August 6, 2007

Bear Essentials

Brown Bear Vintage

Shopping secondhand requires a lot of grinning and bearing. Messy racks, raggedy clothes, totally apathetic salespeople.

Not at Brown Bear. The friendly new boutique in Nopa is way smarter than your average consignment shop.

The bright white space is a simple canvas for a hip mix of vintage and indie designers. (Dig the adorable goldfish bowls hanging on the wall next to the dressing room.)

Corset-style ’50s swimsuits mingle with rockabilly petticoats, Joan Jett leather booties, and Wranglers for him. Wide belts, breezy scarves, and straw baskets are neatly displayed on high shelves. Put the final touches on your boho-princess getup with delicate Bakelite hair combs and hand-beaded earrings by Ilex and Ursus.

The shop doubles as a gallery, and on the last Saturday of every month you can catch a new local artist. This month, it’s Tragic Magic, grizzly (yet picturesque) street scenes by Matthew Palladino.

In other words, it’s got all the bear necessities.

Brown Bear, 289 Divisadero Street, at Page Street (415-626-5779 or myspace.com/brownbearsf).