Hit Enter to Search or X to close
Sundance Thrift | Balboa
Hidden courtyard gem on Balboa Island. Family-owned, packed with curated vintage, coastal decor, solid denim, and vinyl records worth crouching for. Small shop, big soul. Don't forget the photo booth on your way out.
Best hunt for…
Coastal home decor - ceramic dishes, brass candlesticks, picture frames. Surprisingly solid denim for such a small shop. Vinyl records in old milk crates. Statement jewelry. Gifts that look thoughtful but took zero effort.
Your kind of spot if…
You like knowing where your money goes. Family-owned shop that walks the talk on sustainability. You're already on Balboa Island. You want treasure hunts without chaos. Shopping here feels like doing something right, not just buying stuff.
What made us believers…
Walking past it twice before spotting that hand-drawn chalkboard sign. Following the arrow through a sunny courtyard with a blue photo booth felt like discovering an actual secret. Tiny space that delivers big on denim, vintage finds, and heart.
Hidden courtyard gem on Balboa Island. Family-owned, packed with curated vintage, coastal decor, solid denim, and vinyl records worth crouching for. Small shop, big soul. Don't forget the photo booth on your way out.
Best hunt for…
Coastal home decor - ceramic dishes, brass candlesticks, picture frames. Surprisingly solid denim for such a small shop. Vinyl records in old milk crates. Statement jewelry. Gifts that look thoughtful but took zero effort.
Your kind of spot if…
You like knowing where your money goes. Family-owned shop that walks the talk on sustainability. You're already on Balboa Island. You want treasure hunts without chaos. Shopping here feels like doing something right, not just buying stuff.
What made us believers…
Walking past it twice before spotting that hand-drawn chalkboard sign. Following the arrow through a sunny courtyard with a blue photo booth felt like discovering an actual secret. Tiny space that delivers big on denim, vintage finds, and heart.
Sundance Thrift Shop- Balboa Island
Small but Mighty
For those who love a good treasure hunt with heart.
You could walk right past it and never know it’s there. We did! Twice, actually, before spotting the hand-drawn chalkboard sign pointing down walkway just off Marine Avenue. But that’s part of the magic, the moment you finally find it feels like you discovered something special. Follow the arrow through a sunny courtyard, and there you discover the blue photobooth and a cheerful yellow umbrella, and you’ll find yourself in one of Orange County’s most charming thrifting experiences.
The Space
Sundance Thrift Shop (Balboa Island) occupies a couple hundred square feet but every inch earns its keep. The layout is intentional, denim and men’s organized neatly off to the right, women’s along the back wall, children’s tucked in a neat corner, a “Staff Picks” section across from the register, tables with random knick-knacks, and at least one piece of statement jewelry that makes your reconsider your whole look.
The vibe is curated garage sale meets your coolest friend’s closet. Organized enough to browse easily, wonderfully eclectic enough to feel like you might actually find something.
What We Found
A denim section that punches way above its weight class. Home decor that leans coastal: ceramic dishes, picture frames, the occasional brass candlestick that would cost $45 at an antique store. A vintage coffee table book about classic cars, which my friend purchased as a Christmas gift for her dad.
The People
When we visited, we met the owner who was working alongside his daughter who was around 7 or 8 years old. She rang up our purchase like a pro! Along the side of the store there is a sign that sits on a merchandise table explaining the family mission: “We are a family-owned thrift shop that believes in sustainability and community.” At the foot of the table, old milk crates hold the vinyl collection. The kind of setup that makes you want to crouch down and flip through every single record.
This is exactly why we started ThriftStar. Sundance represents everything we believe in, shopping small, supporting locally owned businesses, and pushing back against the fast fashion cycle that’s filling landfills at an alarming rate. Every item at Sundance is getting a second life. The denim jacket someone outgrew becomes your new favorite layer. The coffee table book collecting dust in one home becomes the perfect gift in another. When you shop here, you’re not just scoring a good find, you’re keeping something out of a landfill and putting money back into Orange County in was that actually matter.
