Therapy
Categories: Men's Clothing, Women's Clothing [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission545 Valencia St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 865-0981
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sat 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 10:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
39 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"Really cute clothing boutique. Cool music playing on the stereo too. Saw a really cute dress in the window. Stopped in. Checked the price…" read more »
163 Reviews for Therapy
So the clothes are expensive, but cheaply made. It is usually a hot mess inside. But they do have good ($$$$$$$) handbags, and a great card/book selection, I just can get the same shit at H&M or Urban for cheaper.
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I don't come here for the clothes--I'm not a skinny hipster--but I do enjoy ogling the handbags and perusing the selection of gifts and jewelry. They have a small, but awesome, offering of greeting cards and I can usually find one or two books that I want but don't need. They have lots of items that would make good white elephant gifts and they usually have some cool pieces of jewelry. If only they had the typewriter key necklace with a 'K'--they never have my letter!
If I am going to spend a bunch of money--a lot of their stuff is kind of expensive for what it is--I'd prefer to go next door to their sister store and buy some art for my apartment, rather than knick-knacks I don't need.
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If you are a boy who is true to their size, Therapy is not a good place to be. Their clothes are mostly in size large and x-large, with very tight-fitting Cheap Monday jeans and cute Paul Frank underwear. Otherwise, it is not very promising. However, the women's clothing is incredible and much more diverse in terms of size, though I honestly cannot offer any specifics.
Otherwise, there is some typical boutique finds, such as Miso stuff and greeting cards, Betseyville bags, and Uglydolls. Whatever.
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OK, so the Place is hella hip. If you're a hipster college student with loaded parents, go there, it's for you. I think the clothing is extremely cute but having an AA in fashion design I know they definitely aren't worth the prices. I would rather go home and make it myself.
However, I love the nick knacks! my boyfriend recently had a birthday and I went there to get a gift bag and a card since I was going to give him a random bag of cute stuff (kinda like a stocking stuffer bag.) I had already purchased stuff to give him but I was sucked in while looking at all the cute stuff that I just HAD to buy him. Unlike the clothing, all the nick knacks where totally affordable. When I went to the counter the sales person was very cheery, friendly, helpful, and talkative. I like that, she put me in an even better mood! Definitely worth checking out.
I finally made my way into this boutique after hearing such great things about it. Lots of fun books, cheap jewelery, and a great selection (organized by color- YES!!! just like my closet) of clothing.
Great place to go if you are looking for a special occasion dress, but don't want to spend money. Oh, and love the shoe selection- tons of cute flats! And, need a hand bag? Great selection of Hobo's.
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SUPER COOL! excellent selection of knick knacks, wonderful clothes (for those with some fresh steez on a budget), kool kicks... i go whenever i am in the area!!
need a cute dress for a party? therapy. need a sexy top for a date? therapy. wanna spend the dough that you don't have? therapy.
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Honestly, I am really just over the expensive hipster thing. I went into Therapy with my girlfriend to find her a dress, and me a new pair of jeans. Not only was everything incredibly expensive, but the girls there could not have tried any less to help us. I felt like it was some horrible living myspace fashion show with the sales associates as the stars. For someone who does H.R. for a living, I recommend this place step it up a notch.
The racks were disorganized and dizzying, the prices, again, were insulting, and the all around pretentious snobbery was too much.
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Dating Advice for guys:
A smart guy who actually likes girls and wants to attract them would come here and ask the friendly, well-dressed sales girls for suggestions.
I spend a lot of time at my boyfriend's bar watching guys fail over and over again at picking up girls, and the two guys I notice never fail also happen to have the best style of all of the guys in the room. I also happen to know that both of these guys have and do shop at Therapy.
Yes, it's a little on the pricey side, but just as they say you dress for the job you want, not the one you have, the same goes for girls. If you show up to a bar on a Friday night wearing a Wal-Mart quality shirt, you're going to attract Wal-Mart quality girls.
