Merry-Go-Round

I’m heartbroken they’re closing! I’ve found some great stuff here, especially when they gave an addl 50% off the sale price. Oh well, bye-​bye Merry-​Go-​Round. You’ll be missed.

FYI: No wooden horses here!
I’ve walked up and down Santa Cruz Ave countless times this past year and somehow managed to never know this place even existed. It’s very hidden and located above the Goodwill Boutique and next to the Ritz Camera. Go through the clear glass doors, up the stairs and down the hallway that resembles going to the doctor’s office. At the end on your left you’ll see a slightly ajar door with a paper sign that says open.
Once you enter, you feel like you’ve been let in on some sort of secret. Who knew the doctor’s office had so many clothes to choose from? j/​k.
There’s two main rooms full of consignment goodies. The room where you enter has the higher end clothing, along with dresses and suits. The floor to ceiling – packed room to the left has coats, pants, tops, blouses, a clearance rack, skirts, and more. It’s neatly organized by color and size.
The brands: Chanel, Kate Spade, Ann Taylor Loft, Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie brands, Seven, designer jean labels, Marc Jacobs, Banana Republic, Nanette Lepore, Tse, Theory, Also saw some Target/​Mossimo in the mix. some European brands …
Shoes: Ferragamo, Bruno Magli’s, Cole Haan, big white laundry baskets conveniently organized by size under the racks that you have to dig through.
Bags: Didn’t find anything of interest.
I walked away with four items for $ 45, but I really had to dig. It felt somewhere between Crossroads/​Buffalo Exchange and Afterwards/​Head over Heels in Dtwn Menlo Park. The prices were very reasonable, which I loved, and I am definitely interested in coming back for their April anniversary sale when the entire store is 50−60% off!

Merry Go Round is by far the best vintage clothing store I’ve been to in the Bay Area. I usually shop the designer consignment shops on the upper east side in NYC and this is the cloest I’ve come to one of my favorite NYC shops. Shoes, belts, purses as well as wonderful women’s clothing — designer and lesser known names.
Joanne, the owner, is a delightful woman. She is kind, always tells you what works and what doesn’t work on you so you don’t leave looking less than great from the back, and has a great eye.
don’t miss this place. I’m a little nervous to share this secret but try it and see for yourself.
Also, as with all designer consignment shops, go often as the merchandise changes frequently.

Signage is ROTTEN; who can tell that «Merry-​go-​round» is a consignment place by looking at the little plaque hanging outside? Not me. For **2 years** I lived in the neighborhood and thought this was some kind of a daycare! And the location is weird — from outside it looks like an office. But open that door and you’ll be amazed at the amount of clothing that can fit in this little place! Once I found out on Unilocal that it was a consignment shop, I was bummed I didn’t know about it sooner.
As with any consignment store, I’m sure this place is hit-​or-​miss. After all, stock depends on who’s consigned recently. Yes, there are a lot of items for the «older crowd» (oh, boy, I hope I’m not included in that category yet! What’s the cut-​off??), but I doubt any 60-​year-​old will be wearing Hard Tail or Joe’s Jeans! Sift through the racks and you’re probably going to find a gem. I actually tried on 7 items and ended up buying 6 — not a bad ratio! Prices are reasonable. I’ll definitely go back.

I was told that this was the place to go to sell and buy high end designer clothes. I had four designer items to sell (all with original price tags). I walked in, put my bag on the table, and the woman there (without looking up) says…“we’re full”. Okay. Fine. I try to ask her when she might want to look at the clothes… she doesn’t look at me (futzing with some jewelry) and says…“we’re full and not taking things” in this very condescending voice.
I took a quick look around. Most of the stuff was not «designer» and much of it was in bad shape (pretty much every thing was wrinkled).
I understand that consignment shops fill up quickly. But to be treated in such a «low brow» way, just not acceptable.

From all the other reviews I thought this place would be a great find. The location was pretty hard to locate, the thrift shop turned out being upstairs in an office like building that was turned into a «store». I wasn’t very found of this place, it was very claustrophobic-​ee and didn’t have the designer clothes that others bragged about. This store was full of out-​dated items and clothes that are more appropriate for an older crowd.

really great thrift store for designer items at super cheap rates. i didn’t buy anything but i found super trendy high waisted trouser jeans by levi’s for $ 10.99, and joe’s jeans for $ 16.99. i also spotted a bcbg dress, liz claiborne sheath dress, and o by oscar de la renta. such finds give me hope that more trips will unearth fashion treasures. i think this place would impress any thrift store connoiseur.

For a while I hesitated to write a review of this store. Yes, it’s incredibly awesome, but maybe if I tell people they will buy the stuff before I get there! …
But tell I must. This is my favorite store in the Bay Area, bar none. The selection is often incredible. One part of the store is dedicated to high end, (originally) pricier clothes. On a regular day you will find a bunch of YSL, some Oscar de la Renta, a couple of Celine, a few Armani jackets, some Chanel, and the list goes on and on. As far as I can tell (I’m really not an expert), little of the super-​high end selection is recent, but almost all of it is in impeccable condition. The other, larger part of the store houses the less prestigious stuff.
I have to admit to being a label whore, and so I generally stick to the front of the store. Even when nothing is my size I can spend an hour in there sighing and fingering the gorgeous fabrics. But happily I do often find stuff in my size!
The prices are generally excellent (read: low, read: $ 60 for a YSL suit in mint condition), except for a few labels that are consistently outrageously expensive, almost regardless of condition (like Chanel). BUT! They have quarterly half-​off sales, and you can get on the mailing list to find out when they are. I’ve never received spam from them. Also, when items stick around for more than a quarter they are generally marked down pretty heavily.
So yes, I recommend Merry-​Go-​Round. Just keep your hands off the 80s-​era jackets in size 42, and everyone will be happy: D

March 1, 2008 they were running a 50% sale, posted on Craigslist. Around 12 shoppers in the two tiny rooms upstairs on the second floor, behind the green door. Great designer names, Worth, Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Prada and other European designers, etc… exceptional sale with the 50% sale. I bought a silk crêpe dress with slip for $ 37, was $ 65. Got home and found a dime size hole in the crêpe silk dress and the silk slip, near the bottom of the skirt.
Found a flowered felt hat for $ 27 was $ 45. A fabulous full length gold and ecru coat with faux fur trim for $ 47, was $ 95.
So be mindful and check out all the clothes, buyer beware. No returns. They do size their clothes on the rack. Staff of three were friendly and seem to know their customers by calling them by name, one even went out on a coffee run and picked up some coffees for some of the regulars. Wish they had a mailing list for their quarterly sales.

Small consignment store located on the second floor above the Menlo Park Goodwill store. It’s been there FOREVER and the assortment is kind of hit-​or-​miss, but when you hit it just right you can find great stuff. Also, if you want a vintage fur, this is one of the only places where you can get one that’s good quality for a decent price.