{"id":33333,"date":"2023-03-10T16:06:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T00:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000030013"},"modified":"2023-03-10T16:49:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-11T00:49:07","slug":"move-over-melrose-7-long-beach-vintage-and-antique-shops-to-dig-into","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/move-over-melrose-7-long-beach-vintage-and-antique-shops-to-dig-into","title":{"rendered":"Move over Melrose: 7 Long Beach vintage and antique shops to dig into"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just as one might enjoy gawking at vases once owned by King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette in the 1700s at The Getty, others like to walk about town adorned with remnants of the past. Well, perhaps not of the 18th century, but a pair of \u201860s Chelsea boots will do.<\/p>\n

Wearing vintage of a certain era or furnishing your home with such is just another way to observe history, much like taking up film photography or collecting vinyl records (the snobs will say \u201coriginal pressings, please\u201d).<\/p>\n

Long Beach happens to be a well of places to rummage through racks, and sometimes piles, of vintage fashion. We even have a whole block dedicated to the sport.<\/p>\n

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Far Outfit manager Isaac Sanchez peers up at the shop’s beams. Photo by Kat Schuster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Reece, former drummer of Social Distortion, has earmarked over a dozen of these shops in Long Beach. He has maintained his quarterly Reece\u2019s Antique & Retro Shoppers Map since 1997. When a cluster of vintage shops started appearing along a section of Fourth Street, he dubbed the area \u201cRetro Row<\/a>,\u201d where he opened Pike Restaurant and Bar in 2002.<\/p>\n

After the map\u2019s success, he expanded it to much of Southern California. Check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His interest in antiques spans back three decades, he said, adding that he learned the art of antique dealing at a young age by watching his parents run antique shops in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Below we\u2019ve compiled a supplementary list. It doesn\u2019t exactly include shops that offer upcycled clothing or retro styles stitched last year\u2014but shops whose owners are dedicated to collecting and identifying treasures from the last 100 years. Kathleen Schaaf is one of them.<\/p>\n

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Neon lights up the walls of Meow as owner Kathleen Schaaf stands inside her vintage store on Retro Row in Long Beach Monday, March 6, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She\u2019s been running Meow Vintage since 1986 and has witnessed a revolving trend of vintage fads over the years. In the 1970s, when she was shopping vintage as a teenager, it was a revival of 1920s style clothing (think Annie Hall). Now\u2014millennials cover your ears\u2014the kids are scouring her shop for relics of the ’90s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Schaaf says vintage has been a big part of Long Beach street fashion for decades.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s, \u201cThere were all sorts of music clubs here\u2026so people would dress ’70s, ’60s or ’50s\u2014just whatever they were into and everybody hung out together\u2014the mods would hang out with the rockabillies and so I stocked mostly true vintage from all those eras.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Schaaf, who has worn the gamut of eras, she\u2019s partial to a good pair of \u201850s jeans. But lately, she said she\u2019s still working on her fashion comeback, post pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been dressing like a sea hag for the last two years like I live on a boat,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBut give me 20 minutes and I\u2019m deadly.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, without further meandering, here\u2019s a list of just seven fantastic Long Beach vintage shops in no particular order. Some are drawn from Reece\u2019s suggestions, others are our own.<\/p>\n

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Far Outfit, on Fourth Street’s Retro Row, is the place to go for a standout dress. Photo by Kat Schuster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leslie\u2019s Antiques & Consignment Shop – <\/b>1345 E. Broadway<\/i><\/p>\n

It should be hard to miss this little shop on Broadway, open since 1996, with its gold bordered red sign bearing the name Leslie’s in old English scrawl\u2014yet people do. It\u2019s not on Reece\u2019s list, but this place is a goldmine of mid-century furnishings, funky light fixtures, wall hangings, nostalgic oddities, patterned rugs and two sections of vintage clothing and accessories.<\/p>\n

Last week, yours truly was able to snag a brown suede 1970s trench coat for $35\u2014you won\u2019t find deals like this in Silverlake.<\/p>\n

Meow Vintage – <\/b>2210 E. Fourth St.<\/i><\/p>\n

Obviously, Schaaf\u2019s Meow was going to make the list. She specializes in \u201cdead stock,\u201d untouched or unworn vintage clothing. In her shop, you can certainly find baubles, bangles and threads of a spectrum of styles from the \u201820s and up in pristine condition.<\/p>\n

Schaaf\u2019s shop was the first of its kind to open on what we now call Retro Row. She also regularly works with set designers in the film industry, helping to dress productions such as \u201cMad Men\u201d and \u201cStranger Things.\u201d So, you\u2019d be lucky to have her pick your britches.<\/p>\n

Assistance League of Long Beach Thrift & Vintage Shop<\/b> – <\/b>2100 E. Fourth St.<\/i><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re willing to spend the time, this is the spot to find trinkets, housewares, clothes and shoes at a much lower price. I\u2019m not sure if this counts, but I once bought a gorgeous 1980s amber crockpot there. She still works.<\/p>\n

La Bomba – <\/b>2222 E. Fourth St.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Dee Hayes has been working at La Bomba on Retro Row for 22 years, so she knows a thing or two about what her customers are after. Recently, vintage sunglasses, cut-off shorts, Pendletons, cowboy boots, Carhartt pants, bell bottoms, mom jeans and vests have been hot commodities.<\/p>\n

The shop, which opened in 1996, has garments from the \u201860s up to the \u201890s available to try on. Hayes says the younger folk were pulling \u201820s sleeves on like yoga pants, so earlier eras are now reserved for the online store.<\/p>\n

Plus, if you ever feel like swimming through a pile of clothing like Scrooge McDuck (no, really), the shop hosts its pile sale on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. You can find dresses, T-shirts, leather jackets and more for reduced prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty inexpensive but you have to do the work,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

I myself did the work and clinched a purple 1960s gown for $12. It\u2019s one of my closet staples.<\/p>\n

Long Beach Vintage Etc. – <\/b>737 Pine Ave.<\/i><\/p>\n

Nestled in the heart of Downtown, this is an emporium you could really get lost in, so be sure to arrive with plenty of time on your hands. The 7000-square-foot shop is brimming with rhinestone jewelry, mid-century modern furnishings, clothing and kitsch, \u201cfor good measure,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n

Far Outfit – <\/b>2020 E. Fourth St.<\/i><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re scouring Retro Row for dresses of the long, loud and frilly sort, you won\u2019t have to look far (sorry). Far Outfit, boasts an assortment of kooky-sparkly-you-name-it garments fit to own the stage or better yet, to strut the sidewalk. Plus, the staff is always friendly and willing to give you feedback on whichever style you decide to brave that day.<\/p>\n

Belmont Shore Discovery Shop – <\/b>5235 Second St.<\/i><\/p>\n

This one is another one of those sleeper shops and what I mean by that is: It\u2019s routinely bustling but not necessarily with people hunting for vintage. If you\u2019re on the hunt for reasonably priced garments you can usually find some real treasures here, especially if you\u2019re looking for \u201890s garb. But you\u2019ll more easily find vintage housewares, including cloth napkins, lamps, furniture and knick-knacks here.<\/p>\n

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify when Leslie’s opened.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From fur coats to furniture, if you\u2019re on the hunt for vintage, you\u2019ll hit the lottery in Long Beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":72297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[32085],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32065],"class_list":["post-33333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-vintage","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33333"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=33333"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=33333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}