You spend at least $50 on your video games (unless you buy them used) and let's face it, such a purchase only decreases your chances of getting laid and/or meeting your dream girl. That's roughly the cost of a shirt from here, which you can wear time and time again, increasing your chances of catching all those fish in the sea of love.
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Helllooooo sale rack. I'm cheap but even their cheap stuff is friggin' awesome. Lots of fun trinkets and what-not, great place to go gift shopping.
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Sucks finding parking at the SF location, Burlingame is a long drive...BUT I'D STILL MAKE IT TO BOTH and walk out with a BUNCH of cool stuff.
Their purses are a little on the pricey side, but everything else is cool. Salespeople are helpful and friendly. Show up early, shop for a LONG time, then grab a late lunch somewhere near by. Bring your friends, you'll have a blast!
The sale rack is RIDICULOUSLY cheap. Please go here the next time you need a last minute outfit for a night out with your peeps. It beats the long lines and mess at Nordie Rack!
I like all the random knicknacks for sale here- magnets, stuffed toys, things you don't need but end up wanting. The store's a bit small and crowded which makes moving around the clothing racks a bit difficult. But it's a great place to stop in to see what's new.
The staff is friendly but the last time I was there, they didn't really deal with a mentally unstable guy who wandered into the store yelling obscenities very well. The situation escalated (unnecessarily in my opinion) because a salesperson yelled back at the guy, resulting in the poor girl in line in front of me booking it to the back of the store after the unstable guy threatened to shoot someone. Maybe she was visiting from the suburbs...
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ORIGINAL REVIEW (July 5th, 2008): (* - ****) 1 of 5 stars.
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One star for having nice things to look at, minus four stars for not having any normal human sizes. For men, everything is a large. Good luck evening finding a medium. And what I needed was a small. Nothing is worse than looking at a bunch of great design shirts and finding out nothing fits you. If you're a small guy, or just a guy who likes to wear smaller clothes, don't waste your time here. It has fun other hipster toys to play around with, but if you want clothes, keep searching yelp.
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ADDED CONTENT: (revised July 6th, 2008) (**** - *) 4 of 5 stars.
So today I received a Yelp email from the Store owner, I'll keep it private for their own privacy, but it was definitely apologetic, positive, and friendly. I thanked them for their kind reply and agreed to have it forwarded to the Valencia Store Manager. (They take Yelp reviews very seriously).
LATER THAT DAY:
I received an email from the Store Manager who was also apologetic for my experience. She offered me 15% off my next shopping visit, no questions asked. Because of this, I've upped my rating to 4 - 5 stars (appropriately "Yay! I'm a fan." which sounds more enthusiastic).
The day I finally purchase something (like a small fashionable shirt (not found on the clearance rack)) I'll be sure to revise my review to 5 - 5 stars.
Needless to say, the custom service has more than exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to return and have a nice chat. Not many places would take the time of day to read a Yelp review and go out of their way to respond. These guys definitely rock.
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As a guy, I've yet to buy any clothes here. The selection is small and--let's face it--overpriced, but all my gal pals always seem to find something of interest in the form of a dress or a cute top or what have you. So usually I end up perusing the knick-knacks and curios, the abundance of which makes Therapy the perfect "oh shit I need a random birthday present for a second-tier friend ASAP! Bacon flavored gum? Fake mustaches? Rosie the Riveter action figure? Sweet!" type place. Also I've noticed that, for an ostensibly "hip" store at the very nexus of hipsterdom (Val & 16th), the staff is incredibly friendly, helpful, and void of attitude or snark.
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I bought my friends some bacon mints and a bunch of magnets shaped like drug paraphernalia for his birthday. I also bought him a really gay card.
If you are a hipster, or just feel like dressing like one, then you should shop here, too.
You should also shop here if you like dumb crap or really expensive body lotion.
