The Apartment

Sadly, The Apartment is closing its doors and is having a going out of business sale. While I rarely found anything of interest for my home here, I did enjoy poking around the many room chock full of stuff.

generous 2.5
A rusted tool box for 50 bucks? … here take mine for 25 bucks.
Seriously this place has a few cool little pieces but most of the stuff is overpriced junk. Wood pieces were just junk
I guess busy mission hipster code monkeys don’t have enough time… and way too much mullah to really care.
I’m probably showing my age but I don’t get it.

I went into the apartment to look for a wine/​liquor cabinet on 2÷21÷15 around 2pm. The gentleman helping me was probably the owner. I was in a pretty good mood before I walked into this store. When I walked out, I was full of negative energy. The owner told me that he didn’t have anything that would suit what I was looking for. That was fine, but then I asked him where he would recommend I go to find what I was looking for. He basically told me to go home, nobody else in the area would have anything remotely close to having what I was looking for. «Go buy it online» was another one of his suggestions. To me it said, «Son, if I don’t have it, nobody does». Interestlingly enough… this vintage store was the most run down and smaller in size than the rest of the shops I went into. Thanks for nothing, The Apartment.

I have found a pretty good deal on an old veneer round table for a kitchenette area and a heavily beaten up mid century modern chair there each for less than 60 bucks. My only concern is that half of their items are overpriced for the quality of the products. You can find better deals on your own or going through different places in the city. Other than that, the owners are pretty friendly, just not willing to negotiate for a better deal.

I’m a fan of this vintage furniture shop. I have a really cute woodblock print of Chinatown in the 60’s from here. Whenever I’m in the Mission I stop here to look. They have a pretty good rotation of new finds. There are found pictures, furniture, art, and little things to give your apartment more character. Go upstairs there is more to gawk at. There prices range from affordable on close outs to pricey for newly attained goods.

More than anything else, I just like the vibe here! It’s really an apartment! I didn’t even go up the stairs in the back the first few times I came here– but the last time I was in, I made it all the way into the back. I guess because of the location for some of what it is, I find it on the pricey side for used, antique, and vintage furniture and décor. Some of it is just plain ugly to me, but that’s cool… it’s got ‘character’ right?!
I’m sure these guys (who are always very friendly to me!) can decorate circles around me so I do enjoy seeing what they curate. I like the prints and unframed art selection– they had some cool/​cheezy hand painted prints of SF on good paper stock I thought were neat, as well as some really awesome and large metal garden trellises for ivy or vines that I would have bought had I not been on foot– those structures were actually very well priced, so I think checking the shop out from time to time will continue to be something I enjoy.

The owner is mean and rude if you don’t buy something, very judgemental and discriminatory based on how you look. Reminds me of a scene in Pretty Woman. The furniture can be over priced, and you are made to feel like crap if you don’t buy something. Looking in one of the mirrors with a piece of clothing I just bought on the street, I was verbally abused by this man. Personal greed and narrow vision runs this business that is devoid of humanity. Scary and shocking that you can still be treated this way this day and age. I bought stuff there before and now, definitely not returning. 1 star for being an asshole, and 1 more star for being such an asshole that it had comedic effect.

Ha ha ha oh man we got hilariously «bitched out» out here. I don’t normally toss the word «bitch» around, certainly not as a slur, but there really is no way of describing the awesome dressing down we received. We were visiting from out of town & saw a piece of furniture here we liked– not that we thought we’d get it, but we WANTED it– & when the owner came around to do the hard sell on it we told him we liked it but were from New York. The rant that followed was friendly, in the way that the most misanthropic curmudgeon can go off like a firework without it seeming PERSONAL, but it was utterly thorough & utterly adorable. I ended up buying a cheap $ 1 souvenir just so I could seem like we weren’t a TOTAL waste of this guy’s time. Ha ha ha, sorry, I keep cracking up remembering it, it was basically the Platonic Ideal of getting «bitched out.»

If you stop by often you might land a gem or two. Got some lovely gilded chairs for $ 10 each! It’s usually overpriced, though. Just keep popping in…

Great little shop with a variety of interesting items. Everything seems reasonably priced. I always find something I have to have when I come here, so I try to keep my visits down to a reasonable number.

2 stars for a few interesting things — but only 1 star for being really, incredibly overpriced. Few interesting things, but really, you can do so much better elsewhere with a little education on vintage…
Kudos to them, as they are apparently doing just fine, and they’re really nice when you go in there, but wow — can’t believe people will pay these over the top prices — crazy.

Great furniture, reasonable prices, and very friendly service. Look here when Craigslist lets you down — you may never go back.

I love this store because they have a delightful assortment of mid-​century furniture, reasonably priced, and the people working there are very friendly, kind, and helpful. I nearly always find a lamp, desk, dining table, adorable sitting bench, or something, which pulls at my heart strings … and I try to scheme some way to make it fit into my apartment, which of course, is not normally possible, so I can’t normally buy anything. Alas! But they really do have good stuff! I have been able to buy knick-​knacks, as we can always make room for knick-​knacks, YES!
I did actually buy one substantial piece of furniture here, which I suppose why I remember The Apartment so fondly and why I keep going back. About 9 years ago, I purchased a wonderful curved desk in the 1950’s style «blonde finish,» complete with all the matching curved drawers and the matching curved glass cover for the top. What a find! It goes perfectly with the «blonde finish» cedar chest that I inherited from my mother. I know when it comes time to buy a real dining room table with matching chairs (someday when I have room for such a thing), «The Apartment» will be the first place I will look.

