Past Perfect
2230 Union St
(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 929-7651
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
29 reviews
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
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24 Reviews for Past Perfect
If you're into interiors, this place will give you an eye candy orgasm. My first visit here, I spotted about ten thousand things I wanted and about five things I could actually afford. But I'm not going to complain about the prices. If I were selling this stuff, I'd charge just as much, if not more. We're talking high-quality, well-maintained, timeless vintage stuff, here. These things will never break (unless you're really trying) and never go out of style, and in my personal opinion, that's a perfectly good reason to charge - and pay - $400 for a chair.
There are also some surprisingly good deals. There was a large wooden dresser on sale for only $300, and a great floor lamp with a drum shade for only $125. The staff also seem open to a little haggling, so if you fall in love with a thousand dollar couch but your credit card's going to max out at another $920 (stop spending money you irresponsible person), they may be convinced to give you a deal.
So go check it out. They have pretty much every conceivable style here, so whatever you're into, they'll have something you like. You might get a deal or you might blow your whole paycheck, but either way you'll end up with something so sexy, it'll MAKE your whole apartment.
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What caught my eye are the vintage clothing in this store. So lovingly cared for, they hang neatly on racks. They are the kind of timeless clothing you will still wear forty years from now.
The price this place asks for on these beautiful pieces is unbelievably affordable (not cheap, but definitely not unreasonable).
Be warned: come here only if you are willing to leave with a dozen things in your arms.
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If you have the money they have what you need. I help my friend setup her kitchen there. I'll be back one day.
I'm still on a hunt to find the perfect kitchen furniture, so I stopped in here. I felt like I was in a larger, better stocked version of my own home. The furniture is great, they have cool artwork, there are interesting books lying around, the wares make you feel like it would be a sin not to have a cocktail, and the music, oh the music!
How many places would you hear Roger Miller followed by Kenny Rogers followed by Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra followed by Elliot Smith? I only know of one - my house! I started to get a little creeped out, thinking maybe they're spying on me.
And then I had the most fantastic idea - the people who own this place should start a lounge in here - sit on this great furniture, drink out of the cutest glassware you've ever seen, and listen to great music. It would shut everyone up about how the Marina sucks, you could drink AND shop, and I would have a place to go besides my house. They could do it, right?
I'll be back soon - I still haven't found the right table and chairs....
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Okay, look, just because I can be frequently found in the company of Megan W., does not mean that I AM Megan W. so I can't actually talk about this store with ANY kind of authority (although ocassionally she pretends to be me). But I do know that I like this store and will furnish my house with all of the wacky stuff you can find in here after I sell my tell all book, "Hoez in different area codes". After Ludacris approves the title, of course.
For now, find me in here looking for the perfect lamp (i lost an ebay auction on this beautiful art deco lamp and will not stop until I find one), a portable turntable & coveting italian jewelry boxes.
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I feel like an ass for having, before yesterday, never been here. Some so-called furniture fiend I am.
Perhaps the best selection of vintage lighting I've seen anywhere in SF, and a good number of curiosities and overall variety to help keep you mindful of the need to not have your home become a study of Danish furniture makers, circa 1953-1967. I need this reminder. I am a moth to teak's flame, and my wings are already singed.
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Past Perfect is fantastic! I've found a ton of antique items for my apartment, and as gifts. I gave my dad an antique pharmacy sign, which is proudly displays in his own pharmacy back in Utah. Every time walk into Past Perfect, I walk out with a gem.
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If you're a mid-century decor whore like I am, this place is a real gem. You can find some really amazing pieces in excellent condition. A must-stop on any Union Street shopping crawl.
(Oh, and if you're a Marina-phobic gay man--again, like I am--this place is a pleasant refuge from the strollers and spandex.)
Excellent resource for mid-century, vintage modern. A LOT of inventory and the prices don't seem too high. The people who work there seem knowledgable and very nice. Good stuff here!
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Well they don't know how to spell Noguchi (the classic coffee table was labeled "Naguchi") but darned if they don't have the greatest selection of funky mid-century furniture and accessories around. Between the mid-century pieces you will find the occasional gate-leg table or 19th C Chinese console. A beautiful rotating variety ensures whatever your decor, you can find at least a few things to imagine into your floor plan.
Wonderful lighting and tabletop items... if you've got an empty console table and can't afford a vignette from Gumps, look no further. You can get the same look at Past Perfect and you'll feel that superior satisfaction that you hunted it down in a local antique shop.
I am currently stalking a pair of luscious lamps there (I don't need them but they are haunting my dreams).