Sundance Thrift Shop accepts donations. So before you throw something out, consider giving it a second life.
MAKE A DAY OF IT
Balboa Island is built for wandering and Sundance Thrift Shop fits perfectly into a lazy afternoon itinerary.
LUNCH: New Shanghai Pine Garden
Found on Marine Ave., a neighborhood Chinese spot that’s been here forever. Nothing fancy, just good food and the kind of comfortable atmosphere where the conversation lingers.
STROLL: Marine Avenue
Walk off lunch along Marine Avenue, popping into the small boutiques and galleries. The island is tiny, you can cover the main drag in 20 minutes if you’re focused, two hours if you’re not.
PHOTOS: Photo Booth
Don’t skip the photo booth in the courtyard in front of the store. It’s the perfect souvenir of a day spent on this tiny island. No appointment needed.
TREAT: Dad’s Original Frozen Banana Stand
Cross the street to Dad’s Original Frozen Banana Stand. It’s been here for decades, and the chocolate-dipped Balboa Bars are a right of passage. If you’ve never had one, this is your chance. If you have, you already know.
ALTERNATE: Toastique
If you need caffeine instead of sugar, Toastique does a solid iced matcha latte.
END:
Wander the residential streets before heading back. Balboa Island’s California bungalows are half the charm. Peek at historic homes, cross the bridge over the marina, and let the afternoon stretch.
Nearby Stores
Uptown Cheapskate — Lake Forest
south county sister to placentia. consistently ranked one of the best uptowns in OC. lululemon, dr martens, designer denim, brandy melville, the works. larger floor, faster turnover.
Uptown Cheapskate — Placentia
buy/sell/trade resale exchange in placentia. brands they stock: lululemon, dr martens, levi's, vans, brandy melville, designer denim. instant cash or 25% more in store credit. open late most nights.
Savers — Fountain Valley
big-box savers in fountain valley with the usual mix: clothes, housewares, furniture, books. organized, well-rotated, busy on weekends. you want a weekday morning if you're picky about racks.
2nd Street Stanton
the second OC outpost of 2nd street, opened 2022. same japanese buy-sell-trade format as the camp location, different inventory because beach blvd pulls a different crowd. open 11-8 every day.
Good Society Tustin
physical resale marketplace where everyday people rent booths and sell their own closets. 81 rotating closets, new inventory weekly. sellers keep 2/3, so they bring the good stuff. completely different model from anything else in OC.
Old 44 Vintage
americana done right. levi's, carhartt, pendleton, harley tees, and vintage band shirts you won't find at every flip shop in OC. the owners knock on doors and trade with locals for pieces from the 90s and earlier.
HAUS of TRADE
co-op shop in downtown san clemente with 30+ local makers and brands across two floors. coastal SoCal vibe, custom hat bar in-house. not thrift, but exactly the small-brand collective the directory needs.
Pac-Rat
thrift row anchor in downtown san clemente. clothing, jewelry, furniture, surfboards, bicycles, knickknacks. it's a kitchen-sink shop, and the dig is the whole point.
Laguna Exchange
nonprofit buy-sell-trade in central laguna. men's and women's clothing, accessories, and items from local artists. proceeds go to the cause, which makes the score feel even better.
Twig of Laguna
vintage and upcycled and local artist work, men's and women's, plus gifts, candles, home decor. in the HIP district of south laguna. carries new alongside vintage so it reads boutique more than thrift.
Cherry Moon
laguna beach vintage with character. shirts, records, books, jewelry, local art, the kind of clutter that looks intentional because it is. small enough that you'll talk to whoever's working.
Retropolis
martin ramirez ran the original super thrift in la habra for 30 years before opening retropolis in downtown fullerton. one-of-one pieces, sustainable focus, nothing duplicated. the owner remembers what you bought last time.
Buffalo Exchange — Fullerton
downtown fullerton's buy-sell-trade staple. same formula as the costa mesa location but with more cal state fullerton energy in the inventory. open 7 days, no appointment to sell.
