Citizen

Love their selection of jackets and sport coats.

Awesome brands with a great selection of beautiful coordinated pieces in each designer. The staff were super friendly and knowledgable about the products and sizing. Will definitely visit again when I’m back in SF.

Love the store and if you need help with looks or opinion they are very helpful. I went to buy a jacket and left with a few other selections that I had to have for the spring and summer. Love the fact that they will give you suggestions and have you try things on and make you feel welcomed.

Friendly staff, wide selection of brands. Will definitely visit again.

The clothes are a bit on the small side… so if you are not skinny this may not be the place… love the collection. always changing… they carry Jack Spade bags… and other fine items! The staff is attentive and mostly charming!

As a clothing stylist and having a background in retail, this small boutique is a one-​stop-​shop for your clothing needs. From casual Sunday outfits to dressing up for New Years Eve, Citizen will always have a tasteful selection.
And lastly, the staff is super friendly, will always give an honest opinion and give great recommendations.

Ever since I started shopping here, every fashion-​related compliment I’ve received has been due to something I bought at Citizen. The looks they offer are smart, clean, and impeccable without the blandness and ill-​fittedness of big chains like BR or J Crew. Not sure what some of the other reviewers have experienced, but I’ve had nothing but exceptional service, great style tips, and no pushiness whatsoever.

I’ve shopped at this store for about 12 years (and spent plenty of money) and have seen it transition during some cool times and some very very dark times. I’m finally reviewing it to talk about the ultimate failure that is the staffing of what should be a very cool and exciting place to buy men’s clothing in the Castro.
Firstly, speaking of the product lines they’re carrying currently they’re making some great choices. I love the selection of suiting from Penguin, Ben Sherman and Howe. The denim selection is a bit lacking, in favor of Joe’s. They’re still carrying staple Jack Spade and Fred Perry as they have for years, and that American Apparel Henley is still being pushed through for the past 3 years. I wish they would push the envelope a bit more on their buying choices, instead of always opting for basics and staples, I just don’t see them getting the premium items from any of these lines, or getting «special» pieces. I also think they used to be a good place for denim and now it’s just «hum-​ho.» With the addition of Levi’s to the Castro and the ever-​present Diesel up the street, denim should be a key item. They’ve really abandoned upscale sportswear, which I find disappointing– a single rack of bathing suits (which turn a good margin, no doubt) pays small penance to «upscale sportswear.» The sister «sportswear» store, «Body» is not carrying a single thing worth buying and none of it is special or interesting.
The major problem I have with the store for about 4 years has been the staff. I don’t want to pick on anyone in particular because of course it’s a small town, but this is about the business/​services of Citizen SF, so I’m going to include the staff performance in my review. They are consistently the bitchiest, rudest, pushiest of queens I’ve encountered in the Castro in the 10 years I’ve lived here. They behave as though everything they do from checking a size to ringing you up is a benevolent act of charity on their part and I’m completely fed up with it. I have heard some of the most outrageously rude and inappropriate comments shoot out of their mouths, and having worked retail myself for about 4 years at a brand of comparable product and price-​point, I say with confidence this team needs some real customer service training. I’d be very curious to know how the owner/​manager addresses training and expectations around customer service. As with so many retailers these days, the staff seem to be little more than guards, just trying to keep people from stealing and offering no customer service, friendliness, or invitingness (new word). The job of customer services is secondary to the job of deterring thefts As many retailers have done to alleviate this, having a guard during peak times may help them improve the quality of the service they provide.
I notice most of the most positive reviews of this MENS store coming from straight women, so YAY, straight women love bitchy queens. Keep up the good work.

Great range of classic and contemporary menswear incl Fred perry, but pricey. Definitely worth a browse.

I agree. This IS where you wish your man would shop. Luckily, mine does too. No bland boring Gap clothes here. The choices are current, sharp and nothing short of spectacular. When my baby shops here, I know he’s gonna look great.
All the fellas here give fantastic customer service. They know what they’re selling and they know how to make a man look good. We love coming to Citizen because we know we’ll get excellent service, the clothes are stunning and we’re never pressured.

I’ve been shopping at Citizen for a few months now and every time I am greeted with warm welcomes from the staff. I usually ask Adam for styling help as I’m no fashion expert but still like to dress well. He really takes his time styling you and doesn’t pressure you into getting anything you don’t feel is right for you, plus he is so knowledgeable I really feel I should be paying him for his help lol.
I’ve been incredibly happy with every purchase from Citizen, most recently I ran in one morning before a job interview and Adam helped find me the perfect blazer! I was so confident in the interview I think it helped me land the job, thanks Adam!

