Mascara Vintage Private Collection

Miss Mascara knows her stuff. This little boutique on Polk street has a the feeling of a 1960’s jello dessert with a cherry on top. With great selection of truly vintage clothing, accessories, even home décor, it’s a splendid place to revisit 20^th century fashion while still paying 20^th century prices. Unlike some ‘vintage’ sellers who just re-​label items what you can find in a thrift store and charge $ 150 for.
One of my favorite things about the show is the lovely owner, and her insightful quote, ‘Don’t dress to please anybody but yourself.‘
I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Polyester makes me sweat like a yeti running a 10K in Hell… far too much to justify my love of vintage/​thrift clothing, but I keep trying.
Mascara Vintage is about the only place in the city where «Vintage» isn’t synonymous with «Expensive». Their sales are most excellent… I got a lovely leaf-​print yellow blazer (weird but weird in a good way) for $ 12. And the dozen or so things I’ve bought here are regularly commented on by coworkers/​strangers/​Mission hipsters/​any combination thereof.
So despite my being a hot mess (in more ways than one) I keep coming back for more, polyester or otherwise. Sometimes you have to persevere and/​or perspire through life’s challenges, you know?

I am so glad I stumbled upon Mascara! I am going to stick with my fellow Unilocalers and speak to this places cuteness, quality and great vintage taste. Although it’s places like this that you would like to keep all to yourself, I think it’s my duty as a fashion enthusiast to lead all interested parties hunting for vintage towards Mascara.
It’s a small space with racks of neat blouses, dresses, men’s vintage tees, trousers and of course accessories. Up front there’s a pile of belts and scarves, along with featured pieces which you will see near the window display.
I was lucky enough to find an ivory St. John blouse with red cuffs & collar. Perfect with any pencil skirt. At $ 36 (and 20% off) I knew I owned it the minute I turned the tag over. I will be stopping in regularly to seek out truly one of a kind pieces!

This place is tiny, and I basically either come in here and find nothing in my size or color, or I come in and instantly set eyes on something amazing. More often than not it’s the latter. I got a pair of buttery brown leather Beatle boots that I wear all the time. The owner is very helpful and friendly. Great little shop.

i enjoy pretty dresses, pure and simple. even more so if they are vintage,
and mascara definately delivered! with a small selection of beautiful vintage dresses i was having trouble picking only one!
this store is definately different to other thrift stores, as all pieces here have been carefully selected and at the same time are reasonable in price. there is good selection of costume jewellery, shoes, clutches/​purses and some really cute sunglasses.
the sales assistant was absolutely lovely and very welcoming. after realising i was $ 2.50 short for the dress i fell in love with. she wasnt fazed at all and gave it to me for the amount i had! now thats service!
i will definately be back to this ultra cutesy store!

Given the size of the store (very small), I was surprised at range of well-​edited vintage items at Mascara. I came away with a perfect sweater dress for Christmas Eve, and if I hadn’t been watching my pennies, would have topped it off with a handbag and some earrings — many cute things to choose from! And, they have a surprisingly spacious dressing room (usually, vintage dressing rooms are «knock your elbows on the wall» small). I’m a fan!

The first time I was in here, I was looking for the perfect shoes to match an aquamarine 60s shift dress for a party that night. I found a pair of blue pumps in a near-​perfect shade for $ 15, and then it turned out that there was a sale on shoes and bags that day so out the door my shoes were $ 13. Amazing!
The second time was a few weeks later, when I popped by looking for a bowling shirt to attend Lebowskifest. Not only did the owner recognize me from only one previous visit, but she remembered that I was attending a party the previous time. No bowling shirts, but this place is #1 for customer service.

I stopped by here yesterday, and was sorry to hear that Cara sold her business. However, the new management promises to continue on Mascara’s tradition of selling beautiful things, so I look forward to seeing how the store evolves.
In the meantime, everything in the store (I think, don’t quote me on that) is 30−60% — well worth a stop by sometime soon!

This place is a-​door-​a-​bell!
it’s not too big and the people who work there are WAY into the stuff they are selling. They have a great record collection (a recent addition I believe — recent as in Spring time). When I had a 80s theme birthday party — I came here and got a few of their vintage records and gave them out as raffle prizes. People were glowing!
I believe it was the owner there — Cara — she said she picks all the records out herself. She was so excited about each one that I got.
They also do a great job promoting online about their location… it’s almost so small you walk by it on Polk… but it’s SO worth going in.

I like that this place doesn’t jack up their prices just because they can claim «vintage» rather than «used clothing.»
I appreciate the store perhaps more than I appreciate their wares, as finding the hidden treasures tucked into nooks and crannies give me more glee than a 2-​year old playing peek-​a-​boo. But I’ve only really bought one or two things here. They always have cute purses and shoes, though.
I wish they carried shoes in bigger sizes, as when I’m there everything seems to be a 5 – 6.

Looking at this tiny vintage boutique I would expect scathing, condescending salesclerks, but instead I have received enthusiastic and super-​friendly service.
The selection is small but of quality. If you are any sort of hipster goon, I believe you would be as happy as a pig in mud here.
The only off note for me, is that when I was growing up back in the gay ‘90s, vintage and thrifting were about finding your own insane and dashing style for under $ 5. This is clearly no longer the case, and it is not this shop’s fault. It just reminds me is all.