Mustard Market
nonprofit thrift attached to a church, in downtown fullerton. they upcycle, refurbish furniture, hand-dye ceramics, and arrange clothing by color so the store actually looks like a store and not a pile. pricing is fair.
1 Look Vintage
downtown huntington beach vintage clothing plus a 10,000+ record store under one roof. one-of-one rotating inventory, owner who knows punk and hip hop both. you walk in for a tee and leave with a record or three.
Inretrospect
multi-vendor mid-century furniture, decor, art, vinyl, books, and clothing under one roof. think the curated end of estate-sale energy. organized like a vintage market and easy to lose two hours in. closed mondays.
Savers — Orange
the savers off the 241 on chapman. classic big-box thrift: clothing, housewares, books, furniture. less picked-over than fountain valley on weekends, more browsable midweek. donation drop-offs get you coupons.
Joyride Vintage
menswear 1920s to 1980s on the orange circle since 2010. sister shop to elsewhere next door. western snap-fronts, 3-piece suits, military boots, leather goods, pocketknives, vintage hats worth driving in for. owners know every piece.
Elsewhere Vintage
family-run, three generations deep on the orange circle since 2008. wearable rare vintage from the 1900s through y2k. bakelite jewelry, hats, and handbags that commit you to a new aesthetic. staff actually helps you find something.
Bellissima Consignment Boutique
20+ years of high-end designer consignment in corona del mar. one of the largest collections of st. john knits on the west coast plus fendi, chanel, dior, hermes, louis vuitton when they come through. adriana, the owner, knows her pieces.
Buffalo Exchange — Costa Mesa
classic buy-sell-trade chain inside the lab anti-mall, walking distance from 2nd street at the camp. current trends, designer, vintage. mileage varies by what staff is buying that day, but the location alone makes it a stop.
The Find Consignments
home consignment done well. the newport blvd location is the bigger of their two costa mesa shops, with furniture and decor staged into actual little rooms so you can see how it'd live. prices aren't dirt cheap but the quality is real.
Slow Goods
not technically thrift but on-brand. tiny costa mesa concept space mixing australian womenswear, california designers, handmade homewares, and bespoke accessories. opened 2023 by jessica ward. quiet, considered, opposite of a haul shop.
Plato's Closet South Coast
the chain resale spot for teens and twenty-somethings, and the only platos in OC. lululemon, brandy melville, vans, dr martens, designer denim at up to 70% off mall prices. inventory turnover is real.
Mod Hepburn
small curated women's vintage on 3rd street in dtsa. fair pricing, friendly staff who know what they have, and a tight selection instead of racks for days. the good kind of small.
GCS Clothing
streetwear, hip hop, and graffiti culture since 1995. an actual og of dtsa retail, run by people who built the scene before scene was a marketing word. doubles as an art gallery on first saturday art walks.
Nothing Usual
part skate shop, part record store, part zine library, part gallery. on 4th street since 2016, run by people who actually skate and care. you come in for a deck and leave with a book about graphic design and a tee that fits perfectly.
Stanicky's Vintage & Co
20+ vintage dealers from across socal under one roof on 4th street in dtsa. the format means inventory shifts constantly because every dealer has their own corner with their own taste. closer to flea market energy than a single-owner shop.
Timeless Vintage
Laid-back Old Towne Orange vintage spot packed with curated racks of perfectly worn denim, graphic tees, and throwback pieces that feel pulled straight from the best closets of the last few decades.
Laura's House | SJC
A community-driven thrift shop where donated clothing, home goods, and vintage finds support local programs that provide shelter and resources for survivors of domestic violence. For those who love a good find and an even better cause
Laura’s House | Lake Forest
A resale shop with real purpose. Brand-name and designer finds — sometimes still tagged — with every dollar going toward Laura's House domestic violence programs. Clean, organized, and genuinely good.
%25201.jpeg)
Sundance Thrift | Tustin
Family-owned Old Town Tustin shop offering curated vintage and modern finds. Browse clothing, accessories, home decor, and plants in an organized, color-coordinated space with fair prices.
Follow us — @thriftstar.us
