Hollywood Vintage

overpriced, pretentious, retro, and snobby. The gal who works there is nice and she is the only thing good about that clip joint.
Vintage is not retro and retro is not vintage.

I think Hollywood Vintage might be the best costume store on the planet. Most interesting to me is the variety of costumes that actual stage actors wore/​wear. And, there are so many interesting fun things to see and try on — I have never seen anything like it. I’m like a kid in a candy store — half the things, I don’t even know what they are — it’s kind of like a museum, in some ways. Go, enjoy — and leave yourself a lot of time to visit.

It’s hard to know how many stars to give this place
Pros.
Friendly and good customers service (although I never see them leave behind the desk to talk to customers)
Special items and real vintage
Parking lot
Cons.
Prices
Furniture is lovely but overpriced to the point you are disappointed

Last Saturday, I was attending a social event and was supposed to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. There was going to be a contest for the ugliest sweater. My husband and I first looked at Goodwill and came up empty-​handed. Although I had never been to Hollywood Vintage, I figured that might be a place to look. We went into the store about two hours before we were supposed to be at the party. Yeah I know I kinda left things to the last minute. What can I say – I like to live on the edge.
We looked around a bit and one of the employees asked if we needed help. We mentioned that we were looking for ugly Christmas sweaters and he said that while the store carries them, they only put them out closer to Christmas. I was cool with that because I hate how every year stores seem to start shoving Christmas down our throats earlier and earlier. We decided to go with an ugly 70’s polyester shirt look instead. We had picked out a couple of options when the same employee said he would go see if he could dig up some of the Christmas sweaters for us. He was able to find them and there was a pretty good selection. I saw one and knew that if it fit me I was going to win that contest. Long story short, it fit and I won the contest! Thanks Hollywood Vintage!
The store is a lot of fun to browse through. I was surprised to see so many negative reviews on here. I found the staff to be helpful and pleasant all in all. I would agree with the comments that say this is really more of a costume store than a vintage clothing store although they do have some pretty cool vintage stuff — it just does seem more costume-​oriented. I like that most of the items are available to rent — we rented out sweaters since I had no desire to own the hideous monstrosity that won the contest for me.

I came in to this store with a gift card my father gave me of $ 150. The was a nice lady sales associate that helped me find most of the items i was looking for. The selection is sadly not highly varied, there is a lot of stuff but like 75 batman costumes and another 50 superman ect. The hats look nice, but they are not in actually hat sizes just small mid and large. It took along time to find anything to go with my idea. After i finally found what i wanted to buy i spotted a cute brown poka-​dotted sundress that i liked. I walked out to the front to get to the dressing room to try it on. I let the male employee know i wanted to try it on and he looked me up and down, looked at the dress and snidely told me that it wasn’t going to fit. I looked at the dress and knew that it would but i wanted to see if it looked good. I told him that «I think I’ll try it on anyway» he said «If its damaged while you try it on you have to buy it». Now i personally believe that is standard and should be posted over the dressing rooms everywhere, but that was EXTREMELY insulting and out of line. Not only does the dress fit, it looked amazing on me. I decided to get it, but waited for the female sales associate to check me out. That man should NEVER be in any customer service industry and if i see him when i walk in next i will likely was right back out. Also i shall pre-​warn my friends as to the type of attitude is considered acceptable at this establishment.

Not very helpful when asking about selling some frames. Even sent an email and photo and was offered 50 $. So instead offered me store credit. Vintage isn’t my thing so I declined. Would be helpful to let me know before I drove out there to just have them say the guy who could buy them wasn’t available. This has been my second visit and even the first time I went in was less than exciting. I guess you can sell sunglasses with beer mugs but not buy a pair of decent glasses. Will not be returning here.

I have seizures and I was turned away because I had a service animal. I came in to shop and the man repairing glasses didn’t even look up when I walked in, he just said, «no pets.» I explained she’s a service animal and that I have paperwork but he told me I had to leave. I informed him that I am able to go legally anywhere the public can go but he refused to let me enter the store. I shouldn’t be turned away because I have a disability. Very rude and backwards establishment.

EYEWEAR REVIEW: my husband and I stumbled upon Hollywood Vintage while trying to kill time before brunch and that turned out to be one of the happiest happenstances during our week-​long visit in Portland.
Nate was exceptionally pleasant, helpful and attentive while I tried on a couple dozen gorgeous, vintage, cat-​eye frames. I ended up purchasing two pairs (one for everyday wear and one for when I’m a bit more «done up.») and had my local eye docs handle the prescription for the everyday pair.
As seems to be the norm, the lab my eye doc use in Orlando screwed up and put in the wrong prescription. Whereas the ones I got from Hollywood Vintage were shipped to me and came thru perfectly!
Thanks! I know where I’ll be going for my next pair!

I’ve come in here quite a few times and have always enjoyed myself. I bought a couple of hats and a cane here and some other miscellany. I have also experienced a slight indifference from the staff here in past visits, but nothing even close to a deal breaker.
Last weekend I went it to look at vintage suits. I don’t know much about them, but I am getting married and I thought I might get something to class up the occasion. I was just going to look, mind you. I had not made my mind up yet.
Nathaniel found my lady and I checking out jackets and was with us from there on out. He asked questions, listened to my answers, offered suggestions and narrowed down the field quit quickly. He knew his stock and his trade. Often I took his suggestions, but when I didn’t, he moved right along without missing a beat.
He had me in a series of jackets and pants, pointing out the flaws, and commenting on the fit and cut. I tried on several pairs of shoes, vests, ties and hats and he just kept things moving along.
He expertly peeled off to find more clothes for me to look at, or to help another customer whenever I was changing from one outfit to another and re-​materialized moments after I would exit the dressing room.
The guy was just amazing. He was probably with us for an hour and a half or more and made the whole experience a blast. I ended up buying the suit and shirt and hat and vest and shoes and a couple ties.
It was a singular service experience.
Thanks Nathaniel!

