The Best Denim Thrifting Beachside in Los Angeles
In beachside Los Angeles, thrift stores are the antidote to fast fashion — offering affordable denim while reducing textile waste. Here’s where and how to shop preloved denim.
High-rise, low-rise, boyfriend, mom — denim trends are dizzying. Manufacturers apply chemicals that weather the fabric (like life used to). Then, an influencer announces dark wash is trending and shoppers dump their distressed denim for new.
It’s enough to give you whiplash and, at thousands of dollars for designer denim, serious debt. But thrifted jeans can sell for 90 percent less than retail and shopping preloved reduces the 80 pounds of textile waste that the average American sends to landfill each year.
I first started thrifting in high school because it was the most affordable way to trend hop on a minimum-wage budget. I fixated on 1950s floral frocks, cashmere crewnecks with tiny moth holes that could be repaired with a needle and thread and broken-in Levi’s 501s with the wallet (or better yet, tobacco disk) outline on the back pocket.
After exclusively shopping secondhand for two decades – preferably in consignment, thrift, or council shops, which are the best place to discover treasure troves of vintage denim donated by someone’s grandparents – here are my hot tips to score the premium preloved denim:
Go-To Denim Thrifting Tips
Look for 100-percent cotton, which doesn’t stretch or sag and also won’t shed microplastics when you wash or dry it.
Try on anything that looks like it might fit, no matter what it says on the label – vanity sizing means a 1970s women’s size eight is today’s 14.
Many thrift stores don’t take returns, although some will give you credit, so confirm the store’s policy before you buy.
Want distressed? Consider razoring a few strategically placed rips and tears.
Always wash before you put anything in your closet or on your body – even if it still has original tags. Thrift stores don’t launder clothes before they put them on the racks and have no way of knowing if an item is clean except for a quick visual inspection.
Best of Los Angeles Denim Thrifting
Put your newfound denim thrifting tips to the test. Here are a few of my neighborhood hotspots near the beach in Los Angeles, where you can upgrade your denim wardrobe for a fraction of what you would pay in a traditional boutique.
Crossroads Trading Company, Culver City $$
Crossroads is a national chain and each store has a unique character. The Culver City location is my favorite – and if you’ve never thrifted before, this is a great place to start. This Crossroads is a large space with beautiful natural light, where you’ll find upscale brands mixed with designer pieces. There are racks organized by trend, plus a designer rounder where you can find labels like Missoni and Chanel.
The dressing rooms are spacious and the staff is friendly and patient, even if you roll up with twenty hangers on your arm. There’s also a giant parking lot and James Beard-nominated Lodge Bread is just across the street, if you need sustenance.
Don’t forget to check out the accessories – I once found a suede Clare V. purse tucked into a corner! If you’re selling, avoid weekends and early evenings because the wait can be hours; you can also download the Crossroads Waitlist App and sign up to get notified when it’s your turn. Crossroad pays 30 percent of store retail value in cash or fifty percent in trade.
The Posh Duck in Santa Monica,
This store was formerly known as the Closet Trading Company, the original location for a consignment boutique now franchised across the country. Offerings skew designer and slightly more expensive than an upscale thrift shop like Crossroads but are still significantly less than you’d pay in a retail boutique.
On the well-organized and highly curated racks you can find Free People, Frye, Jimmy Choo and Isabel Marant. You can also shop accessories online – at press time, there was a seriously deep well of Balenciaga.
If you want to sell at The Posh Duck, first create an account and then either price items yourself or leave that to the store; their commission structure pays as much as 70 percent of store retail for more expensive pieces.
St. Matthews Thrift Shop in Santa Monica, $
Located on Santa Monica’s charming Main Street, St. Matthews is an old-school thrift shop full of donated items, including housewares and furniture, where you can find some excellent sartorial selections at rock-bottom prices. Labels run the gamut from fast fashion to designer to authentically vintage; shirts are priced as low as $10 and dresses can be less than $20.
At these prices, this is the place to indulge a fashion fantasy: Their window mannequin recently wore a mini-kilt with thigh-high black stockings, fingerless red gloves and a lucky-cherry tank.
Run entirely by volunteers, St. Matthew’s is the nonprofit thrift shop arm of the Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades, which was damaged but not destroyed in the 2025 fires. All proceeds are donated to local charities, including the Westside Food Bank.
Happy denim shopping!
About the Author: Rachel’s career as a journalist and environmentalist informs her writing. She holds an MFA in fiction and an MA in journalism, has published the Good Newsletter (now on Substack) since 2008, and hosts the Santa Monica Silent Book Club.
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