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American Vintage
Category: Shopping Fashion Used, Vintage & Consignment Used, Vintage & Consignment [Edit]
7377 Melrose AveLos Angeles, CA 90046
Neighborhoods: Mid-City West, West Hollywood
(323) 852-0969
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 8 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
40 reviews for American Vintage
Review Highlights
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"The boot selection here was amazing." In 5 reviews -
"I landed myself with 5 amazing vintage dresses for $25." In 14 reviews
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"...60's luggage pieces and 80's dresses and jackets to die for." In 8 reviews
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40 reviews in English
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Review from Chandler B.
Los Angeles, CA
2/5/2012
Looking for a costume? I would almost guarantee that if you put the time into searching, you could walk out with the perfect costume to most any party for less than $40. To start, they have an unbelievable boot selection and an entire room of jackets ranging from nice sport coats, to leather jackets, to fur coats, and ones with fringe. A huge selection of both men's and women's clothing, theres specific areas dedicated to each of the decades since the 1920's, a section for international costumes, a section for handmade items including a skirt made of ties, racks of purses and belts, and thats only in the first room.
They also have a wide variety of clothing options that could be worn on a day to day basis including jeans, sweaters, t shirts, handbags, etc. The workers were friendly, approachable, and fully aware that many of the customers who come to the store are just browsing. Warning, each time I have been with the intent of just browsing, I always end up buying something wonderful! -
Review from Carlos C.
12/1/2011
ah American Vintage, aka Aardvarks in the 90's.
I do enjoy coming in here and looking around but usually come up empty on clothes but they do have a lot of boots, coats, and jackets. -
Review from Casey T.
Los Angeles, CA
5/10/2011
This vintage store on melrose is great for men's clothes but I couldn't find much in the way of wear-able womens. I ended up with a great maxi skirt for $12 - but in the future would probably only come back when I need a costume or boots.
For a Saturday afternoon - they seemed to be pretty understaffed. I stood at the counter waiting for someone to check me out for almost 5 mintues. -
Review from Barbara M.
Los Angeles, CA
11/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great selection of very well taken care of second hand clothing everything is very well organized sometimes it can be a mess but other than that great vintage shop!!!
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Review from Brittany S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/23/2011
This is a pretty dumpy vintage store. It gets two stars merely because I found the BEST purse here and only for 8 dollars! However this should be considered a miracle in this place. The clothes are overpriced (20 bucks for an old shitty tie dye shirt?) and the selection is not that good- go to wasteland down the street for better stuff. Also, the store just feels dirty and dusty which makes me think twice about buying something previously owned. Also, the girls who work here look trashy (and not in an ironic hip way) and were rude and made no effort whatsoever to help me or even talk to me and be pleasant.
If you're on Melrose, it might be worth a stop to browse some crazy vintage stuff, but most likely you can just skip it. I've had wayyy better service and finds at Goodwill. -
Review from Katie B.
10/21/2010
You know that amazing treasure chest of dress up clothes you had as a kid? This is the grown up's version, but you have to pay for these clothes if you want to play dress up! And sadly they don't accept Monopoly money. So what if I tried... a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
They have every costume for every occasion. Best of all they have boots up the wazooo, and you know what they say about boots...Listed in: Melrose Place, LA Style
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Review from Meredith R.
Los Angeles, CA
1/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yuck.
These chain stores are such a crapshoot. While I love the American Vintage location in Sherman Oaks, this location... not so much. I used to live in Portland, Oregon, and this store reminds me of the vintage places up there- ugly, overpriced hipster crap that ranges from the late 70's to the early 90's. I know that's what the kids are into these days, but ew. No thanks. -
Review from Joanna K.
Carson, CA
7/12/2011
This place is pretty cool. They had some awesome punk rock band denim jackets; Im pretty sure someone just made them circa a few months ago lolz. A few good finds here and there. But the prices seemed a bit over priced. And a lot of the items were not even vintage. Just because its previously owned, doesnt mean its vintage. I didnt really find anything that I liked for myself, except for this really cool ring that wasnt even vintage. However, my friend found a wonderful little dress. Not the holy grail of vintage shops, but I would come back.
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Review from Susana S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/21/2011
Yes, This is a real nice
Thrift store. I usually go to this one or the others that are in other locations, such as on Sunset or on Hollywood. On Melrose it get's convenient because when your in near on other place's in the city, I enjoy going inside it's always fun. -
Review from Beth T.