I do. My birthday is in January. I also like little plastic figures that do absolutely nothing, over-sized playing cards with stupid pictures on them, finger puppets, and little boxes of gum that say witty phrases. Also, fake plastic pieces of sushi. Because you can suck on them for a long time and they don't make you fat.
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Take my credit cards away. Seriously.
This is like the billionth shopping review I've written in the past month, and this is KILLING ME.
You see, this store is located on the very trendy Valencia corridor and I pass by it when I'm on the way to church, on the way from church, on the way to get a burrito, on the way back from getting a burrito....you get the picture.
In addition to their chic furniture boutique next door, they have great clothes here, similar vendors as some of the other boutiques in the city (surprisingly? or not surprisingly? IN THE MARINA) but a little bit cheaper. I love their gifts section, and they have a great selection of cheapy cheap sunglasses. Great shoes and bags too....which means I AM SO NOT ALLOWED TO BE IN HERE UNTIL 2010!!
My accountant says so.
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Prices were fair to high for the merchandise. A lot of these items are things you can't get at the mall and the fashion is pretty trendy. I liked shopping through their hat section. Their mens clothing options I can imagine them being referred to as "hipster" but eh whatever it is what it is.
This is a neat store for guys or girls to visit, and gave off the vibe of a smaller, more sophisticated urban outfitters (because of the home, men, wmns, and books/cards/media stuff). Was young, modern, and definitely not for the broke.
Cute dresses in the ladies section and lots to choose from. Store had sale racks too.
I ALWAYS find something in here.
Not such a good deal for me when I've had one too many fancy drinks next door at Ramblas and then stumble into Therapy which seems to always be open. Seriously, when does this store close?
They have everything a little drunkie needs be it a new super cute locally made necklace, overpriced forever21 quality clothes from Tulle & BB Dakota, a new hand bag, SHOES, scarves, hats(IE: a rad beret you never knew you must own!), a trinket to bring home for BF, or my favorite Therapy purchase of all time, a vintage brass & black onyx ring re-worked by local San Francisco artist Jan Michaels.
So thank you Therapy for your late, late hours and for your continued support of tipsy shoppers like myself who feel the need to make mandatory unnecessary purchases following overpriced dinners in the Mission. Cheers!
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Two words sum up Therapy for me -- THE SHOES!
Yes, they have adorable little presents, purses, accessories and even clothes, but -- THE SHOES!
Ladies, if you need a pick-me-up, you know where to go. Shoes are still a girl's best friend, after all.
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i love therapy. to start, they have a lovely smattering of everything i could ever want when on a mini shopping spree- lovely greeting cards from small presses, cute jewelery, adorable clothes, and trendy reasonably priced shoes. AND, they have funny hours and seem to always be open when i'm waiting for my table at one of the nearby restaurants. fun times.
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Pretty much everything here is adorable.
Cute knicky-knack present-y things of the ironic and kitschy variety. Wonderful selection of coffee-table, art, photography and food books. And plenty of really cute hats, accessories and shoes that are reasonably priced. This is a great place to buy last-minute gifts (hostess, birthday, whatever).
But the real reason I love Therapy is that I have this disease. I'm not sure it's a recognized medical condition, but it might as well be. I both need sunglasses if I'm going to be out in the sun for any length of time, and lose said sunglasses with an eerie frequency. This could get expensive. But Therapy has super-cheap, yet very cute sunglasses, even to fit my very small face. Awesome! Problem solved. I'm so pleased I don't have to resort to buying eyewear at Walgreens (not that I haven't, but I'd really rather not).
What fun! I stopped in for a look around and enjoyed both sides of the store. Their collection of home decor was so unique and fun. The other side had cute cards, novelty items, toys, and lots of clothes and accessories in the back. I will definitely be back when it's gift-giving time.
