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F As In Frank
Category: Shopping Fashion Used, Vintage & Consignment Used, Vintage & Consignment [Edit]
2425 Main StVancouver, BC V5T 3C9
Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
(604) 568-5130
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
8 reviews for F As In Frank
8 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa Frank F.
5/24/2012
This shop leaves an impression...actually more like an 'ache' and 'longing' that only the lover's embrace of your coziest vintage 50/50 cotton tee collection can provide!
F as in Frank is still, BY FAR, one of the most memorable vintage stores I've been to in the Pacific Northwest .They have an insane collection of tees, jeans, army jackets and field shirts, windbreakers, sweaters, leather jackets, skirts, dresses, boots, purses you name it! They have one of the best tee collections I've seen, and the layout of the store really does make it feel like an art gallery or museum only with your favorite items from the 60s-90s resurrected! They have weirdo vintage, and a strong aesthetic and personality behind what they offer-- this is what makes them so memorable.
The best part was that you could buy packs of trading cards, and their display cases had the best toys and weird stuff from the 80s piled in. It was apparent to me that each piece in the store was thoughtfully selected and hence a bit more than what a thrift store would price- this shop is obviously pricing according to rarity and selection--which I really appreciate, especially after learning that the reason they have such a solid stock of vintage tees and denim and leathers is because the owners parents were vintage dealers (This is what I heard-I can't verify this, but the caliber of their selection and display would suggest a significant amount of years in the business) which is fascinating! As another reviewer suggested, pop in and see if anything speaks to you...but if it doesn't no worries F as In Frank has plenty of admirers from afar anyways -
Review from Tamara L.
1/10/2012
I have gone in here several times.. each time hoping that I am going to walk out with some gem of a vintage find... and instead each time I walk out wondering what in the hell I was thinking and asking myself (yet again) why on earth ALL second-hand stores smell the same. (What is with that!?)
This place is hardly a 'vintage' shop. It's a glorified, overpriced thrift store. They occasionally have cute accessories.. but the clothing is always waaaay too expensive and generally from the 90's, maaaaybe late-80's. You are really better off going to Value Village.
F as in Frank misses the mark big time. -
Review from Patricia G.
Vancouver, BC
5/23/2012
Besides the prices being astronomical for vintage, the staff is rude and ignores most of the customers. The one girl I always see has a permanent bitch face, even outside of the store. The clothing is meh, much like what you find at Urban Outfitters and for a similar price. The owners, Drew and Jesse also have a sleazy reputation with other vintage store owners. Just don't bother with Frank.
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Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
8/26/2010
I'm a little scared. No, I'm very afraid. This store has assembled all the bad fashion trends of the late 80s/early 90s. Overalls. Floral print dresses. Southwest-inspired prints and pastel colours. Pattterned silk shirts for men and women. Quilted jackets. It's all impeccably styled, clean. White walls and display cases - it's more of a museum than a store, as if it were the costume room for any bad teen show you could think of (Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210). In fact, inside one display case recessed in the floor was an outfit I swear they could have torn off Jesse "I'm So Excited" Spano's back.
Visiting F as in Frank, I think I know now how the Baby Boomers must have felt when they saw us as teens going around in 60s tie-dye and granny glasses and buying Beatles albums. Because I'm looking at this 80s stuff now and cringing at the awfulness of it all. I wore that crap before it was ironic. Now it's in this weirdly pristine store, like it was teleported here or kept in a time capsule or maybe even delivered by DeLorean.
It's just a little too perfect.Listed in: Pleasantville
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Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
8/16/2010
I always walk into F as in Frank with an optimistic heart and an open mind, but alas, for all of its pretty eye candy, there is little here of substance.
I love the look of a lot of their re-worked vintage clothes, but whenever I try them on the fit is abysmal. :( That said, there are a few neat finds to be had, but the vintage is definitely of the "neon Raybans and ironic Saved by the Bell references" ilk rather than the slightly older stuff that I, being slightly older, prefer.
This past winter, I did manage to find an absolute score on a pair of brown leather boots, knee high and very simple, for under 60 bucks!
I recommend popping in, but as just one stop on a Main St shopping trip,rather than a destination of its own. -
Review from Cait j.
Vancouver, BC
9/20/2010
I am a sucker for dead-stock and reasonably priced vintage. Wish this digs was a little cheaper, though (mind you, I wish everything was a little cheaper). Ive managed to make a couple purchases there and am really happy with them. Sure its a little over the top, neo-hipster goofball, but it carries a real charm.
Like Christine R. says, its almost more of a museum. Ah memories of a simpler time. A time where my mother still made me packed lunches, and I could watch Saved By The Bell and Fresh Prince, back to back after school.
I will go back. Probably soon. Probably for a dead-stock Grizzlies hat Ive been eye-ing. -
Review from Corstian P.
Vancouver, BC
8/17/2010
Australia.
What does australia have to do with vintage clothing, let alone Yelp?
Ill tell you. I dropped in on this place just after it opened on a epic vintage fuelled shopping trip that stretched from Coquitlam to Van. The only thing I could recall about that first visit was that it was full of stunning Australian accented clerks.
The owners had just opened up their second location (the other being in whistler) and were excited to be part of our community.
I've been there many times since and have found some great finds, my wife's closet on the other hand is a shrine to this place. Like any thrift/consignment/vintage shop frequency is the key. Shop often and you'll be there when the goods role in.
Also worth a mention is the reworked items. Not sure who they have putting this stuff out but theres a good mix. If your feeling especially creative you can also "create" your own re-worked garment; although I'm not sure of the charge involved. Maybe some friendly Aussie could help you out :) -
Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
9/5/2011
I go here for the bag sales and even those aren't that great. The place is stuffed with old mickey mouse t-shirts, obnoxiously loud 80s prints and ugly jean jackets. This is a place of all the worst vintage and not in a cute kitschy, tacky sort of way. No, in the horrifying, that's not even funny/ you paid how much to look homeless? Sort of way. The staff are nice, that's one thing. The store layout is good, too bad the stock is the worst of the worst, bringing back all of those rightfully dead fashion trends. The stuff is cheap for vintage, but there's a clear reason for that. I really did like going to their bag sale, I'm amazed that some of the stuff I grabbed was from the same store. However, the bag sales at True Value Vintage are so much better and more worth it in sooo many ways. In short, save yourself the trip, you'll find better things and the thrift shop around the corner and WAY better than this at Temple of the Modern Girl down the street.