Los Angeles, CA
8/10/2007
On a particularly lovely day (cause there are so few of those in LA) I was strolling down Melrose Ave. -- this was my first time having been to the area which I know is a total travesty considering my shopping habits. After passing several boutiques a few summer dresses in the window caught my eye (2007 is THE summer of the dress -- not really, I have just declared it, therefore it is so)
I went in and found a store full of consignment clothing, there were a few vintage pieces thrown in there for good measure (some great jackets) but I don't know if it really lives up to the store name. Some really cute stuff though, I found a great Prom dress (one week too late- doh!) and several summer dresses. It's laid out much like any other consignment shop - type (ex: shirt) then color (black all together) -- easy shopping indeed.
I ended up with a hat, a great white skirt and a "cougar" t shirt, all out the door for forty dollars. Not bad. My man however had to leave a great t-shirt behind because they wanted thirty five dollars for it -- so gentlemen beware, you want to buy a Harley trucker shirt? You will pay.
Not a place I would drive to specifically but a nice little addition to the strip of boutiques of the like. -
Review from Anthony S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/30/2008
Encouraging nudity is still a taboo and creating a mystery with your clothes is still sorta sexy. Ask the ladies, if you want to keep a man around, you have to keep him guessing.
On my second stop to stimulate the country's economy, the lioness and I stopped here. Don't tell Mother Nature that I make a huge carbon footprint on my way to Melrose for this place. It is an oasis in the middle of a large number of overpriced (honestly, sometimes tacky) stores in the area.
Upon arrival, my eyes and hands were eager for used, ahem, vintage clothing. Mind you, I am trying to avoid one of the cocktail boys from Oasis (gay bar in Upland, CA) hissing through the aisles as he talks to his fag hag about how he wants to hook with some guy in the dressing room. Honestly? First thing that caught my eye in the store was a cool pair of used shoes. Sorry, but the Mexican blood in me caused my brain to associate USED shoes with happiness. Now that I write about it, I'm a little embarrassed, but I know my secret is safe with you. Lucky for me, they didn't have any of those little shoe booties so I could try them on.
Men, stay to the right, because there isn't much else for you in this store. My advice is to shop the rounders near the window. Lazy people don't pick through this area and you are bound to find a few shirts that fit. Only in Los Angeles will you find a surplus of XL and XXL shirts. Despite your genetic hardwiring to not try something on, you should, because when you get home you'll be greatly disappointed. A good example is my recent trip and love for this purple western shirt with silver stripes. Oh, did I mention it SPARKLED! Yay, but alas it didn't fit my child-bearing hips.
I can't rave enough about this shop and it's staff, who have a great attitude. It was kind of entertaining for them to watch me continually lock myself out of the dressing room. Glad I can be of service.
For some strange reason, I was going to buy a used hat, but I resisted upon catching the scent descend on my head. Yah, keep them guessing, but the guess shouldn't be why do you smell like an old man.Listed in: Capitalist P.I.G.S.
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Review from Christina S.
Costa Mesa, CA
10/9/2009
The boot selection here was amazing. In fact I have to say that for every one of the American Vintage shops that I have been to has a great vintage boot selection. Do i really need yet another pair of boots in my 2 closets that I have one may ask... Eff yeah.. I love boots! Just means that I need a bigger closet! Unfortunately, I didn't find the boots that I was looking for. Oh, well.. I perused on over to the dress section. I didn't find much. Nothing that I really was looking for. But, they still have a nice selection..
Now, prices... Yes, some stuff is a little over prices especially when it has stains in it and holes and they are asking $32 for it!! LAME! That's the only thing that I have against American Vintage is that they put out clothing that has obvious stains, the fabric is peeling and has holes in it. I mean I get paying the price for vintage but I don't want to pay the price of ones wear and tears. So, on a brighter note.. One day while at the Rose Bowl I came across a dealer who in fact was "American Vintage" selling dresses in a pile for $5 and more on rows of racks. Go to the Rose Bowl. Hopefully they are still selling there. I landed myself with 5 amazing vintage dresses for $25. Second Sunday of every month! Rose Bowl!! -
Review from Mariel D.
Los Angeles, CA
2/18/2009
I loved their vintage dress collection, as well as their boot collection. I always manage to find countless treasures . I recently walked away with a pair of vintage knee high boots for $35! Can't beat that price for the style and material that I got.