Therapy, just when I needed you! My feet were soaked on a soppy San Francisco Saturday evening last fall. It was a poor decision on my end to wear slip-on shoes that day. Anyway I was walking down Valencia and I noticed that most of the stores between 16th and 17th lacked power. Oh, but there glowed Therapy in all its glory, cute shoes on display. I entered. Credit card in hand, I was ready to purchase. I was immediately drawn to some charming brown plaid boots. I had to have them. The lady who worked there agreed, and not in the "if you get those shoes, I get commission" sort of way but because she knew they were cute too. It's a girl thing, I guess. She and another worker graciously took the time to find my size in the back. I bought the boots, wore them out of the store, and my mood immediately brightened....therapy, indeed.
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hippest clothes in the city. and you never see anyone wearing what you have on!!!
I prefer the home decor section. Full of affordable knick-knacks, you know, the trendy stuff you find in magazines, plus designer knock-offs. Always fun to browse even if you don't get anything.
The clothing store is the usual hipster stuff - overpriced sloppy shabby chic.
My only complaint is that they don't refund, only store credit.
Bike Parking: Designated bike racks on Valencia St.
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A great selection of fun, stylish swag for reasonable prices - there's two Therapy stores next to each other, one part has clothing & accessories and the other has home decor items. I went there last week of Dec and there were having a 40% sale, so ended up getting a bunch of cool wall art & decals. Definitely on top of my list the next time I need new things to spruce up my place!
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I make a big purchase at Therapy somewhere between two and four times a year. Although some of their clothes tend to be a bit trendy for my taste, they carry some of my favorite brands, especially when it comes to the handbags and wallets, like Hobo and Tano.
They have beautifully designed greeting cards, as well...I stocked up today when I stopped by for their 40% off sale (which they have every year right around the holidays- EVERYTHING in the store is 40% off!!!) and hung out for about two hours, no joke, just looking around at stuff! They're very hospitable and always let me take my time and mull over potential purchases, with no pressure to speak of (just sincere encouragement).
The niceness of the staff really does make make me want to spend my $$$ there, though. My boyfriend knows the owner and he is a super chill guy, too. All and all, a great store run by a great group of people! There have several locations, too...I believe in San Luis Obispo, downtown Mountain View, and maybe a couple other stores between here and there.
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As much as I hate to admit it, this is my favorite store in the city. Living in the Mission, I am constantly reminded of the stylistic cuteness this city has to offer. Every girl cuter than the next - each one wearing an even more darling outfit.
Therapy helps me keep up with the Mission fashionistas on a shoe-string budget. Sure, most of their clothing is mass-produced in China. But, for these prices!
Great hat selection and jewelry, too!
I would rather say I get all my clothing from House of Hengst, but that is for when I get my BA, leave this world of waiting tables, and snag a high-paying desk job.
Three solid stars for the adorable, if insanely claustrophobic, selection of clothing, accessories and all-around fun knick-knacks.
Plus one star for the amazingly friendly and helpful service. I thought hipsters were supposed to be aloof and a little condescending. But I walked in looking like a nasty climbing bum (complete with chalk under the fingernails and everything!) after a morning at the local climbing gym and was pleasantly greeted with smiles, an offer to start a fitting room, and helpful comments about the fit and sizing of some fantastic coats I was eyeballing.
I will definitely be returning and spending my hard-earned money here!
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cute clothes, cool chics, and fake mustaches. i'm a fan.
Although it tends to be on the expensive side, everything in here is super cute! Their sales rack sometimes has good deals, but most of the stuff is usually for really skinny people. I had bought a dress there a couple years ago that still gets compliments and doesn't go out of style. It's great place to browse too when you're waiting to be seated at one of the local restaurants.
OOOoooh Therapy thank you for being the therapy to my shopping addiction and raping me of all my money.
I love this boutique shop! They have a variety of mens, women's, & kids clothes, accessories, stationary, jewelry, shoes, books, bags, and a bunch of other items!
