Sometimes, out-of-town guests say they just “want to do whatever you guys do on Saturdays.”  I’m not sure what this means, unless they really do just want to hang out on our couch and watch college football or a “Friday Night Lights” marathon.  But then again, we do run a website dedicated to 12 hour Saturday excursions that often involve 10-mile hikes. This day trip is the goldilocks solution.  This is what we actually do, when there’s no game on and we haven’t thought of anything else to do.  We putz around the neighborhood.

The Mission District gets a lot of attention from national magazines that all claim to have discovered a new boutique you haven’t heard of yet or some pop-up restaurant that you can only catch every third Friday of the month, and only then if you have an invitation.

It’s not really that mysterious.  It’s a neighborhood with an abundance of cute shops and new restaurants, live music and $5 plays.

But above all, the Mission is where seemingly every discarded shirt, dress, book, and coffee table in a ten mile radius has a second shot at a forever home.  Vintage is taken to a whole new level here, and each shop has a highly curated style – 60s bohemian, 50s kitsch, 60s mod, 70s polyester sunrise, 80s punk.  Here’s my guide to vintage crawling in the Mission.

On Foot: A Vintage Crawl Through the Mission

Recommended Itinerary (6 hrs, 3 walking miles):
1. Travel to the Mission District
2. Brunch at Puerto Alegre
3. Crawl through Valencia Street
4. More Shopping
5. Stop for coffee and more shopping
6. Dinner at Beast and the Hare

 

 
What you’ll need to bring:
1. Walking shoes
2. Cash — some stores don’t take credit cards
3. A reservation at Beast and the Hare, or wherever else you’d like to eat

 

 
1. Travel to the Mission District

The Mission is one of the easiest neighborhoods to get to in San Francisco.  It is less than a ten minute subway/commuter rail ride from downtown San Francisco.

If you’re traveling from downtown SF, hop on the BART (see here for how to ride the BART).  Take any train heading south – to SFO Airport, Millbrae, or Daly City.  Hop off at the 16^th Street/Mission stop.

San Francisco’s BART stops are all grand public plazas, and 16th & Mission is no different.  Mission is a busy and congested commercial street, with a Payless Shoe store, Radio Shack, fish vendors, and tons of vegetable markets.  As you come up the escalator, you’ll probably first notice the combination smell of urine and alcohol, followed by the sounds of a boom box and a group of folks dancing the afternoon away.  There will probably be at least 20 to 30 people milling around, some having meandering, verbal disagreements over actual or perceived slights, all trying to ignore the man with the megaphone trying to save our souls.

You’ll want to head west on 16^th street until you get to Valencia Street.  Turn left on Valencia.  Puerto Allegre will be midway through the block between 16^th and 17^th.

 

 

 

2. Brunch at Puerto Alegre

The Mission, not surprisingly, is known for its Hispanic community and Mexican food.  Puerto Alegre is a diner-y Mexican restaurant that has great service and a make-your-own combination meal menu.  I have no idea what to make of the décor – faux wood paneling, random Mexican artwork, vinyl diner booths.  It even has a lunch counter.  It looks like it’s been around forever.

I like it for their sopes, and this is one of the few restaurants that actually makes them.  Of course, they have the traditional Mexican breakfast standbys of Huevos Rancheros and Even better, they are clear about what does and does not have meat in it, so it’s a good Mexican restaurant to bring vegetarians to.

 

3. Crawl through Valencia Street

Alright, let’s get this crawl started.  As you walk out of Puerto Alegre, turn right.

First on our list is ISSO at 19^th and Guerrero.  Turn right on 19^th and walk west a block. (If your definition of vintage includes people hawking their junk on street corners, 19^th is a good street corner for you.)

ISSO sells vintage in addition to locally made clothes and accessories.  On our trip, the shop seemed overrun with owl figurines too.  Owls have officially replaced birds, I think.  The clothes are cute, and they nail the layered, slightly vintage, heavy on the accessories look that’s in these days.

Afterwards, it’s back on Valencia towards 20^th street.  At 20^th, you have Dog Eared Books, which has a pretty wide-ranging and complete selection of new and used books.  (My husband would like to point out that it’s a great source of college-age-boy reading material, like Kerouac.) The used books are obviously cheaper, and we have a hard time getting out of there with less than three books each.

 

 

 

Next door is Room 4, bringing the kitsch to our crawl.  It bursts with turquoise and yellows and reds, tables piled with random colorful stuff, mismatched shelves displaying a random assortment of mugs.  Gilded mirrors on the walls.  A collection of staplers.  Room 4 is kind of masculine granny chic, which is something I’d never contemplated before.  It’s your spot for a toxic yellow lamp or a set of black lacquered soy sauce dishes.  Definitely make sure to look up, because they have extremely fun atomic age chandeliers.

And then there’s Retrofit next door to that.  Retrofit is late-60s camp, but the real fun is at the beauty counter which runs the length of the store.  Theater-grade foundation, wigs, false eyelashes, and bright eyeshadows.  It’s fabulous and fantastic.

