Son Of A Vet Thrift Shop

I go here enough to find junk that I need to have. They don’t haggle at all nor budge even if you’re buying a lot. Not always the friendliest and I guess you can do whatever you want when you’re the owner. Lots of personal conversations all the time, bring your own bags cause they give you none and bring wipes because everything is dirty.

Love this place, great prices overall and I have made a pretty amazing finds here.
If you can, pay cash though because their credit card machine is out of the 90’s.
I wish that we had more shops like this run by cool dudes like the ones that run this place.

Son of the vet is bad ass!!! Guys a are cool and helpful. Always bringing in new stuff. Follow them on Instagram too. if your looking for something specific, turn on your notification on Instagram to stay on top there stuff.

Got my first purchase from them today! It was a dresser and they happily loaded it into my car for me (small lady by herself) and when I left I tried to tip them for their extra help and they politely declined and just said thanks for coming.
Refreshing to have genuine nice people to work with plus they have AWESOME stuff. Recommend following them on Instagram if you are a casual buyer like myself. :)

I’ve been to this store several times before in the past and it’s always interesting to see what kind of things they have. Today, I came by to donate some my old clothing that had been lying around for ages. It was an extremely quick process, just went in and told them I had something to donate and that was it! I hopeful that someone will find them more useful then I did. I plan on coming back here in the future whenever I have more things to donate!
I always like to do a quick browse even though I’ve never gotten anything here yet. I did come across some nice crystal cube decorations that were cheaply priced, but it wasn’t something I needed. Once in a while you find a rare gem that might interest you, but that hasn’t happened to me yet. Everything is organized to the best and usually the best bargins I believe that can be found here are the furniture section in the back. You could find decent condition coffee tables made of glass or wood for an extremely low price.
So definitely give this place a look, you’ll never know what you might find!

These guys run a slick Instagram account, which my wife and I have followed for a long time. They share lots of pictures of all the great stuff they get in. This is what initially convinced us to make the trip over. In fact, the 10 books for a dollar that they advertised on their Instagram really sealed the deal for me personally. Now, before I go any further I want to state clearly that I understand the concept of a thrift shop — that all the stuff has found its way there through donations, clearances, etc. So I understand therefore that they don’t always necessarily choose what they offer. But damn, that might be the worst collection of books I’ve ever seen. The excitement I felt at the prospect of 10 books for a dollar was equaled by the disappointment I suffered on discovering they were all rubbish and there wasn’t a single book worth leaving with. Of course, it’s down to personal taste but I fear the shop may have a difficult job shifting them even with these unbelievable deals. The other thing we looked at was the furniture. This varied quite wildly. On one hand, there was a very charming coffee table for $ 20 (an absolute steal), but on the other hand, there was a dresser with broken drawers for $ 80. We were a little bit confused on their seemingly arbitrary pricing policy.
Now, I am willing to concede that my generally negative experience of this thrift shop might have been due in part to the nature of thrift shops in general — you win some, you lose some. It depends heavily on what’s in that day. However, the main thought on my mind as I walked out empty handed was, «man, their Instagram is way better than their actual shop.» I suppose I may have entered with inflated expectations.
One final point. I noticed a review in which a woman felt unsafe in the shop because of all the aisles and corners she could get trapped in. I just wanted to say that this is unduly critical of the shop and, frankly, bordering on the absurd. I didn’t sense a threatening atmosphere at all in this place, much the opposite. I even let my wife — whom’s safety and well-​being is of paramount importance to me — explore the shop without any fear that she might get trapped in an aisle or a corner.

5 Stars for Son of a Vet! I am in San Diego and needed someone ASAP to pick up a large donation in Los Angeles. I called four companies and no one could help me. Jason came to my rescue and got the job done that day! He kept me updated throughout the day on the arrival time. Great customer service all around. Beyond my expectations. Thank you very much!

BEST BEST BEST Thrift store EVER!!! I always find something AMAZING here. Seriously. I wish i could come in everyday because if I don’t come in one day, I know I missed out on a treasure. The stuff is well priced — bargains, really! I can go broke. Always take at least an hour combing the shelves for something. Good quality items for bargain prices. All the thrift stores I go to do not compare. Mike and Vic are the best people ever too, so cute and funny. Love it here. Seriously, come by and check it out!

