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Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment [Edit]
Neighborhood: Haight-AshburyMon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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Ladies, would you like to turn your husband into Don Draper?
La Rosa can help you with that.
You don't want to read the rest of the review? No? Suppose I tell you La Rosa has gorgeous dresses for you, too? Hats, shoes, purses, and other things as well?
((crickets))
Hmmmm ... I think they all LEFT.
The man and woman behind the counter were helpful and friendly and the selection was interesting and inspiring.
I'm not really sure how to star this place. Selection and quality: five stars. Price: no stars. I was hoping and hoping that something I pulled out would be within my budget but it never happened. Now I'm sad.
There are 2nd hand stores, and then there is vintage. I'm not talking vintage merely as in, "sold before you were born, child of the 80's". I'm talking *vintage*: clothes older - and cooler - than your parents.
La Rosa is the place to go when you need to dress like an adult, and you want to look better - and more authentic - than everyone else in the room. When in need of tails for my tuxedo, I visited a couple of the typical spots before checking in with La Rosa.
1928 'After Six' Tuxedo tails, in excellent condition and for 25% less than the crap that passes for new today? Sold. Excellent cuff links, women's cocktail dresses, vintage hand bags and more? Check, check and check.
"Groovy tops, pants and sweaters"? Good god, girl: go down the street to Aardvark. They have your outfit in the window. Come back to La Rosa when you've figured out the difference between "vintage" and "trend".
Well-curated vintage with an eye to modern trends, priced just at that very edge where love and practicality meet. I came in looking for nothing in particular and left with a 100% wool bright pink short-sleeve sweater that is just a bit too tight to teach in. Oh well--I'll rock it during my off days.
They also have a gigantic selection of cufflinks, including one set that I can't believe hasn't sold yet--miniature stock market graphs! I instantly wanted to see those in a close-up with a hand holding a gas can and a book of matches. Ahh, the prop-master of my daydreams strikes again.
I tried on a dress here only to find it had a spider sac and eggs attached to it...while I had it on. Completely freaked me out. This isn't so bad if you're paying $2 at the Goodwill, but it is when you're coughing over half of your paycheck for a dress. I guess this "boutique" doesn't wash everything first. Fair warning.
I shop at cheap thrift stores about 95% of the time. I love finding an awesome dress for a $1.50. However, the other 5% of the time I just want something very specific or very nice. When that occurs, I always find it here and the staff has always been 100% awesome and helpful. LoveX103403024924!!!!!
They had just an ok selection. They had nothing in suits and the suits they had were a bit too expensive. I am an avid collector of vintage men clothing from the late 1890s to 1940's.
I can tell you that many of their suits were not authentic or missing "union" lables. Most men suits that were "off the rack" were made by clothing unions that assembled (sew) them together. A" good" suit will have a union label inside the jacket pocket. I didn't see any in their suits. Also, suits that were made by the "local" taylor should have the names and dates hand written inside the waist, jacket pocket labels, on the inside of pant pockets etc. there are several areas were people would write their names and dates. I know that sounds weird but it was what they did in those days. Some things I would say were just fakes and cannot be authenitcated (so on that maybe they just don't know or purposely ripping off the public) Most people go because I guess they need costumes but who knows. I collect because it is American history. I am still searching for Chicago trenchcoats with real bullet holes (do they still exsist?) The Levi's people are a great source for photos, styles of that time period. Also other designers will give patterns of that period
I did find three pieces of solid clothing that I did end up getting (they probably had no idea because it was way underpriced and I will sell it in Europe because it was German made in the 40's which is extremely rare, so the store people can't be that knowledgeable of their own items, hehe) but I would say that 90% of the men's items were not authentic or of bad quality. They lack in hats, trenchcoats, suspenders, ties etc. I can go on but I won't. Also their clothing were "everyday" suits and pants and nothing really dressy. Remember even the 3 Stooges dressed in suits in those days (and some were actually cool but most were just too common) and the quality (although better than today's standards were not the same quality as say a suit wore by people in the Mob. All the prices were priced if they were "Mob" clothing. The prices should reflect the different qualities of materials, cuts etc.
La Rosa is just a place that is a step above the Goodwill. I cannot understand the pricing except that maybe people are extremely rich and are too lazy or smart enough just to go through the barrells and search and take their goodies to the cleaners. Seriously shopping at the barels is about $4 and it goes to charitable causes. The cleaners about $10-$15 per item..
