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Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, HawthorneMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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The Red Light was where I recently found the perfect dress for my 80's prom themed birthday party. The selection is huge and it seems this placed is packed to the brim with clothes! I would almost say I prefer it to buffalo exchange simply for the variety of clothes....definitely would say this is the place if you are looking for something to complete a costume!
I didn't have much interaction with the staff (they seem to hide pretty well) so that's totally cool in my book, and therefore I have no negative comments regarding this.
Next time I'm looking for something unique, I'll definitely stop by!
Stores like this are cheap for a reason... most clothes are used. Fine.
Despite mixed customer service reviews, I went to Red Light anyway. Their wide selection of sunglasses (seriously, neon heart shaped frames to dorky square ones) really drew me in.
So it's cheap, you might need to wash clothes when you get home. But does this mean the salespeople have to have an attitude? It started with the sunglasses rack with a sign saying not to carry glasses around the store. They have to be tried on here. Okay. Fine. Slightly annoyed at being baby-sat. After I made my selection, I went to the checkout counter, sunglasses in hand, waiting for the girl to ring me up. After uncomfortably long, she turned her attention from brushing a wig and said "Oh, did you want to buy those?" As she processed the transaction I noticed a sign to the tune of "All items are priced as is. Don't beg for a discount." Beg? Is there a nicer, customer-friendly way to say this?
Portland has a enough vintage shops, so I think I'll try somewhere else before going back to Red Light.
This place is good for 3 things.
1. Burning Man fashions
2. Halloween
3. Ugly Christmas Sweater parties
Really, they're just for costumes in general. You'd be hard pressed to find day-to-day clothes. The employees dress costumey daily so, if you want to look like them...
As for customer service, it's OK unless you are trying to sell something, then suddenly you're putting them out with your lameness. Sighs and eye-rolls are common. Fine, you don't want the jacket I brought in, you don't have to look at it like I just put a dead cat in front of you. So you got your ass kicked all through high school, you're a grown up now. Drop the 'tude.
I'm of the opinion that most of the things here aren't really vintage. And if they are, then the selection is pathetic. Everything seemed so costume-y to me and there are few things I would wear as everyday items.
I found little to try on overall and the prices sort of deterred me from trying on anything else.
It's pretty similar to the Red Light in Seattle, but I think I like Seattle's selection just a little bit better. It'd still probably be about two stars though.
I prefer Red Light over Buffalo Exchange. They have good customer service and so much to choose from.
Red Light Go is a very decently sized store, filled from wall to wall with racks of "vintage" clothing and other ridiculous accessories. There was even a Pabst Blue Ribbon trucker hat for sale to keep the hipster's pallets wet. As someone else said, much of it is very costume like, but there are some gems to be found.
Overall, it is essentially Crossroads meets Goodwill. It is worth stopping in if you are in the Hawthorne area. Trying on a few pairs of acid wash jeans never hurt either (they've got a whole rack).
The only detraction from this hipster haven is the retarded employees. When waiting to purchase a shirt, I must have stood there for a good 5 minutes before the girl working stopped playing with her nose ring and gave me a zombie-like stare which indicated she was ready to help me.
Vintage and thrift stores are really hard to judge because it all depends on what you find. Clothes wise, this place didn't have much for me. Many of the sizes were just too small and like some Yelper's have said too costume-y. I did find some awesome leather oxford shoes and a big blue airline-style bag. I didn't have any problems with friendliness of the employees.
The difference between "Red Light Clothing Exchange" and the Goodwill on Grand?: location and image.
I'm only speaking from a man's perspective, but the clothing selection is complete shit. Racks and racks of rags that are touted as being vintage. Most of the stuff probably is vintage, but it's the kind of stuff that should have been left behind. I've never found anything other than cowboy shirts that are remotely stylish or complimentary. These are the vintage clothes that you would have seen people wearing at the dmv twenty years ago and believe me, they wouldn't be hanging out at the Doug Fir later that night.
So, if you're a guy and you want to have a cowboy shirt or look ridiculous then head to the red light.
My key to continued success at Red Light is to remain focused.
I enter.
I beeline to dress section.
I flip.
I flip flip.
I continue to flip through dresses.
I grab.
I flip.
and so forth.
I wait for dressing room (there is a bell, not that it always brings anyone a-runnin').
I try.
I purchase.
I leave.
Fairly straightforward, yes?
One cannot really expect the customer service to be exemplary. It's a cheesy "hip" vintage superstore, employing some of the cream of the cheesy hip crop. They're fine. And every time I am rung up, the salesperson is very friendly and nice.
I don't know what else you're looking for...I usually have great luck.
Focus!!
Money must move. Clothes must be worn. New clothes sometimes previously worn by others must be obtained with a modest amount of money. Non-customer-service-oriented individuals with silly haircuts must sell clothes to pay for silly haircuts.
Therefore, Red Light must be patronized.
After nine months in Paris I'v finally gotten used to recieving bad customer service almost everywhere I go. Today I went into my local bakery and recieved a tight lipped stare rather than the usual perturbed snarl and I was giddy, babbling to the French hubby that, "I think the bakery lady is finally coming around!"
