American Vintage Clothing - Huntington Beach, California

Danielle G.

Had cute clothes but were VERY over priced. Very worn clothing had price tags of $40 or more. Don't see why that would be considering someone probably paid that price (if not less) for it when it was new?

Devonte B.

I write this with little frustration. But I’ll be strong, for you, the reader.
The store in my humble opinion, has a lot of potential. Thats sincere.
However, in the short time that I had the privilege of working for this place I came to understand quickly that they are not a vintage store but simply curated second-hand clothes hit with inflated prices. Things like the 20-30 pairs of cowboy boots lining the store walls when we are literal yards away from the beach confused me. My point is, some, maybe a lot of the stuff just didn’t translate to the area for me at least, and thats fine, it’s a job and I’m there to work.
Having mentioned this to the person who hired me though, I was reassured that the “clothes sell themselves.” Which I agreed with, to a degree. Something in me wondered why out of the four American Vintage stores did the HB location didn’t seem to have any anything that kept people in the store for longer than 10-15min. Which again, may be normal but, for a vintage store this size youd expect to find something out of all the clothes they have. The investigator in me saught to find out what I might be missing and what we could do to improve the store’s sales and reputation—not that it was low but a 3.6 rating on google isn't tremendous.
Through thorough research, I was able to deduce that the profit of the store, juxtaposed to the commercial rent of the area(building)[information I acquired legally through a third-party service costing me a total of $1] It was a lot smaller than one would think. Which led me to the conclusion that there just might not be enough money to revamp that location in a way that brought it out of the lazy industrialized mood it seems to give off.
Again, I mean no harm, even though I only worked there for literally five days I think it was enough time to realize whoever runs that stores location, does not give a damn.
Now, one might say I’m just salty or whatever, to that I’d just say, “I’m human,” and that you could find what youre look for at the 1st Look Vintage just around the corner on 6th.
In Summary, it’s a thrift store. Don’t be daft do your research before you spend money on shirts and clothes from zero credible vintage sources. And if I’m lying, trying asking them exactly where the clothes come from. I bet they say something like “it’s curated vintage sourced from all over America.” Truth is, I don’t have to tell you, the reader how actually hard it is to find true vintage. But do not be fooled by the frayed hems and the dingy-dusty t-shirts that look vintage but are really just shirts from Target or Kohls. From what I was told by an employee, vintage is at least 25 years old.
Again, I aim my words at no one, except the establishment. I support small businesses when I can, and I believe you the reader deserved some sliver of truth, as a consumer.
As for the reputation of the place, I can only imagine is highly based on the customer service which I have witnessed first hand. Only one other employee that I worked with seemed to radiate a positive energy and I wish her the best.
Do with this information what you will, I write for you.

Sincerely,
Unfortunate Local

J S.

I had to get the police involved. The girl overcharged me and then was unable to correct the mistake or refund me the difference. Then she said she couldn’t reach the owner after calling him 5 times to ask him what to do. After that she said that I had to leave the store with the merchandise and I said I’m not taking the stuff because I was overcharged and don’t want to leave until it’s corrected or I’m refunded. She said there is nothing she can do and I had to leave and I said I’m not taking the clothing and she said she would put it outside. So I went around the corner to the police sub station and got the police involved. They went over there and got the owners number from her but when I called it it was a disconnected number. At the moment I have left all the items there and called my credit card to dispute and cancel the charges and will never walk into that store again. Anyone shopping there remember they have unfriendly poor trained staff unable to help if a problem occurs and have a very strict policy of zero returns or exchanges. I highly recommend you steer clear of this place.

Update: I did get the credit card charge cancelled so I got my money back. I also should have known better to stay away. I live a block away from this place and a few years earlier I had gone in there and bought a Mexican pullover hoodie. I was in there and had purchased it, then walked around and saw a different one on the rack I liked better for the same price. I asked if I could just swap it for the one I just bought minutes earlier and it was a guy this time and he said no, all sales are final. I said, it’s the same price and haven’t even left the store yet. He said no. I promised myself then I would never go back. But a few years later I did and that’s when the first review I wrote happened. What a mistake I made going back. Like I said, I live a block away from this place for 20 years and I will never go in there again. The stuff they sell in there isn’t worth the money or the headaches.

Dolores G.

We went there on Memorial Day weekend, I love the clothes but didn't buy anything even tho I saw a few things I wanted due to lack of customer service. The girl was too busy on her phone to even acknowledge there were people in the store. If I was the owner I would be upset for lost sales. So maybe next time I go out that way I will try one more time.

Jadon S.

As with most thrift stores, American Vintage doesn't have much of a selection for men. If you're coming for women's clothing, you'll have a great time, as there's a wide array of clothing across many vintage and contemporary styles to choose from. This place doesn't suffer from any poor music choice or funky smells, so it's a winner for me, aside from the shallow men's variety and inventory.

Jasmine R.

I absolutely LOVE this store!!! They have the cutest vintage finds and their prices are super reasonable! And not to mention the music that plays in the store. My absolute favorite 70's & 80's hits! I'm so sad that I live in Riverside and I'm not able to visit it daily. But I'm definitely going to be in there every time I'm out in Huntington! Stay groovy American Vintage!

Imperial

Just had the worst and unfriendly customer service. I took a necklace off of a mannequin and took it to the cashier to purchase it. He scolded me, and rudely told me to never touch anything on the mannequins. Additionally, there were no signs anywhere that reinforced this, so how was I supposed to know? After apologizing, I asked if I could still buy it because it had a price tag. He then condescendingly told me items on the mannequins were not for sale without owner approval. I showed him the tag on the necklace that said $22.99 and asked again to buy it. The man looked at me and just said "whatever". I had my boyfriend put the necklace back. Never shopping here again.

pauly (. A.

Bought my favorite pants here, love them to death! Lil’ shop’s got great Vintage/Grunge and Colorful clothing. Would seriously recommend for those who’re into thrifted clothes or just want a new style! 🙂