It is hard to give La Rosa two stars but they did have a few good things that I really wanted but cannot justify the price. On their behalf, it is harder to find authentic articles but the prices have only shot up three bucks at the barrels from the 80s. Estate sales are still cheap and you can find cool stuff there too. Anyways...keep collecting.
One more thing, La Ros'a does not smell funny. Most 2nd hand places stinks. La Rosa's actually looks cool too. Layout of the store is cool and no pressure from sales people. They let you look and browse. Just a thought, ask for them to go down on price...you never pay full sticker price on a car, maybe they will let you haggle there at La Rosa
I should have been a designer. it is 422am time to sleep Sorry for all the spelling mistakes anderrors in grammer. I'm dead tired.
MISSION: Find extremely awesome, mad men inspired, photogenic 1950s/early 60s dress for an event. I'm talking Betty Draper, not Peggy Olsen. I wanted a dress that was obviously of the period - and big plus if I it was conceivable that I would be able to wear it again after this event (other than on halloween).
JOURNEY: My first stop was Torso. In retrospect, this place had a great selection but much too overpriced. Some people have complained La Rosa is expensive... well most dresses I picked up were $100-300 here. Torso was $300-900+ and I can't say that the quality/selection was 3x better to warrant the prices. I did find 2 great pieces, but had to ponder and shop around some more before dropping half a thousand dollars. We went to American Rag, which was a disappointment for what I was looking for. Not a huge selection and stuff fit awkwardly. Held Over had a similar feel to American Rag, but much better selection of dresses arranged by time period, which was very helpful. Although don't expect anyone to help you zip up that dress that *maybe, just maybe* may fit your rib cage.
TA-DAH: Then I stopped by La Rosa! Higher end than Held Over (more boutique than Goodwill like), but not a major rippo offo ala Torso. I picked some stuff out. Would have been nice to get a room started (dresses are heavy) but forgiveness... and then I let the sales associate know what I was looking for. She picked out a few pieces that were way better than what I picked out. One of which was *the* dress. $200 bux, tad more than what I wanted to spend, but absolutely what I was looking for.
Fantastic store. Clean, unique, wonderful vintage items. A bit pricey, though, but worth it... I guess.
I bought a kick-ass fedora here for sixty-two dollars. That's right, I said sixty-two dollars.
Currently I am also:
1. Working on a deal to buy a nice, but slightly used, bridge.
2. In the process of giving my personal and financial information to a kindly man named Tayo Samsudin, retired chief accountant for the Kenya National Bank. Tayo contacted me via email to strike up an international partnership to transfer millions in funds that belonged to a deceased Bosnian oil magnate with no next of kin. Tayo insists the process will have "no risk and no illegality involved!" How could I say no? Shoooooooooooot, momma didn't raise no fool! Plus, how can I not help out such a nice man after such a nicely written email?
3. Adopting a little Ethiopian boy Sally Struthers and that man with the big Santa Claus beard from the television introduced me to via a U.S. postal packet. Umbooktu writes me letters every week and tells me of daily adventures with his goat Mambub. What a silly goat... lemme tell ya! I would tell you about the time he ate Umbooktu's very last pair of pants, but that would take up too much time. I sent Umbooktu a replacement pair of pants from Target, a SF Giants baseball cap, a Playstation 3 and $3000 dollar money order. He hasn't said if he's received them alright. I sure hope he has.
4. Subscribing to HELLA magazines. Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes millions HERE I FUCKING COME!
5. Considering voting for the Nader/Gonzales ticket.
Pretty good.
I was shopping a few months ago when an employee walked over to me and said, "heeeey hows it going" and gave me a hug. I definitely did not know this person and was just a tourist in SF but I played it cool and said hello. I kept shopping and 5 minutes later the employee came back over and asked if I "had anything on me". Slightly confused I shook my head no and the dude slipped me his number and told me he'd like to pick up some mushrooms later.
Apparently I look like his drug dealer (better than looking like a Narc, I guess). Which is fine with me because when another employee rang me up, my new bff insisted on giving me an extra dress at no charge.
Very hit or miss.
A lot of the stuff in this store is extremely over-priced. Especially since a lot of it looks like it came from Goodwill and is selling for $100.
I will say that the sales girls are super nice and I did manage to find a really awesome bubble gum pink vintage swim suit recently for a very affordable price.