Man, I love this place. The clothes are well organized, clean, reasonably priced (fuck you, haight street/​mission) and actually cool. She has cool little owl figures everywhere, and she just started selling records! i scored two awesome 7′ today and a little owl statue. Cara (the owner) also has a great style and is soo nice, and not in that west coast fake-​nice-​bitch way but in a ohmygod-​can-​someone-​really-​be-​this-​pleasant way. Also, she’s totally hot too so that’s a definite plus.

I’ve noticed that all the reviews of this wonderful shop have been from a female perspective, so I thought I’d throw out my opinionated male thoughts out there.
First and foremost, finding this store when walking down Polk was a boon — the owner Cara is a sweetheart and although there’s a small selection, the quality and style of what’s being carried is top notch. I was able to find 3 ties and a pair of earrings (for my girlfriend of course) for a very reasonable price.
Also, in this particular instance, everything was 30% off. Amazing!
Other things I liked about the shop was the great way clothes and accessories were displayed — via traditional clothes racks, some bed posts, cabinets, sinks, etc. Cara also mixes some mean beats.
So for you touristas coming to SF, forget Haight-​Ashbury, this is the real deal.

This tiny store on Polk Street is nothing short of a treasure trove! I always find so many things here– boots, coats, dresses, high-​waisted jeans, owls, belts and scarves from her huge collection! MasCara charges next to nothing for her finds, and she has great taste! I highly recommend this place. Everything, from the merchandise, the décor, the music playing, and of course the lovely owner, is a delight!
Also, you’d be surprised at who your fellow customers are. It’s a known fact that most SF bands get their stage attire here, and once I even saw Claude from Ween buying a suit vest from MasCara.

I’m rocking a beaded bag and it cost me 30 $ instead of the 60 – 100 $ I have been seeing.
So who cares if my bag causes accidents because the sunlight that reflects off of it is too bright, and drivers are caught like deers in headlights.
Prices here are the most affordable I’ve seen. Many vintage places charge way too much for dirty clothes, but not Cara. Her stuff hangs with care, and not one of them –that i could detect – had that old stuff smell – you know what I’m talking about, that awful stench so hard to get rid of.
Go on and check it out!

So my 17 yr old employee Maddie has been showing up to work with some really cute vintage pieces… from Apron skirts to my latest obession – suspenders. She told me about Mascara Vintage. the little gem where has been digging out these great finds.
Working retail hours it has been almost impossible for me to go there but I managed to finally check it out yesterday.
The space is pretty tiny but indeed had some great things. I only had 10 mins to look but I found a really cute vintage embroidered top and an awesome brooch with the word, «Math” – fricken priceless!

You walk in empty handed and you walk out fully handed.
Bag of goodies.
This is a very cool clothing store!

Allow me to preface this review with: the shop owner (or whom I believe to be so) is simply adorable and likes to sing along with the stereo as much as I do. Super friendly and helpful!
I agree that the jewelry selection is a bit smallish… but what they lack in personal accessories, they make up for in many other things (like cool ashtrays, make up cases and bric-​à-​brac).
I plan to spend more time in this lovely little store very soon.

I really like this store. It’s way cute w/​all the yellow décor and the owl collection is dope. It makes me want to add to it…
Cara, like other Unilocalers said, was really friendly. I hope that she gets up to Washington soon to gather more pieces for her fabulous store… Although I’m not super into vintage clothing I did find some stuff that I would sport. Dresses in particular.
I spent the afternoon searching for a new purse… I knew what I wanted but was having a hard time finding the color and style of what I wanted. I’d been the the jewerlymart and all over hayes valley, (the mission and haight st prior to today.) I found an awesome Anne klien bag for $ 24, hello reasonable prices! I was stoked…
I will most likely hit this place seasonally…
I’d like to see a bigger jewelry selection too…

Simply fabulous! Cara Samski (the «Cara» in Mascara) has opened up a special gem along the Polk street shopping corridor. Pretty as a pack of pastel Necco Wafers this little jewel box of a shop will appeal to those seeking vintage frocks, accessories, art and housewares in mint condition at terrific prices. The adorable space makes brilliant use of the original barber shop fittings along the side wall. Ceramic sinks and cabinets become kitschy merchandising units, in synch with the shop’s overall playful vibe. Vintage fabrics swag the dressing room along with album covers from decades past.
With a stellar eye for style and quality, Cara will be stocking this neighborhood newbie with hand picked treasures from the 1940’s thru the 1980’s. I was lucky enough to snag a sensational pair of 1950’s navy slingback mules that, just like Cinderella, had fit no one perfectly until me. Cara’s discriminating eye sized me up quickly and brought them out for a whirl. 30 seconds later I had them firmly in my grasp and left the shop giddy with my score. I knew they were hard to part with as she had tried for years to get them to fit her! But alas, no such luck.
I promised I would visit again with my shoes. I recommend you do too.