Expect to spend a lil more than you intended to, it's a boutique...so you are bound to spend a decent amount...AND on a lot of CUTE things too! I've purchased a very pretty locket ring there from a selection of jewelry artist's goods that they carry. It was well worth the $28 I spent on it! :)
I also like the little products they carry as well. It's a great place to buy small gifts for friends or family. I purchased a very nicely designed match box and a beautiful notebook for a friend there.
The 40% off sales are TOTALLY worth it, so keep your eye out for when that time comes around.
The people are always friendly there, and I come in and oogle at the jewelry all the time and they are always willing to open the case up and let me stand there FOR-EV-ER tryin to decide what I want.
Cute shop, always find something that I want in there. I never fail to somehow wander into the store while im on Valencia.
I'll be back to blow my paycheck :)
If I could, I would spend all my money here. I actually have to make a point of walking on the opposite side of the street when I go past, lest I be tempted. it's just all so dang cute.
My only complaint: for a place that sells women's clothing, they sometimes have a difficult time keeping things in women's sizes. Seriously. Jeans that have no space for hips?
But still. When I come in for pants and nothing fits, somehow I leave with a dress. *sigh*
Edit 07/23/08: I've gone in here a couple more times since having written my review, and I have to say the selection has gotten worse. I usually leave here emptyhanded. They're in very serious need of getting a buyer who chooses clothing that fits real people. Sorry. A size large that fits like a bag except up top (where's there's NO space) is really just a glorified size small. Right now, this is the case with pretty much everything they carry, to the point at which a couple of their employees clearly can't even wear the stuff they stock, which is pretty bad.
John is GREAT. Bought a (hard to find armless) desk chair about 6 months ago. It cracked -bad manufacturer, not their fault. And John happily replaced it with another different model of my choice. Doubt he'll do that in every case but for this customer, he MADE MY DAY.
Highly recommend shopping here and not Room and Board or Crate and Barrel or the other guys who MIGHT not give you such great service.
And they have GREAT couches.
I usually casually find myself in this store by accident. I don't want to go in, but I'm always drawn in I always want something that I can't afford in there. I really want to take home that stuffed deer that's in there right now. Why? I don't need it.
It's that kind of place, you don't need anything but everything is so esthetically pleasing you have to have it. I like to check in once and while because they always have something on the sale rack. :)
They never have what I come in looking for, but I always leave with something expensive anyway. So they must be doing something right, yea?
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This store is amazing. I went back here today to do some holiday shopping only to discover that I am actually incapable of shopping for others at Therapy ... I'm selfish, but they're amazing!
Its like someone raided my bookshelf, closet, shoe collection, and sense of humor and said "Hey, let's put together an entire store based on a trajectory of what Alissa might like to own!" and then got some high-rent space in the Mission to sell it to me. I love the whole "little boutique" scenario but limited selection gets me every time. Not the case at Therapy ... they cram a whole lot of stuff into a tiny, awesome space! Oh, and they also hired really cute and friendly salespeople.
And here I am. Buying it. Presents for all my friends and family and people who I didnt even know needed presents until I went to Therapy and discovered that perfect little something for them.
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My girlfriend loves squirrels. And Therapy is SQUIRREL CENTRAL! They even have a stuffed tree stump you can shove squirrels in. Wheee! She's going to love the 12 squirrels I'm sending her. The stump will have to wait.
The non-squirrely things are great too. I had my eye on two of the bags and a green winter coat. Next time!
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Soooo this is where the hipsters with good jobs and fatty paychecks shop!
(I mean that in a good way.)
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a) I can shop for clothing while my husband has stuff to look at too.
b) You can find things there like good/evil unicorns and a book depicting Labradors with Abs.
c) It's not overcrowded with crap so you can make your way around the store without knocking stuff over, yet still has a lot of (good) crap.
This place is awesome.
i didn't check out the furniture side but the service on the clothing store side was really great. i probably woud've spent money anyway but they made it much more pleasant.
there were a lot of cute tops and accessories, including a good selection of shoes. i bought one pair and i may have to go back for another. hopefully, my laziness kicks in so i don't.
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