La Rosa is getting better every day. I've been stopping in this little shop for years and although I always admired their great selection of quality vintage, I never found much that worked with my 70's esthetic. That is, until now. I am going crazy over all the amazing dresses, tops, and belts I've been finding, maybe it's always been there or maybe I am just now seeing the light. Either way, I love it and hope the fabulous flow keeps coming. How will I ever save money this way?! Next time you want to find a gorgeous dress and stand out amongst, well, everyone, let the lovely people at La Rosa help you out. Nothing feels better than being a one of a kind, except maybe supporting a local business.
What is all the hype for? This place is a let down. The clothes are not that great & too overpriced, even for quality vintage. Most of the women's clothes being sold were fancy dresses, which is fine - but where are the groovy tops, pants and sweaters? Some of their accessories are cool, but not merely enough for being a vintage store on Haight Street! I expect near-perfection for being a vintage store on such a prolific street in SF. Get it together people.
I think I might be kind of a creep. Have you ever worked retail? Or any sort of behind-the-counter job where you basically provide a service, and people can easily come and go, while you're there with a smile? Ever have one of those people that always comes in, wanders around with a half-smile indicative of some sort of inside joke, mumbles to themselves incoherently/in an exasperated manner, picks up various bits of merchandies, talks to the cashiers, then leaves empty handed? Lather. Rinse. Repeat?
I'm that person in La Rosa. I got no dollars to spend, I'm sorry. I wish I did! But I just can.not.stop. going into this store. My heart bleeds every time I see those peplums and hear the swish of chiffon and silk, or let my eyes land on that one perfect brown cloche with a bird in it.
I used to hate people like the creeps that go into a store all the time, hang out but don't buy anything. Well, now I've seen the dark side. And I understand it. Sometimes, some places just draw you in and you've got no power to resist.
La Rosa = where most of my paycheck likes to go.
Bills = where most of my paycheck should go.
La Rosa...Love the place, love the selection.... Recently found an amazing hat that makes me look like Humphrey Bogart....I think it's a good thing...I think...does not matter. pff.
This place has very beautiful clothes..the kind of clothes you wear to an event when you don't want to look like everyone else, which hopefully is all the time.
This is not a Piedmont or an Aardvark's....if you're looking for costumes or stuff that you're going to throw up on, traipse around the Mission in Santa suit, or rock the playa, go somewhere else.
Selection is excellent. Prices are steep but often worth every penny.
a must stop when i'm in SF!!
la rosa is a quality vintage clothing mecca and oran (the manager) is too sweet! a great selection of mens and womens vintage, hands down. what i especially love (as a total shoe whore) is their wide selection of womens vintage shoes. and i love the overall layout of the store- very decadent and cozy at the same time.
my last trip to SF i scored an absolutely drool-worthy black cotton 1950's strapless sun-top and a sexy fitted tweed 1950's pencil skirt. both absolutely amazing pieces. what can i say- la rosa never lets me down.
I had what is probably the best shopping experience of my life here the other day. Very fashionable friends of mine are getting married in Helsinki this week and I had nothing to wear. I'm kind of grungy, I work from home, I own one pair of heels that I bought for Halloween two years ago. A mess! But I know what I like, I actually follow the fashion industry, I just don't have time for pretty things right now.
Anyway! A costume designer friend of mine directed me to La Rosa Vintage. After I picked up a couple dresses, one of the two salesgirls came up and helped me pick out a few more. She ended up taking a hot pink chiffon dress and a silk cape off a mannequin that the other salesgirl had put together. I am not that into pink but I looked fucking awesome. I also tried on some wonderful hats that I couldn't bring myself to buy, and some shoes, which I did buy.
I had spent so long in the shop and allowed myself to be dressed by the girls, so they gave me a deal on the dress and took 10 percent off the entire deal. It was about $350, which is what you could pay for one dress sewn by 8 year-old Malaysians. I know these clothes have lasted for 50 years in great condition - unlike clothes of the same price that I buy season after season.
The girls really made it fun to shop. Go in there with a good attitude and you'll be happy. :)
Top quality Brooks Brothers seersucker blazer: $75.
Yes, Yes, Yes.
I've never spent more than $10 on a blazer before, but the ambiance of this place swept over me & I couldn't help it.
I know I will be shot down by all the hipster, vintage lovers who frequent this store, but this is honestly my opinion.
Yes, vintage fashion is cool...and some pieces are truly original - and not remakable.
But c'mon....are you really wanting to pay 20 times the cost of what a jacket originally was, not even in mint condition?! I think it's ludicrous. My friend and I meandered in here this weekend - and he tried on several sports coats. The majority ranged from $250-$350. (Edit: Per the owner, he stated that the majority range from $58-150 - I guess we just happened to pick up the extreme of the bunch). I'm sorry - I just don't think that's worth the cost...especially for something that you could find in a regular department store today, or at least recreate it in some way or another.