Bad customer service is a time honored tradition in Paris, and people tolerate it much like they tolerate copious amounts of dog shit on sidewalks and scooters running red lights. However, when I go home to the US I expect a higher degree of service. That's one of the few things that the Americans seem to do better than the French. At the very least, I expect to be treated with a modicum of courtesy. The Red Light, much like a Parisian bakery, excels at providing service that ranges from disinterested to down right disrespectful (like the time two employees were over-heard loudly denigrating a customer's blouse).
The clothes (though over-priced) aren't bad, and I do admit to having bought a couple of great pieces at Redlight, but the nasty attitudes of the staff ensures that I'll be skipping this place on my next trip home.
I keep trying Red Light, really. I want to like it. I do. But I have a couple of problems with it.
1. It's super dark. Am I getting old? There's one corner in the dresses where I really wish they would stash flashlights. In the daytime, when the sun is up, you can't see a goddamn thing.
2. Just because something is vintage, doesn't mean it's good.
3. For everyday wear, Red Light fails me. But it's a fine place to shop for costume-y bits (great for Burning Man!) and for party dresses, etc.
4. When dealing with the sales staff (at the fitting rooms, register, etc) I always feel like I am interrupting something.
5. It's loud (geez, I am getting old). Last time, the music was so loud, my ears were still ringing when I was down the street a half hour later at Sewickly's.
No, Portland isn't stuffy. I think this area is called the "Hawthorne District." It's like a hip, funky clean version of Telegraph Ave in Berkeley.
We popped into the Red Light Clothing exchange while we had some time to kill. This place is cool. Talk about an eclectic mix of clothing. There is something for everyone and prices to match. The staff are helpful and friendly without being getting on your nerves or making you feel like a pervert at the schoolyard.
We found a bunch of cool things that would be perfect to wear at the annual SF Bay to Breakers Marathon aka Party. We totally fell in love with the Carnival Headdresses which were only $19 each and came in red and fuscia.
There is street parking, but you gotta look hard for it. We were there on Sunday morning and we had to fight the "brunchers."
2 snaps, a twist & a head roll - loved it!
This was definitely better than some of the used stores in the Haight in San Francisco. I found quite a few dresses to try on although I found a few of them had stains and rips. Pay really close attention to the pieces you pick up. Check them carefully.
Prices are pretty reasonable though. I left with a really cute vintage nightgown and robe that I would have paid a lot more for on ebay. I would definitely recommend checking this place out.
--History of my hip Atari t-shirt--
1983 Manufactured in Taiwan
1984 Purchased on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA
1985-2005 Sits in storage, surviving three moves, two marriages, and one flooded basement.
2006 Carted off with boxes of junk to a Goodwill in Hillsboro. Sits there for about 9 months.
June 2007 Gets hauled off to the Goodwill Bins where it is quickly snatched up by a enterprising reseller the moment the bin hits the floor. 25 cents
July 2007 Sold to Red Light for $3.
August 2007 I buy the shirt for $20 and feel very cool.
I really enjoyed going through the racks - dresses, super 80's sweatshirts, fashionable boots from the era my parents lived through. We visited on a day they had a huge sale, so there were tons of good buys. The prices were a bit more than I had expected, but I haven't thrifted in so long that I'm pretty much out of the loop.
I would definitely go back in there to score some sweet buys.
To me, this store is amazing if you have a love for vintage clothing, and also have a few hours to actually flip through all of the items in your size before carrying them to the dressing room to try on. Although I used to be into polyester, I've shied away from that in recent years, and this place doesn't quite do it for me.
Don't get me wrong, I do love shopping here, and I've found some amazing vintage bags which always reel in the compliments. However, I just haven't found any amazing outfits that I feel comfortable wearing outside the confines of the dressing curtain. I have a feeling that if I took more time to shop, I would have a lot more luck, because the room housing the womens' clothing is immense!
When my feet start to hurt, I relax on the "stage" in the front of the store and admire the sheets hung behind the register that feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pacman and He-Man/She-Ra. There are also neat pinup ladies adorning the huge wallspace above that, so I give them credit for interesting interior decor.
Some of the best, most fun vintage clothing.
Besides walking out of their like a hipster on crack or an S&M dominatrix, the cool thing is just that, you CAN do that if you needed to.
The array of fun sunglasses and boomin' stereo made it a fun shopping adventure with friends. It's in a great neighborhood and the selection really is colorful and extensive.
A bit pricey, but if you dig deep enough you'll find some gems, I bet! They also have some new clothing as well, have no fear.
I have to be in the mood to shop vintage.
