The 9 Best Thrift Stores in San Francisco, California in 2023

Written by

Inga Vallery Phlegar

Published

When the weather outside is rainy and windy (as it tends to be during winter in San Francisco!), it's time for some indoor activities. One that can be social, fun, and eco-friendly is none other than thrifting; it's like going on a treasure hunt!

If you're looking for the best thrift stores in San Francisco, you're in luck—we have some that are hard to beat. So, what will you find? A designer item at a fraction of its original cost? A totally unique piece? Something vintage? The possibilities are endless.

If your closet could use some new pieces, and you want to shop for them sustainably (aka without supporting fast fashion brands), visiting the best thrift stores in San Francisco is a great way to go about it. Here are our favorite spots to explore.

The 9 Best Thrift Stores in San Francisco

1. Out of the Closet

Locations:

1295 Folsom St. San Francisco, CA 94103 US
1498 Polk St. San Francisco, CA 94109

Out of the Closet is a unique nonprofit chain of thrift stores owned by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. 96 cents out of every dollar spent in these stores goes to HIV/AIDS services. All of the items in the store come from donations, and you'll find clothes, footwear, and various small items.

2. ReLove

Location: 1815 Polk St. San Francisco, CA 94109

ReLove is a female- and Black-owned high-end boutique filled with carefully curated designer labels. There's both vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories.

For anyone who's anxious about shopping in person due to the pandemic, ReLove offers virtual styling appointments, where an employee will select a rack of items based on the shopper's needs and go through them over a video call.

3. The EcoCloset

Location: 5791 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94112

The EcoCloset sells electronics (like phones, games, and cameras), home goods, and clothing. It offers a curated selection of brand-name and vintage pieces. It also has affordable prices and is a smaller version of stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army.

4. Chloe’s Closet

Locations:

616 Irving St. San Francisco, CA 94122
451 Cortland Ave. San Francisco, CA 94110

Shopping for kids? They grow out of clothes so fast, so thrifting is a great option: Many of the pieces are like-new! Chloe's Closet has a wide selection of gently-worn clothes for children of all ages, used toys, and maternity clothes. You can also sell clothes back to them, easing the burden of the constant garment turnover.

5. Wasteland

Location: 1660 Haight St. San Francisco, CA 94117

Located in a vintage warehouse with a beautifully decorated exterior, Wasteland contains a carefully curated selection of clothing, ranging from retro-chic to high fashion. It's even possible to find brands like Gucci or Vivienne Westwood. It's a more expensive thrifting option, but is great for anyone who loves finding luxury goods.

6. Fashionphile

Location: 150 Stockton St. 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94108

This is the place to go if you want a closet like Carrie Bradshaw's! Fashionphile sells designer shoes, bags, and accessories from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Prada. To visit the store in person, you must book an appointment. However, no appointment is needed to explore their massive online selection.

7. Buffalo Exchange

Locations:

1555 Haight St. San Francisco, CA 94117
1210 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA 94110

Buffalo Exchange is a franchise of thrift stores that buy and sell clothes at a low price. The stores can be found in 17 states. That's great news if you're an avid thrifter: You can sell clothes for store credit, and use that store credit in any of their locations.

Buffalo Exchange also runs Coats for Cubs, a donation drive that collects real fur coats and trimmings and gives them back to the animals. Those materials are used to comfort orphaned and injured wildlife.

8. Crossroads Trading

Location: 2123 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94114

Crossroads Trading is an award-winning thrift store chain that has been operating for nearly 30 years. It offers four ways to sell clothing for the convenience of its customers: in-store, drop off, consignment, and through the mail. It's also developing an app to help customers sell their clothes.

9. Goodwill and Goodwill Boutique

Locations:

61 W Portal Ave. San Francisco, CA 94127
1669 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94115
1700 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
3801 3rd St. San Francisco, CA 94124
4631 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94112

There are multiple Goodwill locations (and a Goodwill Boutique) in San Francisco. Here, you can find clothing, furniture, books, games, electronics... basically anything you could ever want. Goodwill Boutique is a more curated version of the typical store, with more representation of brand name items.

Shopping at Goodwill benefits your wallet, the planet, and the community; 90 cents of every dollar spent goes directly toward funding its job programs.