San Francisco: Room 4

Just a few weeks old, Room 4 on Valencia at 20th Street is a strikingly affordable vintage shop, with a great selection of clothes and home furnishings. I spied a big, beautiful Cudahy's Rex Pure Lard tin—empty of course—and flipped the tag over cautiously, sure that it would be priced in the $50 range. But no! The classic piece of Americana was mine for just $24.95.


My new big red tin.

The shirt selection was also really good, and again prices were considerably cheaper than those I've become used to over the last few years in various outposts of cool around the world. My shopping mate Ryan snapped up several shirts.

It's exciting to see a vintage shop with reasonably priced items in the heart of Valencia Street, a stretch of commercial territory that has continued to gentrify since I left San Francisco in 2003.

For those curious about Cudahy's Rex brand, there's some information here.