The only downside is I would love to see more blouse's and jackets and for the dresses I wish they had smaller sizes.
I prefer shopping at vintage stores like this one just because all the vintage jems are all layed out for you and there's really no need for digging, unlike thrift shops.
The prices vary. But most of my finds were very affordable. It just depends on the piece you're buying.
I'd definately shop here again, PRIMARILY for their boot selection. -
Review from Laurie H.
6/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Every time we come to LA we find at least a couple of things here. Last time it was a GREAT floor length vintage gown and hubby found a great velvet dinner jacket. This time the picks were a little more casual, but still liked what we got. One thing you need to work on - girl behind counter needs to not look so completely bored or uninterested or pissy or whatever it was. Not that she was any of those things to us....but she certainly didn't look at us until we had made our selections and brought them to the counter (45 min after first walking in). Perhaps that's the vibe they want to put out there. Couldn't care less, frankly - you're not going to put me off - but you never know....others might care. Just sayin'.
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Review from Melissa C.
Orange, CA
9/10/2007
Call me crazy, but I've never been very impressed by the shops on Melrose. Out of every shop I walked into that day, this was the only store I bought anything at, and it was only a pair of fake white Ray Ban Wayfarers. With no UV protection no less. There's something about the smell of a big, non-air-conditioned room filled with old clothes that just turns me off.
My boyfriend found a couple of shirts that he liked, and the prices were competitive compared to other shops in the area, but there was nothing particularly stand-outish about this shop. -
Review from Greg D.
Santa Monica, CA
6/28/2011
My wife and I were shopping on Melrose and we went into this store to look around. It was fun and playful. It also had some good vintage clothes. I got a Aloha shirt and my wife got a cut skirt. In writing this review, I discovered that there are six of these stores around LA. We'll be checking those out as well.
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Review from Dorothy S.
Westwood, CA
6/6/2008
American Vintage is alright. 70% of the stuff is not really ACTUALLY wearable on non-Halloween days.
The other 30% is largely made up of military jackets, baseball jackets, other jackets...and bowling shirts.
OK I lied - there's actually an ample dress section too. And the dresses ARE cute. But they are always size 80 so that does no one any good. -
Review from Faith S.
Little Italy, San Diego, CA
12/30/2008
Their vintage dress selection is AMAZING. Same with the boot selection in their the "hidden" back room.
They're a bit lacking in the blouse department, which was a little disappointing. -
Review from Stacey K.
Irvine, CA
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
I dropped by for the first time while walking down Melrose and couldn't really find anything worth buying. They did have a lot of old/vintage looking clothes and had a huge variety of cowboy boots, but they weren't as cheap as I thought it would be. I'd probably choose Crossroads over American Vintage because it's cheaper and the clothes aren't so outdated.
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Review from Karen N.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2010
One of the best vintage shops I've ever been to. This place definitely rivals the best ones in San Francisco. They have plenty of clothes for men and women and a modest sized children's selection. Great purses and other accessories. My favorite part about this place is that they recycle some of the clothes they get into their own "American Vintage Creation" and they're very American Apparel-esque but much more affordable. Sifting through their vast collection won't be too difficult as things are organized pretty well but because of the sheer volume, make sure you're fueled so you can devote plenty of time to get through the endless rows of awesome clothes.
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Review from Sophie B.
Champaign, IL
6/15/2009
This store gets five stars simply for their boot selection. The staff was average, not rude but not overly helpful either. Pretty average for LA.
I did enjoy their clothes, particularly their dresses and tee shirts, but what made my day...nay, my month...is the incredibly cowboy boots I scored for $43.
They have rows and rows, shelves and shelves, of cowboy boots. In every size and color and design you can think of. I've been wanting some cute, vintage cowboy boots for a while but am a womens size 11, which obviously limits me. But I found adorable, comfortable boots here and the price made me want to high five the next person I saw on the street. -
Review from Rizza R.
Los Angeles, CA
8/3/2009
REALLY nice dresses...
the "creations" they make.. uhm not i wont pay you 30 dollars for a fugly skirt made of old ties that i can make in about 20 min.
and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL!?
seriously. i don't know what it is but it hits you right in the face after a few steps into the store... its like nasty BBQ chicken and gnarly B.O. with a hint of old clothes
i hate bring back dresses from there cause i have to immediately wash that horrible stench that clings to them. -
Review from Jessica C.
