ones. They print there own fantastic shirts and have a great selection of vintage funkiness.. definitely on the hipster end of things.
I love picking up a mystery bag as a gift..who knows what they'll get.

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Photo of Jami M.

 

4

47

Jami M.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
4/23/2008

Super great vintage pieces, lots with silk-screened images on them.  I got a great 80's shirt with a Polaroid camera silk-screened on it.  As said before, the staff was really nice and not "too hip for you".  Very clean and organized, shirts were $10-20.

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Photo of Tiffany S.

Elite '09

180

413

Tiffany S.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
12/13/2006

Ran down for the groovy t-shirts. Found two for Christmas presents. Graphics are cool though you have to look at each t-shirt style cuz they're not all the same. Prices were not too crazy though there were some things that seemed like a big splurge. Service was excellent and helpful. What a great little find! If I had kids I would totally buy a vintage coat for them here!

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Photo of N. T.

 

0

1

N. T.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
3/28/2009

Amazing  collection. Joel knows best. He can even find foam cowboy hats! POW! Good people!!!!

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Photo of Chloe H.

 

46

143

Chloe H.

Seattle, WA

4 star rating
3/19/2006

It's on 20th Ave NW and everything they sell is right around twenty bucks!  Get it?  I checked this place out on my lunch break last week, and will definitely be back.  The premise is that they hand pick a bunch of super-cute vintage items, many of which have been  personalized or screenprinted by indie designers.  Very hip, but without the big pricetag of places like Blackbird or Velouria.

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Photo of erica e.

 

9

9

erica e.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
2/13/2008

All of my boyfriend's signature pieces come from this wonderful boutique!!!  And they carry my favorite local handmade skin care line (Eva's Essentials)  This place is better than a basket of kittens!

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Photo of Cheryl L.

 

1

11

Cheryl L.

Bothell, WA

5 star rating
5/24/2008

I am kind of a typewriter nut, and they are strangely hard to find in Seattle. You're probably thinking all the local Value Villages and whatnot are filthy with old Remingtons and Royals, but you'd be sadly wrong about that. However, 20Twenty had not one typewriter, but four, and I was very impressed. In addition they had an assortment of cool old Polariod cameras, and although Polaroid no longer makes the film in the United States, 20Twenty still stocks it. Where else are you going to buy Polariod film these days, I ask you?

I approve. Plus the clerk was nice and didn't give me hipster thrift attitude. Yay.

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