Don't get me wrong, the people who worked there were very nice - but I'd personally rather buy something new or if I want a 'vintage' piece I'm more than happy to shop at some thrift shop that doesn't charge ridiculous prices just because it's on Haight Street.
If you are ever looking for that "one of a kind", "stand out in a crowd", "drop dead gorgeous" vintage outfit, La Rosa is the place to find it! Oran, the store manager, can help you pick out the perfect ensemble!
Tell Oran that Maya sent you!
Very very cool vintage store, with an equally good assortment of Men's and Women's clothing, shoes and bags.
The quality of their stuff is great. I saw some shoes from the 1920's that looked in better shape than some in my closet. They have managed to find sizes that fit today's larger feet, too - a real bonus.
Nice place to browse after beers & nibbles at the Alembic. If you sway a little, you can play it off like you are just swooning over an alligator bag.
This was the first consignment store I visited when I moved to San Francisco in December. I wandered into the store with a sense of confusion. I had no idea where I was but a cool consignment store had signaled my way.
The employees did not bother me and I prefer it that way. If I was blowing major money...I want help shopping. However, I prefer to shop alone at consignment stores with little interaction.
I found a vintage batman t shirt from the late seventies and it has become my favorite t-shirt. I love it! The cotton is very nice and worn in. Its the perfect summer comort t shirt. Although...you can kind of see my nips through it but I still rock it.
Back to the store. They have lots of selections and offer more for women but the mens area is great too. Stop by and shop.
I have a 20s party coming up which sent me into a vintage shopping tizzy this past weekend. After looking at way too many vintage shops, I realized that La Rosa has got something that the other shops seem to be missing.
The shop is small and as soon as you step foot in the door you truly feel like you are going back in time. The two employees working there were decked out in cute vintage garb and were very helpful. I can't do the feel of the shop justice. You have to check it out to see just how great it really is. The 20s dress I was looking at was more than my broke ass wanted to spend, even though they are totally worth every cent. And even though the chap working there could tell I was not going to buy anything he let me look through an old Sears Roebuck catalog so I could get some ideas for a DIY 20s look. Sweet stuff.
My boyfriend strolled out with a sweet 20s vest, a bow tie, and spats. Too cool. I am looking forward to stealing the vest after the party and making it my own.
I needed a gown for an event and went here first. I went through the racks and found one thing...tried it on and didn't love the color. Then the girls went through the racks and voila! found me the most beautiful 60's dress. They worked really hard to accessorize it beautifully...in the end I just couldn't part with all that cash so only took the dress. Would give it 5 stars but the prices really are high....not unfair particularly...but definitely high. So I guess I'm holding onto a star for "wow me" value. Won't hesitate a moment to go here again....but more as a place for a "to-be-seen" event. Can't really spend the money on everyday clothes.
I can't afford anything in this store, which makes it even more appealing to me. I went in here last weekend and stared at the glittery felt roses and was filled with remorse (and a bit of rage) when I saw that they were like, $40. Are you kidding?! I CAN MAKE THOSE MYSELF. So after leaving, I went to Michael's Arts and Crafts with the intention of making my own glittery felt roses. However, I became overwhelmed by other glittery things and completely forgot to look for what I came there to buy.
If someone buys me a glittery felt rose, I would just die with delight.
This store is fantastic! And if I keep walking in there I'll probably go broke. Seriously, I have to physically limit my visits because if I walk in, I walk out with some totally awesome item... and a big VISA bill to go with it.
I love their stuff, thugh. I've bought everything from a 60's dinner jacket, to some 40's ties, and I even bought myself a 1920's boater that is in perfect condition there. The staff is always friendly and helpful too.
Now if I could only hit the lottery so I could shop here all the time...
Lovely selection of 30's, 40's and some 50-60's. For example, the sales woman showed us (cause we were homo's and were drooling over it) a 1930's Zigfield Follies costume....I mean, HELLO DOLLY!
But that is not why I went. I went because my current tuxedo jacket is so ugly that the event I was going to would probably bar me from entry. I stated my case to the sales woman, and she walked right to the back and said "this one". She hands me a tuxedo jacket with red silk lining and looks like it has never been worn. It is from 1968. It is EXACTLY what I need and it fits as if it were made for me, and not "Ted Dean", the previous owner's name which is hand-stitched in the inside of the coat. It is expensive, but not overpriced.