Usually, I get bored/a.d.dish after about five minutes and leave. However, I've gotten a few great things at Red Light. Including this sweet vintage necklace.
oh hey, red light clothing exchange. i'm no expert, but i think the secret to success is friendly employees, versus the dick heads who currently work at your store. i bought a boatload of goodies (and so did my friend) and we were treated like absolute crap. um.
this is a toughie because there do have an amazing selection of vintage dresses and sweaters. so now i'm going to feel like an idiot for going back. and i will go back. so i guess i'm an idiot.
but at least i'll be wearing a cool dress.
it makes me think of that sex and the city line where carries says she was looking for the perfect 7$ dress to go with her 400$ shoes. Red Light has one of the largest selections of vintage clothes in PDX. Shoes and hats too!
It's the same style as buffalo exchange in that they buy good condition used pieces from locals cleaning out their closets. Different in that they focus a lot more on actual vintage and less on the latest trends.
they do have some local wares that are also mixed in with the used/vintage.
Great clothing exchange store... if you have a little patience and time. Sorting through the racks will bring a variety of responses from
"...wow! Check this out" to "...can you believe this was popular" to "They want *how* much for that?!?" But if you have the time, you can find some great deals and excellent finds. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and overall a great shop!
(I have not tried to sell anything to them, so cannot review that aspect)
It has been a year or two since I've been into the Red Light Clothing Exchange. However, I felt the staff was not friendly at all. It was like the employees were too tragically hip to be real with the customers. Get over yerselves. In addition, the prices for the used items were too high and the payout to people who come to sell their clothes is too low. Hopefully the place is better now, but I don't plan to ever return.
Although I'm SURE I could have gotten a Marines Jacket for less than $20 I didn't mind at all. This place is awesome. It's packed with goodies and not so goodies too lol but you'll love it if you love dressing up. And I do so =P
The Red Light is a cavernous and hip collection of vintage clothes. Although somewhat daunting to rummage through the many racks of clothes for both men and women, the selection changes so frequently there's almost always something decent to pick up. I prefer the Red Light to neighboring Buffalo Exchange.
Is there any better place to find faded vintage T's to go with your perfectly disheveled hair?! No... I didn't think so.
I am so not hip. I dress very boring. A few years ago while visiting Portland, I found two "hip" vintage tees here that might look good on me. And, they did. I still wear them all the time, and people talk to me and comment on them. Which is helpful because I'm kinda shy. Especially at the bar. These shirts invite conversations and pick-up lines. But, I've never found any more shirts there so suited to me. So, I relish the past and hope for the future at Red Light.
I prefer the stores in Seattle, due to the fact that they are arranged by era, thus allowing me to avoid any 1955 and new hippie crap. When it comes to vintage, I realize I have to scour, but damn it all, if sometimes I don't want to dig in up to my elbows in someone's mothy funk. I walked in here, tried to muster a good hard on of energy to hunt down a good find...and couldn't perform; I went limp at the sight of little organization
With stylish used-clothing, good prices, and good shopping music, Red Light is an easy fashion addiction. The uber-hip staff is friendly and helpful, and the clothing selection tends to be of a much higher standard than Buffalo Exchange. Watch for their colored-tag sales for extra savings.
My best 40's and 50's vintage finds have been at this Portland/Hawthorne location - even better than the two Red Lights in Seattle! (May lightning not strike me dead for saying so ...)
Rock and Roll/New wave digs for cheap. my only gripe about this place is that it is hard as hell finding the xl size... not everyone wants to fit into a large for every t-shirt they own. One of my favorite consignment chains in Portland...
After a movie at the Bagdad, walk down to the Red Light (3590 SE Hawthorne, 97214) and dig through the vintage goods. An expansive men's section as well as women's, where I scored a pair of Chuck Taylor blue-on-blue high tops and a Dior top for twenty bucks. (Also in the vicinity is a rather large Buffalo Exchange and an American Apparel store if you have money to blow)
i was in portland for the first time back in october 2007, so of course we had to visit the hawthorne district! i was naturally drawn to this store, mostly because i'm a thrift whore by nature. i wandered through the long aisles of magnificent clothing from all of the past eras, and was shocked when i didn't end up finding a damn thing! it seemed like they had way too much stock at that time, but that could have been due to halloween?
in any event, i loved the merchandise they carried, and hope that i can one day visit the store the next time i'm in portland!
I've gotten some of my favorite vintage pieces here, for pretty reasonable prices, and some newer, trendier stuff, too. Fun to browse on a rainy Saturday afternoon, but yeah, like the other reviewer mentioned, can't they invest in some better lighting?
I don't have the best luck at the red light,,,,,, but to be fair, my fashion sense tends to be more new clothes by indie designers. I think the red light has better women's clothes then men's clothes. Actually, I think the world has better women's clothes then men's clothes.
Probably the best vintage clothing store I've ever been to. The men's selection at such places is usually skimpy, but here it was great. In addition to landing my black and purple cowboy boots, I scored and awesome yellow western style shirt and hilarious t-shirt for $10 each. Any guy looking for some stylin' digs needs to hit this place.
This place has a vast selection and I've picked something up on all my trips to Portland. The only nit I have with the place is that it seems that they have decent prices only the obviously used items. Anything that looks new or overstock is only at a discount price ($80 for a Levi denim jacket). That aside, its a fun time spent digging through the racks.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Antiques
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Antiques
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment
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