Had a licensed service dog. Owner approached the dog after I advised him not to. Every bus mess owner should know that service dogs are work dogs and not pets. Refused to allow the animal on property. Business will reported CALHSMA Had a licensed service dog. Owner approached the dog after I advised him not to. Every bus mess owner should know that service dogs are work dogs and not pets. Refused to allow the animal on property. Business will reported CALHSMA… Update…owner would not wait for me to provide additional verification. My service dog has a patch and identification and I have service paperwork with me through that the «The United States Service Dog Registry». Owner clearly is not educated on how to handle service dogs. His claims are embASSingly false and sad. Incident has been reported.

Son of a Vet Thrift Shop is my ALL TIME FAVORITE thrift shop for several reasons…
1. The guys are awesome. Period.
2. It’s the only place I can go and find vintage clothes and new side tables in the same shop at a beautifully discounted AWESOME price.
3. Every day inventory changes so each visit is a beautiful surprise.
4. They post on IG to keep you updated on Plentiful deals and goodies.
5. Their movie and TAPE (YES VHS/​CASSETTE TOO) selection is massive.
6. You’ll find 30+ random books on various topics of cats LOL
***FREE STREET PARKING**
7. The guys are truly awesome.
This is a shop that’s family owned and orientated. I feel privileged in even knowing of this place, because you feel the love as soon as you walk in and even after you leave.

By far the best, coolest, well stocked thrift store I’ve been to. I think it was Mike and Victor that helped us and they both were super nice and helpful. There was an extensive collection of home goods very well priced. I can’t wait to go back for a few more things!

Cool thrift store. They have a large variety of things to buy. Awesome prices :) the guys there are very nice :) will make sure to stop by every time I am In that area

Great place for treasure hunting, as I call it. My son likes it too. They have a little bit of everything. Big and small items. From gardening, tools, furniture to jewelry n art. Fun place with great prices.

I was back in town and decided to check this place out, a lot of cool random items. I like shopping for clothes and found a Dolce * Gabanna Knit and cool charm bracelet. Love the friendly service. very personal and can’t wait to come back!

Great thrift shop! Great finds, great prices. I was able to find a suit for my son this Halloween for $ 10! And it included a bow tie!

This is a cute little local thrift shop with sweet and friendly customer service.
More so than shopping here, I prefer to donate. I typically prefer to give my seldom worn clothes to a place where I feel my charity is appreciated. I don’t get the same fulfillment when I dump off a bag at the Salvation Army.
They are always very grateful here, and greet me with a warm smile and «thank you» every time I have a bag for them. It makes me feel good inside to know I am helping out.
As far as shopping goes — the selection can be a little dim and unglamorous. Not the tidiest nor the loveliest, but what do you expect? It’s a used clothing and furniture store. At least if you should find anything that strikes your fancy, the prices are super cheap.
Don’t come with high expectations. Instead, come with the mindset that you’re just browsing for fun, and you just might be pleasantly surprised by something you find.
Last time I looked around just to see if anything caught my eye, and sure enough in the glass case I saw an awesome vintage cat watch. It looks great on me and is in good condition. Plus, it was only two dollars, how could you beat that?
Thanks Son of a Vet! I look forward to donating here more often, and possibly even taking home another treasure or two if I’m lucky :)

Very unique shop that is easy to navigate and to find cool, one of a kind things.
The owner is fantastic and friendly and is happy to give you a call if you are looking for a specific thing.
Follow them on Facebook and they will let you know when they are getting new items in or when they are gutting a house and bringing in the furniture.
One time I came in and they had Church Pews. How cool is that?

Glad there’s a thrift store in our small community of El Sereno. There’s a bunch of clothes, bags, vhs, picture frames, tableware, cooking appliances, cassettes and good furniture in stock.
Just wish I got the checkered chair. Not too bad for$ 74.99 plus tax. It looked brand new! Don’t remember seeing any tears or stains. It was definitely comfy to sit back and relax after a long day.
Other then that, the main guy behind the counter seemed friendly and helpful.

