Retail Therapy: I Spy Vintage Decor & More

Remember the great vintage store I mentioned, where we picked up our new credenza the other day?

Formerly the Drug Store on Mission, Lynnore Goldfarb's funky shop has a new name, I Spy Vintage Decor & More, and a new location on San Francisco's Market Street.

Neither fussily high-end nor secondhand skeeve, I Spy strikes the perfect balance for a vintage furnishings store: Its aesthetic leans toward the bold and slightly kitschy, but its selection is well edited and thoughtfully presented. The store features well-made, frequently signed items dating from the 1920s to the 1970s, with the emphasis on the latter half of that time span.

Housed in a shop formed by five adjoining rooms, the home-like space allows Goldfarb to create vignettes with her wares, topping Danish dining sets with midcentury pottery, ceramics, and glass, for instance, and grouping vintage sofas with complimentary lamps, occasional tables, textiles, and accessories.

One room serves as the I Spy Gallery, which is currently exhibiting contemporary work by artist Dana Robson (aka Aquarabbit). Other art includes flea market finds such as paint-by-numbers masterpieces, big-eyed Kewpies, and vintage botanicals, still lifes, abstracts.


I Spy's prices are fair -- it's not the place to bargain hunt, but you won't be scandalized by the price tags, either. Pottery and glassware is generally under $100; vintage draperies are about $200 a set; art and lighting ranges from $70 to several hundred dollars; and furnishings are a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, depending on vintage and provenance. More importantly, though, the shop's vibe is fun and friendly, and its wares colorful and interesting.

It may be just the place to find (as we did) that retro treasure you've been hunting down for ages, or to discover some little tchotchke that you didn't know you needed -- but that you can't leave without.

I Spy is located at 1845 Market Street (at Guerrero) and is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 to 7 p.m.; the phone number is 415-282-0544. I Spy's website isn't quite up and running yet, but you can check out the store's MySpace page here.

Update: I Spy is closing its doors as of August 30, 2007.