San Francisco - May 27, 2009

Shirty Little Secret

Vintage Vantage Shirt Shop & Hug Emporium Opens

You’re skeptical of anyone who’d give you the shirt off his back. (Nice guys don’t even make it to the starting blocks.)

But you’ll let John Keddie sell ’em to you at his newly opened Vintage Vantage Shirt Shop & Hug Emporium in Potrero Hill.

The gooberish (in a good way) T-shirt devotee peddles new and custom screen-printed tees and hoodies. But it’s the stellar vintage accumulation that warrants a visit.

Discerning collectors will love tissue-thin shirts emblazoned with old-school logos (Air Jordan circa ’84) and band artwork (Debbie Gibson, Springsteen), while those seeking top-shelf rarities like the ’80s Adidas Run DMC number will need a heftier wallet — as in $6,500 deep.

Try to keep your shirt on.

Vintage Vantage Shirt Shop & Hug Emporium, 1736 18th Street, between Carolina and Arkansas Streets (619-459-6100 or vintagevantage.com).