Great store with everything you could want for a costume. Found a fantastic winter hat and the price was great. Don’t expect any help when you walk in the door though. 2 stuffy staff sat in the front entrance room and though the girl did give us a slight forced smile, the guy was just too cool to be bothered with customers. Maybe his vintage striped pants were too tight. Neither staff said Hi, welcome, can I help you find something, or anything. After the guy rang up my purchase, I was really tempted to suggest if he smiled a little, maybe they’d have more business. The store is always empty. He was basically just a d***.

Wow. Love this place. Twelfth Night is one week away and we discovered this gem. And I found some great additions for my mardigras collection in New Orleans… what a great costume shop.
The vintage part was fabulous. Eyeglasses that they will help you make your script. Hats galore. Rentals and beyond. We were here for a while!
You are now going to be a fave shop n stop on every trip. I came close to my tux tail coat. I will be back to find it!
ALL HAIL HOLLYWOOD VINTAGE

Cool vintage shop that you can get lost in for quite some time. I see why this is the place to seek out for Halloween or just about any occasion you need to dress up for with costumes or period outfits. They have the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s covered. They also have a pretty good selection of men’s hats and glasses for all.
You can sell items here but call ahead and make sure that someone is around who can handle that. They aren’t there all the time for that.
Enjoy.

Their vintage selection is impressive… the employees not so much. They patrol the racks like policemen, telling people to stop touching the clothes, to just touch the hangers. Also, the man who works the desk at the entrance is rude. He made a couple of snide remarks when I walked in and when I left. Will not be spending my money here!

Hollywood vintage is fairly priced considering the condition of the clothing as well as the selection. The range in era and styles for both men and women is extraordinary – it’s incredibly refreshing.
The staff were helpful and excited to talk about their selection. As we are approaching Halloween in preparation of it, they were up selling their costumes – which I didn’t mind due to curiosity.
Check it out – for what it is, it’s super cool and well worth a visit.

This is a review just of the optical part of the store. I went to Hollywood Vintage with my friend who had planned to get new glasses. I recently had my favorite pair of eyeglasses stolen from my car so I was kind of in the market but not really wanting to spend the money on new glasses when I still had a functional backup pair. With the assistance of optician Nate, my friend and I tried on MANY pairs of glasses. He was infinitely patient with us, especially me when I was being very wishy washy on whether I wanted to buy glasses at all. Nate took note of what styles we were each drawn to, offering suggestions and helping my friend and I both pick out frames that suited us both aesthetically and structurally for our faces. With a quick signed release form, he was able to contact our Optometrist and get our prescriptions faxed right over. I ended up deciding on some vintage frames that I am very pleased with. They came back more quickly than promised with my new lenses. If you like the look of vintage eyeglasses, I would definitely come here to get your Rx filled. The glasses aren’t cheap but they are actually less than at my high end Optometrist’s office. Nate also provided top notch customer service.

Not really a store worth going to…
In a city full of great vintage stores this one shouldn’t make the list of greats.
I suppose if you want to rent a Halloween costume, or an outfit for a themed photo-​shoot, it’s probably great!
But if you want to find cool vintage clothing at a reasonable price, skip this place. Most of the clothes are overpriced, and the really cool stuff is «rent only».

Remember when you could go to Goodwill to fashion yourself an amazing costume? That’s not so easy to do these days unless you have the time to be really diligent about it, but Hollywood Vintage has picked everything for you and it’s all in one huge, amazing place.
Despite the fact that we often feel out-​hip-​ed here, the staff is helpful. Often overly so. Sometimes aloof and disinterested in your fantastic ideas.
Whatever.
They are on the expensive side, but they have everything you will ever need for every costume you could ever conceive of and many original vintage pieces that require delicate handling. I don’t mind paying a bit extra for one-​stop-​shopping.
This is our first stop for anything out of the ordinary; something unique to wear to Vegas? Yep. 80’s accessories? All of them. A new, dapper hat? A Blues Brothers hat? You betcha. Those fabulous glasses that Sallie Ford wears? Wigs, ties, corsets.
Every. Thing. Every. Single. Thing. Because dress-​up isn’t just for kids.
Rental option is available for many items.

You will not imagine in your wildest dreams the collection of vintage finery in this shop. I was blown away. Everything is meticulously displayed and lovingly curated, a feast for your eyes and your pocketbook. You can rent anything or buy it for a bit more. If red Light had not ruined me I could have easily dropped a few hundred in here.
I think it’s a great place to come if you need something EXTRA special, they sure had some gorgeous things. The first room is nothing but vintage glasses. what?

I love this place and my first visit was just a walk through. I am amazed at the variety of clothing and accessories. Vintage and costumes. Next time I’ll spend more time perusing racks. I love this kind of stuff.

If you’re a dude, you are in luck.
Unlike many vintage shops around town this place has loads of stuff for men. Clothing, shoes and accessories are mostly organized by era. Same goes for the organization of the smaller women’s section.
Costumes too are organized by type. There’s a whole section of buccaneer/​pirate costumes, disco costumes, 1920’s costumes, pretty much you name it, they have the costumes.
Prices are about what you would expect for vintage. You’ll notice there are two prices on each ticket: one is the rental price the other is the sale price.
You’ll also probably notice that the employees are rather ambivalent about your presence in the store. No hello or any sort of acknowledgment was given. However if you ask for something they do give an adequate response.
Take a look at the roof if you ever go in or drive by; what’s up with those gargoyles?
P. S. Review number 100 in the PDXYelp 100 Challenge