It’s no secret that San Francisco-dwellers are a bunch of vintage fiends. And it’s also pretty obvious that lately we've been loving the influx of awesome pop-up businesses that have been spreading like wildfire across our beloved 7x7. The ultimate intersection of the two? The Golden Collective’s monthly vintage hawking on the corner of Fulton and Clayton (North of the Panhandle) is the perfect place to find the antique Ferragamo pumps or the mod shift dress you’ve been scouring Thrift Town for. The pre-loved items at the sales are expertly-chosen, affordable (most everything goes for around 20 bones or cheaper), and totally covetable.

The Golden Collective is made up of five of the city’s favorite fashionistas and active members of the SF-based blogosphere – Ashley Ording of Fancy Fine, Isla Bell of A Fine Day For Sailing, Rachel Combs of Mousevox, and Jennifer Rubin and Annalise Furman of Hummingbird Girls. They all curate Etsy or eBay vintage shops of their own. 

I caught up with Ashley after the most recent Golden Collective sale last Sunday, at which I scored a colorful, 1970s plaid button-up and a floral sundress that I can’t wait to wear once the sun emerges. I could’ve taken home an armful of their secondhand finds, but a girl’s gotta be frugal, right?

Anyway, here’s the deetz on the vintagey goodness according to Ashley.

TBI: How’d the idea for the Golden Collective vintage sales start?

Ashley: My fellow vintage peddling friends and I thought it would be fun to do a monthly sale together because we're almost always overflowing with vintage pieces. There didn't seem to be a similar kind of community for vintage sellers in San Francisco so we just created our own. It's the perfect excuse for gathering all our treasures together, meeting vintage-loving girls from the Bay Area, and making a bit of extra money that we can then put back into our individual businesses. And there's usually champagne, so that's a perk.

TBI: What’s your favorite part about vintage sellin’?

Ashley: It's always been about the hunt for amazing pieces, the dream dress hiding under a pile of stained polyester crap. I love trolling the flea markets and thrift stores, I could spend every single day scavenging for pretty old things. And now my other favorite part is that I get to have this wonderful support system of girls who love vintage as much as I do and understand how amazing, difficult, tiring, and rewarding it is to be a vintage seller.

TBI: What do you think of the vintage scene in SF?

Ashley: I've always had good luck with buying in San Francisco because I'm always looking. I think that's the key, you can't stop digging around every single shop you can think of. I think San Francisco has an amazing selection of vintage shops as well. Ever since I started Fancy Fine I have met so many awesome girls who are obsessed in the same way I am, and it makes it that much more fun to be a seller and to document everything on the blog. I know that it does not go unappreciated, and that keeps me going.

So, there you have it. I’m a total fan of the Golden Collective and the golden girls who are involved, and I think they’re doing awesome things for the SF DIY and vintage-loving sort. Support these badass ladies by stopping by their excellently-curated secondhand sales on the third Sunday of each month, check out their online stores (Fancy Fine Vintage, A Fine Day for Sailing, Mousevox Vintage, and Hummingbird Vintage), and join the Golden Collective for a special, larger event where they'll be setting up shop, the All Vintage Everything Shopping Party at SUB-Mission Gallery this Thursday, the 23rd. 

Photos by Joshua Cobos