Shaking Up Santa Barbara’s Secondhand Shopping Scene

There’s something so special about shopping secondhand. Every purchase feels like obtaining a unique treasure, a historical object, a one-of-a-kind piece. Perhaps an item that’s the only one left in existence. Buying new simply can’t compare to the thrill of digging for and stumbling upon the perfect find.

Santa Barbara residents are no strangers to this alternative form of shopping and heavily embrace consumption that’s gentle on the planet. For years now, our community has proven its eco-friendly leanings from vintage pop-ups in the Presidio to clothing swaps organized by local businesses. Santa Barbara’s used home goods and clothing scene has only grown and evolved in recent months.

Favorites: Unisex, Laid-Back Closet Staples on State

Teagan Giffin opened Favorites on State Street in mid-May with a mission to sell t-shirts, denim, and casual pieces from the 70s-90s that are wearable, relevant, and timeless.

After years of selling vintage online and at pop-ups in Southern California, opening a permanent shop was a natural progression for Giffin’s business. With the help of family and friends, Giffin renovated the space himself and filled the space with racks of high-quality denim and secondhand tees in every color.

Giffin emphasized that every item in the store is unisex, though Favorites carries a smaller selection of femme items. Before items go out onto the floor, everything is cleaned and mended; you won’t see clothing with unintentional stains or easily repairable holes here.

“We want every piece to be worth looking at,” Giffin said about his curation process. More special and rare items including vintage concert merchandise and a few designer vintage pieces are hung like art on the wall. With the exception of these items, flannels, jeans, and cheeky graphic tees run from anywhere between $28 and $75.

Favorites proudly prioritizes American-made pieces, yet inventory sells quickly. The shop leans on its community to maintain its stock by buying vintage from its customers, which keeps clothing in circulation and out of landfills. (Favorites, 1101 State St., @favorites.sb on Instagram)

Assemblage: Eclectic Clothing and Home Goods in the Funk Zone

Assemblage, which opened in May, lives up to its name as a vibrant hodgepodge of vintage goodies from more than 20 local vendors and vintage dealers. The store’s name also references the assemblages created by the late Ojai-based artist Robin Bagier, who mentored Assemblage’s owner Henry Castelo Jr. As Bagier’s gallery apprentice in the late 1990s, Castelo learned to curate antiquities and fine art. Since then, Castelo has sold antique objects at Central Coast swap meets and worked at the now-shuttered Old Town Antiques.

The warehouse that encases Assemblage features a ground level filled with racks of vintage clothing, memorabilia, jewelry and records, plus an art and furniture showroom upstairs. Each seller’s corner has a unique theme with aesthetics ranging from cowboy to disco.

“We’re bringing the funk back,” was how Castelo described the store.

Last year, Castelo launched The Love Market, a weekly outdoor flea market in the Funk Zone on Anacapa Street that featured booths from the store’s current vendors. The market will now be housed at Assemblage at the on-site parking lot, where the store aims to host more community events in the future. (Assemblage, 111 Santa Barbara St., @assemblageinthefunkzone on Instagram)

Your Vintage Neighbor: Prairie-Inspired Womenswear on Chapala

“I feel rooted here,” said Macy Hoey, a Pennsylvania native, longtime vintage seller, and owner of the recently opened store Your Vintage Neighbor.

Hoey was looking for a permanent home for her collection of clothing from the 1930s to the 1980s after selling at pop-ups all over the country and online for over eight years. The store’s name references the strong sense of community Hoey has found in Santa Barbara after so many years of taking her brand with her from one destination to the next; Hoey is your vintage neighbor, operating out of a small boutique space on Chapala Street.

The shop’s aesthetic is “refined bohemian,” and inside the cozy boutique you’ll find lace-adorned prairie gowns, cowboy boots, basket bags, and the like. Hoey also sells authentic vintage pieces from designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior.

The shopping experience at Your Vintage Neighbor is enhanced by additional services that you won’t find at other secondhand stores. With the shop’s buy-back program, customers can resell their prior purchases to Hoey at 80 percent of the purchase price, a program that’s especially popular for those buying special occasion outfits that might be worn only once.

Customers also have the option to opt for alterations, a personalized shopping experience led by Hoey, and, if they are looking for a specific vintage item not already inside the store, personalized vintage clothing sourcing. (Your Vintage Neighbor, 414 Chapala St., Ste. B, @yourvintageneighbor on Instagram)

Westward General: Beachy Western Clothing in Various Central Coast Outposts

It was a bittersweet decision for Naomi Strauss to close Westward General, her store on West Alamar Avenue where she had been selling a mix of vintage clothing, secondhand home goods, and a curated selection of small brands for three years.

The motivation to open a shop sparked from Strauss’s prior career in set design and her love for interiors. Based on the fashion and aesthetics of the West, Westward General’s store concept mixed objects from contemporary makers with those from the past. Inside, you’d see anything from 1980s Frye leather boots and 1990s Wrangler denim to locally made ceramics and bottles of Graza olive oil.

With the store’s lease set to end this summer, Strauss said goodbye to her storefront in July and fully transitioned to selling vintage clothing and objects online and at Heritage Goods and Supply in Carpinteria (5100 Carpinteria Ave., @heritagegoodsandsupply on Instagram) and Findings Flea in Ventura (33 S. Palm St., @findingsflea on Instagram). The space at 160 West Alamar Avenue remains as a curated clothing, home, and gift store, but is now home to Heritage Goods’ third location (they also have a store at 1623 Mission Drive in Solvang), which might sell some of Westward General’s items in the future.

In this new chapter for Westward General, Strauss aims to continue building her brand and introducing more upcycled items. She’s looking forward to having more time to spend with her children without the pressure of curating an entire store.

“I’m not gone. I’ll still have a presence,” Strauss said.