I need to respond to the 2012 review by TL. saying she didn’t feel safe and could get «trapped in an aisle.» I think that posting a picture on Unilocal and stating you’re a «single girl» is far more dangerous than wandering into a thrift store in El Sereno. That kind of attitude and stereotyping of a neighborhood shows a lack of an open mind and ignorance.
This place has unbelievable inventory. The business manager’s social media outreach on FB and Instagram is flawless and generating a lot of interest lately. I’m afraid the secret is out. Cannot wait for the other store to open. Prices vary from «such a deal» to «grab it and go.» The customer service is great too. In the blink of an eye, your cabinets are in the trunk of your car thanks to the helpful, brawny staff. In the last week, I’ve dropped a few Benjamins at this shop and can say that I have enough furniture for my new apartment since I’m basically starting from nothing. I have a fantastic «vintage» bedroom set that includes a lovely mirror and chest of drawers. I also have a fabulous «vintage» piece that will become my bar cart. All it needs is a little wax job, some mirrored tile and a light. Woot! will post a before and after later this weekend.
Thanks, Jason and Mike. You guys rock!

Okay, this is one of the last of the neighborhood thrift stores.
I happened upon it in a search for old-​fashioned Christmas decorations. This year I’m boycotting all things new and commercial, I decided. And, wow, did I make the right choice.
I found this ad on Craig’s List for the Son of a Vet thrift store. Convinced my husband to drive me there and grateful that the 8 miles (this is LA, right?) didn’t put him off completely.
After all, it was Thanksgiving Eve, and days like these sort of lend themselves to road trips. Hey, it’s the holiday season.
As it turned out, the ad for vintage Christmas decorations had been running for weeks and a lot of the mass of vintage things had been taken, but there was still plenty of things for us to grab for our new «old» Christmas this year!
And the whole experience was really perfected by the man who was running the shop – Mike.
At first he may seem sort of a tough guy. Think Jesse James before he became such a sleaze ball and broke Sandra Bullock’s heart – but that kind of cool guy.
So when I’m bothering him with things such as will the flying sled around the chimney really turn and will it light up as it shows in the picture – I was only scared for a few seconds. But then Mike was opening the vintage box and setting up the Christmas box to make this mom sure that she’s right to spend the $ 4~! – (thrifty doesn’t describe me, I’m Scottish)
Then three of the best senior citizen ladies walk in and Mike greets them by name. I backed off and knew my place, a first-​time shopper from out of town. These were local ladies and had center stage.
They start pointing out bracelets in the case and this and that, and Mike is just as patiently showing them whatever they ask to see – but still with that Jesse James kind of cool.
When I hear one of the seniors asking Mike if he’ll cash a check for her, I stop dead in my search and eavesdrop to hear his reply. Mike tells her he can’t cash her check. The elderly lady sort of protests and asks him why not, he knows her.
Then I hear Mike say, «I’m not going to cash your check. I’m not a bank.»
I was sold!!!
You can’t write this stuff. (And I’m a writer, so I should know.)
I end up asking him the ultimate question for me: Do you know any good Mexican restaurants around here?
He recommends the place next door. Tamale Man. Even shows us some footage of the reality show they were featured on recently – and won. I’m totally in now. (Read the review of Tamale Man – and go eat there as fast as you can!)
A young man rushes in and asks if there are any ovens for sale. It’s the day before Thanksgiving and the guy says he needs one by the next day for the meal.
Mike refers him to a guy down on the corner and gives him the details and the guy’s name to ask for and they’ll hook him up. The guy thanks him and runs out and speeds away.
Coming from a small-​town in Indiana, I just can’t get enough of the entire place.
In the end, I could have spent much more time (and more money) but I had my husband with me. But I can’t say how happy I am with the purchases, the price, and kicking off my «nothing new» Christmas better than I could have dreamed.
Son of a Vet makes me proud to be an American. Proud to be born in a small-​town.
In the words of the great John Cougar Mellencamp:
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be
Son of a Vet, the small-​town just 8 miles from big-​town LA!
Okay, so that can mean 30 minutes in traffic in LA, but it’s still worth every single mile.
Go get yourself a dose of tough guys who still know how to treat seniors and moms with kid gloves – and at the same time support local business. Can’t beat it.