After reading the other reviews of this store, I truly believe you get back what you give. I walked into the store with an open mind, looking for the outfit for my upcoming wedding. I have been looking for months, and wasn’t sure entirely what my preferences were. Jay listened to every detail of my wedding, and created the most thoughtful, interesting and stylish combination of pieces that i am certain i could not have configured on my own.
Contrary to the other reviewers, on both of my visits to Citizen, Jay and the other fella were fun, jovial, kind, engaging, smart, and creative. And I think I have some good basis for this, since i spent three hours in the store. Not once did i feel any pressure or any attitude. I tried to give them a little tip of gratitude for their extraordinary service. But, they wouldn’t accept it.
I spend most of my money in boutique stores that sell similar clothes to Citizen, purposely to support local business. Citizen represents the best of what i like — cultivated brands and great service.
Thank you Jay for taking such great care to make my wedding one step closer to perfect.

Plenty of choices.
Great service (consistently– thanks Jay!)
Be prepared to spend $$$
Would like to see more items made locally though.
Oh and who says this shop is just for boys? There are tons of items that can go both ways~

Ladies… and gentlemen… this is where you wish your man would shop. Luckily, mine does.
Even though they don’t have anything for me in here, I love tagging along on the Mr’s shopping trips and dressing him up in cute plaid shirts and slim pants (NOT skinny jeans). His favorite brand is Penguin and they carry almost the entire line. Plus, there’s snazzy seasonal stuff like swim trunks, bow-​ties, hats and other accessories that make the man. For all my gift-​giving endeavors, I can confidently come to Citizen and know there’s plenty of dough to be dropped, and dapper to be donned.
Plus, the staff are super fun and friendly, and will become your personal shoppers if you let them. Leave it to the boys in the Castro to dress a man well!

I shop rarely and wasn’t looking forward to spending the day looking for wedding clothes. However, Adam and Jay at Citizen made the shopping experience one that I’ve been sharing with everyone that has asked where I got my hot new threads. This dynamic duo really love outfitting someone and my girlfriend got a kick out of these boys as they went to town on me! They sized me up for colors and style and within a few outfit renditions, I knew what I’d be wearing to the wedding. What a relief!
Without having run into Adam and Jay, I would have been floundering about with several ‘half outfits’ that I found at other shops in the Castro. Most importantly, I could really OWN the outfit because we worked together in designing it. Good listeners and very dedicated. At one point a co-​worker interrupted to ask if they were ready for their lunch break. They replied, sorry I’m doing a styling for a client right now. It cracked me up! These guys are great and I would definitely come back again. They even offered to shop with my girlfriend elsewhere on one of their days off. Talk about above and beyond! Thanks Adam and Jay!!!

I just have to say that these guy’s are the best! Adam, Jay, Josh… the whole lot of them are more than ready to help you pick out the right piece.
And I have to admit, these guys will tell you the truth (nicely). They will let you know when something is not as flattering as you may think it is. I truly appreciate this, because there has been more then a few times when I’ve bought an article of clothing from a shop and then got it home and come to find that the fit/​cut wasn’t working for my physic or the color washed me out. These guy’s are pretty much on top of it when it comes to flattering suggestions.
They also tend to be proactive. They call me to let me know when a new shipment arrives (especially Perry Ellis) or if they think that I’ll like a particular item they’ll give me a ring. That’s damn good customer service!
All I have to say is that I do not have to go downtown for great product, at reasonable prices with fantastic service!

I heart Josh!
I came in here looking for some cool shirts for a new job I was starting and Josh helped me find 2 shirts that I absolutely adore! While getting ready to head in to work, I noticed a small hole on the sleeve of one of the shirts. When I took the shirt back, Josh immediately helped me out. He remembered me from about a week prior and asked how the new job was, while he gladly exchanged my shirt. Since there wasn’t one in house, he placed an order for one, handed me a gift card back and told me it’d be in, in about a week.
On top of all this… he just called me to tell me the shirt was shipped! Now that is great customer service.
I am sorry to see all of the negative reviews below, but I am happy to say that thanks to Josh, my experience has been nothing short of stellar!

Bought perry shirt, $ 125
Washed shirt once
Collar fell apart. total junk.
I took it back
2 week policy… no returns– no exchanges.
This is a junk store, not a high end mens’ clothing store.
The staff are very nice during the sales phase, but have no talent solving problems.

Josh and Sigmund hooked it UP tonight! I was wandering towards Market looking for a bite when I saw some dapper displays (done by Josh), and had to stop in. I picked up a great Fred Perry messenger bag + a pair of jeans and they helped me though the whole experience (it’s hard for me to make decisions) even though they closed five minutes after I walked in. They take exceptional care of the clothes, I was watching Sigmund set up some dress shirts… these guys care and it’s awesome.
Get in there and spruce your goose already!

I’m afraid I have to agree with the other reviewer. Depending on which employee you get, your experience can be drastically different.
On my last visit here, the gentleman behind the counter barely lifted a finger for me and didn’t even muster up a «thanks» after my purchase. It’s a shame, because there’s occasionally some cool clothing finds here. For the fairly high price point, though, I’d expect some better service.