I buy, and hope Ted Dean doesn't show up to my event.
This place is AMAZING! I went in there with my best friend and my sister, just to look. The staff was so nice. Normally vintage places with high quality stuff are really snobby but not La Rosa. I was greeted by a man in an all-vintage get up with a smile. He asked me if I needed help finding anything, I replied, "No I'm just looking." This answer would normally earn me a dirty looks, but instead he said, "Well feel free to try anything on... even if you don't think you will be buying today" and gave me a wink.
The selection was wonderful. Dresses, Shoes, coats, men's wear, hats and jewelry from 1920's to 1960's. Everything is in great condition and relatively good prices (it still is in San Francisco)
My wife and I are on first name bases with the staff. We've dropped over $500 here in the past year. I'm wearing a shirt from La Rosa right now. So yeah, we like this place.
They have a wonderful collection of clothing for women AND men, the latter being a rarity in the vintage world. Everything is organized well (and by size, another rarity) and in wonderful condition. My only small complaint are the prices which are a bit high, but for vintage of this quality, it's not unreasonable.
The stuff here is great, expensive but worth it as it is all in excellent condition. The staff is very nice and help full too.
My husband bought the most amazing 1940's blue pinstripe wool double-breasted suit (that fit him perfectly?! No Alterations?! Inconceivable!), costing only an arm but well worth the price, for our wedding.
Mmmmmmm, their ties......
After a lot of friends recommended this place to me, I was really excited to visit it. What a huge disappointment. Sure, everything is "handpicked" and in excellent condition. But if you take into account the modern day wear-ability, most of this stuff is just way too costume-y for me to deal with. I own many, many vintage pieces and I wouldn't even bother with half of the women's wear here. I did see a dress here that I got at an antique store for $10. But at La Rosa, the very same dress, in the same condition costs $150. Basically what im trying to say, is that you can find anything they have here somewhere else for far less.
Another negative for me was the pretentious snooty sales girl. Which judging by other reviews was just my experience.
One thing I did like about this place was the huge men's selection. If you are a gentleman that likes to shell it out for vintage, this is your jam.
If you're an experienced vintage buyer, you will laugh like I did.
Very good selection. Sales people are good, but not enough of them on the weekends.
About the prices: they sell some very nice stuff at top dollar, but they also sell some not-very-nice stuff at top dollar, too. This is a shop where it pays to know how to judge the quality of clothing.
(The new place across the street, Decades, is starting to give them some real competition, especially for women's clothing. If you're making the trip to La Rosa, check out them, too.)
Today was the first day I actually was able to shop here - I often just window shop on Haight and have spent more than I've intended to by the time I've stopped in here. I came in today with a mission, and two of their staff helped me find a dress for something I have coming up. Both were really helpful and friendly, and Warren (I believe that was his name) found me the perfect dress and assisted me in sorting through the racks.
The clothes are priced like higher-end vintage -- it's obvious that this stuff is handpicked and in great condition. The price definitely beats sorting through really fugly '70s dresses to find one gem. I love the ambiance of this place, too - the displays and music are great. Definitely stop in if you're shopping around here.
Terrific selection of vintage men's blazers. The sign at the front stating "No photographs, food, drinks or dirty hippies" says it all and certainly earns them an extra star.
I love this place. I wandered in looking for a dress for a New Year's party and was becoming distressed because I couldn't find anything in my size and I wanted a vintage dress dammit! The lovely salesgirl picked up on my distress and immediately went over to a rack, pulling out the most exquisite, most beautiful 1950's vintage Audrey Heburn-ish jewel trimmed sky blue chiffon dress/ballgown. Evidently lots of people had wanted to try on, but the bodice was small framed and they had yet to find someone who could fit into it. With a quick glance at my frame, she told me that it would probably fit me. Skeptical, I tried it on and I felt like a princess. Where was my tiara? ;-) Instant sale, and instant customer for life.
I joined Yelp just to review La Rosa. Have been shopping here since 1996 and whether it's a special-occasion item or a quality vintage piece to mix in with the rest of your wardrobe, they'll have it. Specializes in pre-1970s attire. Not cheap but great value. Selection is better than Family Jewels in NYC, at practically half the price. Sent all my visiting New York and int'l designer/collector friends to the store even when I wasn't living here. Never been disappointed. Very knowledgeable, friendly staff, and a beautiful atmosphere.
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
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