Are you starting to see what I mean?  Lots of vintage in the neighborhood.

 

 

 

The Touch, further down Valencia at Liberty, is our first mid-century modern furniture store of the day.  It’s probably also the most affordable.  Dented teak, cracked vinyl, tarnished brass.  This is what MCM would look like if you raided your grandparent’s attic.  Don’t overlook the perimeter, where you’ll find beautiful wall-to-wall mid-century bookcases. (Note: The EVERYTHING ON SALE signs never come down.)

A few doors down you have After Life, which is the Easy-Rider/Americana/Rocker vintage store.  Up front, they sell an assortment of heavy, long pendant necklaces and some resewn vintage pieces.  In back, it’s all leather jackets and old rock t-shirts.

Rounding out this block is Viracocha.  Dear Lord, this store.  The owner definitely has a particular aesthetic.  It’s kind of like the inside of a blacksmith shop, after he’s turned it into a general store.  Let’s see – dark wood walls, dark wood tables heaped with antique instruments and black typewriters, bear skin rugs, old iron tool sets, wood crates as shelving.  It is all incredibly masculine, just in case you thought vintage was for girls.    You walk around with your hands to yourself lest you unintentionally disturb the perfectly rustic displays.

You’ll get a bit of a reprieve for the next few blocks, as you continue to walk south.  You might want to stop for coffee at Ritual (it’s a “thing” — expect a line) or at any of the other coffee shops that dot the landscape.  Sit down, hang out, you’re going to need to pace yourself.

 

 

 

4. More Shopping

After coffee, continue walking down Valencia and turn right onto 22^nd street . Walk a block to Guerrero St.

Pot and Pantry is just across Guerrero, next door to The Liberties.  It is so pocket sized that I jogged past it for over a year before noticing it.  Pot and Pantry has a small but extremely well curated stock of 60s and 70s era kitchen accessories.  Somehow, the Tupperware and mixing bowl sets, canisters and salt n’ pepper shakers, all look brand new.  They’re all bright and precious.  It’s a great little store. (UPDATE: Pot and Pantry has moved to a new location on Guerrero Street at 18th Street.)

You can now either continue walking south on Guerrero or head back to Valencia.  Guerrero is a large street with some beautifully maintained Victorians on it, and it’s much quieter than bustling Valencia.

Next on our list is Gypsy Honeymoon, on Valencia between 23rd and 24th.  I believe the owner stocked it by looting the Grey Gardens estate.  Ms. Havisham with a side of chabby chic.  What happens if your family’s luck ran out during the Victorian era.  Antique lace dolls, birdcages, oxidized brass, chipped gilded everything, porcelain china.  Twigs, torn and aged silk, dusty chandeliers, heavy silver.

Lastly, we have The Painted Bird, between 24th and 25th.  I could have sworn this place used to be a “we take used clothes and re-sew them into something cooler” kind of shop, but now it’s decidedly 60s western bohemian with a touch of South American crafts.  Or, in other words, what people wear in hippy towns all across the country – Ecuadorean sweaters and hand-loomed wool bags.  Lots of light brown leather goods.

 

 

 

I was going to recommend/insist that you go to the Salvation Army store on the corner of 26^th and Valencia.  Back in OUR day, the Salvation Army was the vintage store.  Sure, you could go to Urban Outfitters in Center City and buy a used flannel shirt, if you were a poser.  We thought it was HYSTERICAL that Urban Outfitters kept the original Salvation Army price tag on their clothes ($.50) as well as the new UO price tag ($25).  Who would buy that stuff?  Lame, wannabe poser sell-outs, that’s who.  In other news, how great was Gen X back in the day?  The only respectable way to get a flannel was to sort through thousands of moth bally sweaters and ribbed GAP t-shirts first.

Anyway, we went to Salvation Army, to Keep It Real, and we were there for 15 minutes before my husband whispered “they’re selling an Ikea coffee table…for $90.”  That’s not right, people.  What happen to $1 bag Saturdays?   The store is massive, though, so you may find a bargain somewhere in there.

Turn around and start walking north on Valencia Street.  You have a while til the next store, so feel free to pop into Anthony’s Cookies for, well, a cookie.  I like the candied pecan chip.  You might also pop into Heart, next to Gypsy Honeymoon, for an afternoon glass of wine served in a tumbler.

 

 

 

Turn right on 21^st and head to Gravel and Gold.  Along with The Painted Bird, this place is heralding the “new” style popular among the kids these days – that sun-kissed, western prairie, Age of Aquarius look.  I refuse to believe this look ever went away.  They sell clothes in addition to random home goods, new and old, and afghan blankets and pillows.

Walk down Lexington for a block to 20^th street, where you’ll find Stone Pony.  This store looks cool…but I have yet to come upon it when it’s open.  It’s a little goth, a little celestial.  I have no idea what goes on in there.