Los Angeles, CA
8/20/2010
Maybe I had my hopes too high for this American Vintage location, I thought LA would have an amazing selection of vintage, but I was pretty disappointed with this store. They did have a huge selection of clothes, shoes, etc, but from what I saw in the dress section mainly, it looked like junk from a garage sale. I was SO happy with my purchases from their Fullerton location and had loved browsing through their vintage dresses there. But the dresses here looked a lot more old lady-ish to me, all of them. To be fair I didn't really get to take a good look at the rest of the store, just browsed long enough to see how big their collection was. The friend I was with wasn't really into vintage so I didn't wanna make her wait long. Maybe I'll try again when I'm in the area, but for now I'll probably stick to their other locations first.
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Review from stella f.
Los Angeles, CA
2/10/2009
American vintage is the most awesomest store on this street!
Thier arrangement of clothes are very organized and its easy to look around!
The staff was incredibly helpful and nice!
seriously, i STRIKE GOLD every time i go digging for something in this store!
The prices are reasonable
the dresses are cute
my boyfriend ALWAYS finds a shirt here
and its shoes and boots galore!
my fav -
Review from Angela O.
4/16/2009
A desperate quest for black boots in april led me to boot heaven, which also turned out to be vintage dress heaven, and tights heaven, and, well, heaven in general. I got a pair of leather black cowgirl boots, which if you ever meet me you will undoubtedly see in person, for $34. Retail? Probably $300. I haven't squealed with delight this much since, well, since I was gettin' some.
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Review from Sara L.
Fairfield, IA
9/2/2008
Eeeeehhh....
I got a t-shirt, overpriced, but too good to pass up. It was the only thing that caught my eye though, and a miracle at that. There were entirely too many shirts on one rack, which made it near impossible to look through. I don't know if they're trying to sell them or what, but it's not a very good approach. And most of the stuff in the store wasn't actually vintage, just the better end of goodwill. I'd rather just...go to goodwill, you know? You'd get the same thing for about a third of the price. Some of the dresses were cute, but again, the organization was all over the place and made it difficult to even look through them, and the only things that really cought my eye were the hand-made items. Skirts and jackets that had been refashioned were nice enough, but if that's the direction they want to go in, perhaps it should just be a boutique. Eh. I dunno. Maybe I just ain't patient enough, but I like some space while I shop. -
Review from Sara W.
CA
9/1/2011
I appreciate vintage clothing, but this place is waaay overpriced for the quality you get. Case in point, the dresses. I loved their selection of boots though.
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Review from Angela S.
West Hollywood, CA
7/19/2010
really friendly staff.
extremely clean and organized.
vintage suitcases available as well as furs.
I found it really easy to whip through store to find what I was looking for. This store didn't feel like a vintage clothing store but more like a used clothing for hipster shop. Great for halloween too. -
Review from Karol S.
5/12/2009
Average vintage store, big on cowboy boots.
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Review from Jasmine L.
Manhattan, NY
1/30/2010
cool vintage shop with great clothes including jackets, jeans, dresses, t-shirts, sweatshirts, shoes and everything in between like aprons!
and in fact, a red and white kitchen apron is exactly what i bought because it was adorable and the price was just right at only $10.
some of the items i think are overpriced, but i think this is also to be expected when you're shopping vintage.
if you love vintage and you're looking for something that no one will have, i would definitely stop by. -
Review from Alex J.
Los Angeles, CA
6/15/2010
I went here to help find retro clothes for a Woodstock inspired party. They had just the thing (bellbottoms and all!) and some other interesting finds. Only thing is some of the clothing seems thin for the price. I may check it out again just to look at all their coats, they seemed pretty well made.
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Review from Miriam F.
Chicago, IL
6/21/2010
I find about 6 great things every time I come, and the prices are always beyond reasonable. Highly recommended.
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Review from Erica H.
Los Angeles, CA
12/27/2009
I'm not to stoked about the clothing here, but I did find all I needed. They had all the ugly christmas sweaters you could ever imagine! They also have a HUGE selection of boots...mostly cowboy boots. I would definitely shop here again, but keep an eye out for deals. Their prices are a bit steep for a second hand store (it is melrose though...)
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Review from Michelle C.
Long Beach, CA
5/12/2010
Amazing vintage selection. Beautiful 60's luggage pieces and 80's dresses and jackets to die for.