IQ used his stun gun to pry me off an African-looking lizard table runner. I'm still pissed. I consoled myself with some fudge from Goldleaf nearby. Great collection of stuff of all sorts and I'm definitely going to put this on my frequent-drop-by list. Prices seem very reasonable too.
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For those of us who know the truth in the old cliche that they don't make things like they used to, past perfect is a really great store. To be precise, it's actually a few stores within a store: a large space in which various purveyors of vintage furniture, trinkets, appliances & clothes each rent an area to display their goods. Mostly early to mid 20th century stuff.
The things on display are high quality and in good condition.
While this is not a place to go bargain hunting, prices are usually not unreasonable.
I believe they are expanding or moving to Lombard street soon.
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Past Perfect is kind of like Mickey's Monkey for the Marina, and on a much larger scale. It's the former home of my precious vintage 1930's dresser with vanity mirror; the kind that ties the whole room together. It's one of the most innovatively arranged vintage stores I've seen; they obviously have a gay man arranging the wares into attractive little "rooms" within the larger space. Not everything is antique in the truest sense, but it all works so well thematically that you want to buy everything. That's how they get you.
On a sunny Saturday, I typically walk in and out of Past Perfect at least three different times. My first visit is an overview of everything, and my second and third visits are usually spent getting personally acquainted with a few choice pieces. Then I usually realize that I have no room for those blue silk chairs, or the powder pink deco loveseat, and my heart is broken. Only for a minute, because inevitably I find some other treasure. Sometimes, if it's small like a framed original Gibson Girl print, or endearing like a milk glass lamp, I'll even take it home.
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Cute, very cute place and things.......i just have a problem with the pricing......vintage sofa....1970's .....a little worn down.....$300 bucks.....NO WAY!!! i just don't understand why it's so expensive.....the sofa looked like any other sofa......like what my grandmother has in her garage......i don't know.....thats just me.....they do have other cute stuff that is worth the money....i just can't get over the sofa......
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I think this is a great antique store - there are a lot of interesting tidbits inside, and the collections are generally well-edited - not too much junk. You can find great great stuff here, but the prices are really hit or miss, and trend toward the miss side more often than not. There are sometimes such wildly overpriced pieces here that they sit in the store for MONTHS at a time. That can be good if you're saving to buy something that you can't really afford though..... Great variety of stuff here, and the fact that there are multiple dealers means that there's something for every different design taste.
I walked into this place today and I almost needed a cup to catch all my drool. Vintage mirrored vanities? Yep. One-of-a-kind original artwork in cool frames? Uh-huh. Crystal chandeliers worthy of taking out a loan? Tons. Ah, if only I had a bigger apartment and a MUCH bigger paycheck, some major damage could be done here. I'll definitely be back to wander the packed aisles and mentally sketch out my "someday" fabulous apartment, though. *Sigh*.
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Five stars for the authentic looking metal viking helmet with large red feather plume that my mom almost bought for my (very red, blushing) dad to wear "to parties." Yeah, mom, I'm suuure that's where you want him to wear it.
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I go in here and pretend as if I am an editor for Domino magazine and need to pick out some key pieces to feature in the next issue. My discerning art eye says "is this an original Bertoia or a repro?" but really I am thinking "looka that lime green suitcase!!"
This place is a hidden gem -- it seems to be all about the furniture and the glassware, but there are actually some fabulous fashions to be had if you look closely. They seem to buy directly from vintage sellers, so if one dress fits you, chances are that 3 more will. And some of the dresses were handmade for their lucky original owner. You have to navigate the bathroom in the back to try the clothing on, but it's worth it.
Instead of wasting money on moving all those treasures to my new home I think I am moving myself in that store. Did you see those dresses? And suitcases? And the furniture?!! Oh, the furniture! I got my infamous salt and pepper shakers there, you'll notice it when you visit. Great range of prices, so you are bound to excavate some big treasure practically at any time.
Do some spring cleaning to make room for that Finn Juhl chair. If my apartment wasn't already brimming with eames, jacobsens and aaltos, I would be here every weekend perusing through yet another dead man's estate.
Vintage furniture, clothing and accessories at its best.
I seem to gravitate to either something in the front window or straight to the back.
The turnover in stock appears to be fairly rapid here, so if you drop in every few weeks or so you'll see enough new merchandise to make the trip worthwhile. Furniture, china, crystal, clothing, vintage posters, even retro refrigerators in vibrant colors crowd the aisles and overflow from every nook and cranny. You'll be sorry you gave away Grandma's Sunday service for twelve when you see how much it could have fetched here. In true flea market fashion, prices run the gamut from super deals to budget busters. The friendly staff allows you to browse leisurely, and the Union Street location draws a better crowd than your typical garage sale.
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Good selection and variety of furniture, clothing and artwork.
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