 

 

 

If you’re enjoying walking down the Mission’s narrow side streets, continue on Lexington.  The next stop, a goody, is The Apartment.  This is what a used furniture store is supposed to look like.  Stacked wooden chairs, random large commercial signs, maybe a bench, lots of tables, everywhere.  And, it’s affordable.  I might have a hard time leaving this store.

 

 

 

Your next stop is The Community Thrift, the hot pink and rainbowed, block-long cathedral to used goods.  All streets and alleys surrounding it are covered in colorful anti-capitalism and philosophical graffiti.  Inside, it’s a pretty good thrift store.  A lot of great lamps to sort through, the clothes selection is surprisingly high-end, and an entire wing of the store is used furniture.  It’s a go-to shop for practical used things.

 

 

 

Now we’re going to come upon a series of vintage furniture stores.  First up is Harrington Galleries at 17^th and Valencia, which sells a combination of cool, vintage pieces in addition to inexpensive new chairs and accessories.   Queen Anne style bedside tables and dining sets, but then also black and white graphic pillow cases.  “Keep Calm and Carry On” type stuff.  The Apartment Therapy aesthetic come to life.

 

 

 

Next is the fabulously absurd Monument.  I like poking fun at this store, because the staff are all so SERIOUS.  It’s all refurbished mid-century and art deco furniture and accessories.  Everything is sparkly and spotless.  It is nearly of museum quality, and its prices reflect it.  This is a great store to shop in if you have $7,000 to burn on an original Knoll table.  Otherwise, it’s a great store to shop in if you’ve always wanted to see an original Knoll anything up close.

On the next block is Clothes Contact, which is the kind of place that sells polyester leisure suits by the bag full.  It’s a bit much and really only a must-see for fans of the 70s.

 

 

 

5. Stop for Coffee, followed by More Shopping

You will probably be exhausted by this point.  Four Barrel Coffee is on the next block, and it’s a great spot to sit and have some hot chocolate.  They also now have a parklet, so you can even hang out outside and people watch.  We were there on Labor Day, and it took us a second to figure out that these hipsters were slightly different than our SF hipsters.  The skimpy costumes on display were fantastic, if somewhat impractical for a normal SF summer day.  Pairing knee high granny tights with shorts won’t exactly protect you from the damp fog.

There are a series of pocket-sized antique shops in and around Four Barrel Coffee – Farnsworth, Accident and Artifact, and Tradesmen.  They all sell a variety of masculine, mid-century modern furniture and home goods.  It’s definitely fun to check them out, but the prices are steep.

 

 

 

I’ve saved the best for last.  The final stop of the day is Aunt Bill’s Stuff.  This store is a hot mess, in the best sense.  It’s located just to the side of a highway overpass at the end of Valencia.  The store is more than 8,000 square feet of stalls, where individual dealers hawk their wares.  If you are in the market for funky home accessories, this is a must-see.  Each dealer has a particular aesthetic, and so if one stall doesn’t suit you, the next probably will.  It is chockablock with architectural pieces, chandeliers, disgarded theater equipment, gilded busts, ornate jewelry, one-of-a-kind retro sofas.  Prices range from reasonable to laughable, depending on the seller.

Depending on what time it is, you can either head to dinner now or head to Dolores Park to hang out and do some dog, people, and baby watching.

 

 

 

6. Dinner at Beast and the Hare

This spot opened up to much acclaim six months ago, and I recommend it as a perfect example of the current San Francisco culinary scene.  First things first, this place completely shuns the fresh, ripe vegetable ethos which San Francisco is known for.  It is not a good place to take a vegetarian. (If you have any vegetarians in the group, I can’t recommend Spork enough (on Valencia between 21st and 2nd).  We love it.  Make sure someone at the table gets the soup of the day.)

Beast and the Hare, as the name implies, specializes in meat dishes.  Meat dishes unapologetically doused in butter and maybe fried.   I had sardines over butter-saturated toast with avocado on top.  Mouth-pleasing doesn’t even begin to describe it.  I also had a dish that included fried avocado slices and fried lemons that was delicious and unlike anything I’ve had before.  My husband’s platter of bone marrow could probably better be described as a trough.  In his words: “Where. To. Begin? You know? It was bizarre. And good. And gluttonous. And bizarre. Something I really wanted to try and then felt really dirty for trying. Certainly an experience.” His charcuterie order of pates and cured meats was very good, but not as existentially unnerving as the bone marrow I guess.

We probably shouldn’t have gotten dessert, but you can’t turn down beignets, ever.  And so we got the beignets, which were delicious if slightly (very) heavy.  We were fattened up for slaughter ourselves by the end of that meal.

After dinner, you might want to walk around Valencia a bit more to see some Mission nightlife – there’s typically something going on at The Make Out Room or Amnesia.  Or, you could head to one of the many bars that you passed during your day.

Or you could waddle back home and call it a Saturday.