Los Angeles - June 05, 2006

Full Circa

Circa Vintage

Garage sales? Too grungy. Swap meets? More like swap germs. And flea markets? Flea. Enough said.

But Carmelo Sala doing all the dirty work for you and stocking his new shop, Circa Los Angeles, with all the best vintage? Now that’s more like it.

He’s picked through great-grandma’s lacy underthings and auntie’s half-used Chapstick collection looking for threads so hand-me-down chic they rise way above the ick factor. Goods that made the cut: U.S.-produced Converse sneaks from the 1950s-’80s, Red Line Levi’s, cowboy boots, and Goyard luggage from England. And you know those faux vintage tees sold in every mall across America? Circa’s got racks of the real deal.

Plus, you can breathe easy while sifting, because though the retro-cool shop is filled with antiques (like an old wagon wheel that’s been reinvented as a chandelier), it’s decidedly mothball-free.

Too bad you can’t say the same for Nana’s attic.

Circa Los Angeles, 182 North Poinsettia Place, between Beverly Boulevard and West First Street, Mid-City (323-525-1000).