Out of all the vintage home stores on the Valencia corridor, this is one of my favorites. It’s quite difficult for me to leave empty-​handed, and if I ever do, I find myself returning the next day to buy an item that I spent all night regretting having left behind! The best part about The Apartment is that their selection changes quite often, and they have a nice range of pieces. Most of their furniture pre-​dates the 1970s, but I’ve found some really nice items from up to the 1980s. They always have a nice selection of mid-​century furniture and lighting. Also, check out their bins of old photographs.
The people running the place are always very helpful, and they know what they are talking about. The furniture is priced pretty decently. I’ve found tables as low as $ 75, but rarer and more desirable pieces can be a few hundred dollars. Definitely pretty competitive prices for the area. If you don’t find what you’re looking for on a visit, be sure to come back in a week or two, since there are bound to be new things to check out!
They mentioned that they do delivery for a price, but since I live close by they did offer me use of their dolly to move a large china cabinet I was interested in for no added cost.

This place is such a great find for refurbished second hand /​antique furniture. Going in looking for a dresser and a book shelf we left with the most beautiful mint condition dresser and a desk my boyfriend could not step away from once he spotted it, we had to resist a few other items that were just amazing. my boyfriend is a furniture maker so getting him to agree on purchasing a piece of furniture means it really must be beautiful and well crafted. he is still raving about how well the dresser drawers slide for such an old piece and how perfectly maintained the detailing is.
i have to admit the prices were high for us, but there is a half off sale going on through 1÷11÷11, and the items they have are worth looking through… you will surely find a gem here if. delivery is about $ 65 then $ 10 each flight if you live high up with no elevator (well worth it with when you are buying real furniture that is solid wood)

This is a great place to look for that once in a lifetime treasure! Nice family run business. I try to pop in a couple of times a week. They are also pet friendly, the nice lady always gives my pup a pat on the head and scratch behind the ears!

I found the most awesome dinosaur egg here (trust me its hard to explain).
Just for that, I believe this place is awesome!

TWO WORDS– CAT PEE and BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES
I have never posted a review on Unilocal,mostly because I try to limit my computer use (I’m on it all day for work) and I think other people have the review department covered.
Anyway, let’s get it to it. My house recently burned down on 21^st and Harrison and I was left with basically nothing. I was really lucky and was able to find a new place right away on 18^th and San Carlos. I literally had no furniture, no nothing.
I’ve walked/​biked by The Apartment and never bothered to check it out. Since The Apartment is less than a block from my actual apartment, I went in to look for some furniture. I was instantly captivated by a vintage love seat with turquoise and green flowered upholstery.
The owner, Lan, informed me that the price was $ 450. The loveseat was in such good condition and I was so desperate to replace my old furniture, that I just got it (along with a side table and owl paintings).
They lent me a dolly to bring the loveseat back to my house and as soon as I brought it into my room, the smell of noxious cat pee was everywhere!
I instantly went back to the store and told them that the love seat REEKED of cat pee. The owner said that there was nothing he could do about it and that The Apartment is a vintage store, they can’t guarantee the «smell» of their products. The owner even told me that he has 11 cats and he couldn’t smell the couch. Load of CRAP.
I tried everything to get the smell out, Nature’s Miracle, Baking Soda; I even washed the cushion covers in the washing machine. NOTHING got the smell out.
I even went back and told the owner about my attempts to rid the love seat of the stench. You know when people pretend to listen to you and they don’t even hear a word you say? He did this.
I’ve bought a lot of furniture from vintage/​antique places and NEVER has a store owner been so rude and unaccommodating.
So, now I am left with a love seat covered in cat pee from someone else’s cat!
I would advise against shopping at The Apartment. They are dishonest, overpriced and rude.

Some vintage stores can be creepy and over-​priced. Thanks to good lighting, this store was less creepy and I found one hellavuh treasure in their $ 1 tray. I found a really awesome vintage lighter. It goes perfect in my «this looks cool and will sit on my dresser» collection. I love quirky knick-​knacks and this place is a good spot for that.
If you don’t have time to go to Alameda flea market, just walk or bus on down to The Apartment and check out the treasures.

Walking up 18^th street in search of a bead store in Castro we stumbled upon this gem! Had I not been on foot I would of walked away with too much. Plus not enough room for much for the drive home. This vintage shop reminds me much of Chach-​Kaas in Long Beach. or even the massive collections of vendors at the Rose Bowl or the Antique Flea Market in Long Beach. With tons of vintage pieces hung on every wall, stuffed in every corner. Just a vintage lovers idea of heaven. I found a piece that I would love to of taken home. (pic to follow) In which reminded me of those old school nurses office recliner things. I wish i wish that I had a truck to load it back with me. Prices here are reasonable. Nothing extremely over priced that is yet another reason why I heart this shop.
Note. go up the little stairs that take you into other many rooms which are yielding tons more of vintage furniture, books, frames, art etc! The guys in here that were working were also friendly and unpretentious. I found that some vintage shops yield snotty pretentious pricks that for some reason think that they are too cool for school just because they know about Knoll or Herman Miller. These guys in this shop were friendly and welcoming! I wish The Apartment was in Costa Mesa… :(
I have to add a little something extra. People, seriously it is a vintage/​antique store specializing in furniture. So, 99 out of 100 times it will resemble walking into your grandmothers attic. Only, had your grandmother of had good taste. No No No. It is not only BROWN in here. My god. I saw greens, yellows, butterscotch, amber and a variety of other colors. Now, photos. Have you ever gone to a flea market and crossed paths with a vendor selling ONLY vintage photos from the late 1800’s to 1950’s? I have. In fact I made a spoke card out of one once that I had laminated and I know to some it may sound creepy to buy photos of strangers but to each their own. Each photo has a tale to tell.