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Review from Rachel K.
Brooklyn, NY
10/28/2009
I live in NYC, we have a lot of GREAT vintage out here, and I am sorry to say, I have seen a lot of places like this one- there is A LOT there and maybe if your lucky you will find a great item in a lot of..well, JUNK. I was not impressed with this place, sadly. I tried to enjoy my experience, but it just wasn't that great.
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Review from Noe H.
Los Angeles, CA
7/29/2009
I am writing this review pretending as if I am a vintage fanatic. Because, lets face it, there is something about vintage that really really turns me off. Used shoes... Are you kidding me, has anyone ever heard of foot fungus? Um, yes vintage dresses are super cute, but I think Monica Lewinsky ruined it for me (no pun, please). Some of their handbags here are really affordable and unique, but they are a little too worn out, even for vintage. And the dresses I did like looked too big. I have years of expierence shopping for vintage clothing, not by choice however. My mom was one of those european tight wads who spent as little money as possible clothing her children, however hosted extravagent dinner parties once a week for her very important friends. So I guess I am a little jaded about the whole vintage experience, and even though I've gotten some great looking stuff in the recent past at vintage shops, it brings back bad memories of hoping to not be seen by classmates at the local Savers buying my newest look. Back to Bloomies it is for me...
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Review from Marisa T.
Indio, CA
5/3/2008
i do enjoy going through all of the vintage clothes here. i have found some really great deals on beautiful vintage 1950's sweaters that would have been much more expensive elsewhere. if you like any type of vintage, you'll like this place!
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Review from belinda n.
Los Angeles, CA
9/4/2008
melrose sucks
the shops/ "boutiques" on this stretch of hollywood hipness are shameful & beyond guilty pleasures.
(w/the exception of "Poseurs" aka fred perry & ben sherman & merc heaven of course) everything on melrose is lame, over priced, not worth it, & pretentious..
o yeah, Crossroads isnt too bad..
so i totally discovered American Vintage by accident & its totally gotten 110% of my genuine respect.
their collection of womens dresses is refreshing compared to the handmade cheap material crap "Slow" makes in their basement then try to get away w/double digit price tags.
American Vintage had tons of polyester 70's sheaths, muumuu type dresses (my current fixation), short sleeve & sleeveless empire waist dresses, maxi dresses (the current trend amongst hippie wannabe hollywood starlets ala The Hills)
im a sucker for bright Pucci-esque muumuus & the sort so i was flipping rack after rack w/ my jaw on the floor.
& what added to the refreshment was the plain jane staff: latino guy & girl .. completely & utterly opposite of whats behind the counter at "squaresville" & "wasteland"... hey, im a warm hearted person.. i just can not stand pretentious; conceit; "im-cooler-and-holier-and-more-hipster-than-thou". .
their skirts rack consisted of wool or some other thick ass material cheerleader type skirts (halloween type stuff)
their jeans rack was nothing to call mom about..
their swimsuit rack was ebay worthy
their shoe rack was on par w/the goodwill & salvation army..
their jewelry, however, is something cindy mccain's stylist would sratch faces over.. ( and i totally mean that in a dope way.. i luv "working women" delta burke gaudy chunky 80's working suits clip on earrings)
they had some 40's 50's style earrings & brooches & pins also.
their purses did nothing short of making me feel drowsy..
no a.c in the shop
yes, it was hot & polyester is not exactly a material you'd rock out if you were in the mojave..
im definetly coming back..
the dresses are priced from $12-$30 something. i dont remember seeing anything over $30 actually..
i snagged a polyester purple paisley muumuu tunic w/ embroidery on the bodice & the buttons on it are tres chic.. they look like huge marcasite gems.. $18
if youre planning your "viva las vegas" wardrobe, maybe this isnt the place to go to, but if youre dressing up as jackie o kennedy this halloween, or youre totally in awe & jealous of rachel zoe's style, then run over here! -
Review from Debby K.
Austin, TX
8/17/2008
overpriced, but nicer than the one in huntington. generally overpriced, but there are some nice pieces here, & if you dig a little you can even walk out with a sweet outfit for under $50!
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Review from Rachel P.
San Gabriel, CA
5/15/2010
I've been here only once and their boot selection is probably the only reason why I would go back. There's an amazing selection of cowboy boots and I would totally to go back to get a pair. On the downside, it is a bit overpriced.
