Love love love shopping vintage here! They consistently have a great selection of items across women's and men's. I buy the bulk of my jeans here and have gotten great sweaters, jackets and dresses. The clothes are nicely organized and they only buy/sell things in good shape. I'm shocked that several reviews complain about staff. I go here a few times a month and have always had friendly, helpful staff. I think you get what you put out. This is my thrift store go to. read more

Captain's Helm - Looking out - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Came to Captain's Helm for the 2nd time and they have some serious treasures and you don't have to dig too hard, like you do at other thrift shops. I personally LOVE that everything is organized by color! My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is just that the price points are a little higher then some other places I frequent, and they have a mix of thrift and new merch, but it's hard to tell which is which. read more

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Good tasting latte! I love how simple coffee can be. Captain's Helm is a fun shop located next to a vintage clothing store. They have their coffee grounds location inside. Service was friendly and quick! read more

Captain's Helm - Exterior - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Staff is super nice and cute stuff, it was also very organized and the prices were actually super reasonable.

If you want to waste your money on overpriced and used items come here.. they overprice everything on purpose - even things you can buy online for cheaper and it being brand new. How this store is still running charging $70 for itchy used grandma sweaters and accessories you can buy cheaper online is beyond me. How does anybody shop here read more

Good selection, expensive prices and RUDE staff sums it up. All the other reviews about rude clerks is true. This place is run by a few twenty something year olds that think it's cool to roll your eyes and just have a general bug up your ass. It's actually a lot cooler to be nice. The one time I tried to sell to them they told me that "the few pieces we would have actually bought from you had stains!" I laughed it off because I KNOW none of the clothes I brought in had stains. And, my friend had literally the same exact thing happen to her--they told her she had stains on her clothes. Walk through the store--there are STAINS AND HOLES IN EVERYTHING. And to top it off everything is way overpriced. Just go across the street and shop Ransack--much cooler & more affordable clothes and wayyyyy nicer folks. read more

This was my first time thrifting at Captain's Helm, as I was in the area today and wanted to browse around at some local stores. The store is connected to a coffee shop, which was unexpected but added a cool vibe to the experience. Parking isn't super easy, but there's lots of spots in nearby neighborhoods too. Okay, I have to admit, I absolutely loved how the store was organized! Not only was everything sorted by category but by color too!! I cannot emphasize how much this satisfied me, haha. As for the selection of clothes and accessories, I was also impressed. There is a wide variety, and the clothes are very fun and unique here. Of course, the collection is curated, so although the options are better, the price reflects that. Nonetheless, I personally prefer curated stores like this because it makes the thrifting experience much less overwhelming. I wanted to try on an article of clothing that was displayed on the mannequin, and the employee that helped me remove it was super nice! She even directed me to the dressing rooms, which were quite large and spacious. In the front of the store, they have little home goods that are so aesthetically pleasing! From glasses to incense, they had a lot of cute things! I really wanted to buy these adorable glass cups, but they were rather pricey. Maybe I'll cave and come back for them, haha! read more

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While this is a very cute store the prices are a little insane. This is your standard "handpicked "vintage boutique where people go and thrift items for cheap and hike up the prices due to it being vintage pieces. Most of the men shirts start at around $25-$30 and I saw some of them upwards of $45-$50 because of the design. Levi jeans were starting at about $45-$50 and only going higher. Even just a bandanna was about $20. It's very frustrating because a lot of the stuff were really great items but I'm not paying $50 for one shirt just because it's from the 90s and it has a cool graphic or $60 for a pair of vintage Levi's that has obvious wear in them. read more

Love this place. Thrifting can be overwhelming but here its so organized and their style blends with mine. I always walk out with something. They also have new items and locally made things. Cute shop, cute area. Great people. Its definitely more expensive than your average thrift store but if I can avoid the mess of others for extra cost I will. read more

Came here recently to do an appointment buy for some of my spring/summer items. I was greeted upon entry and was promptly checked in by the girl at the counter. While she went through my stuff I checked out the store. A neat selection of vintage/handmade/artisan items, cool pottery and pricey home goods. I did also spot a couple fast fashion brands while browsing the racks, which was surprising. In the end, they only bought a couple of my items, but it still came out to $20 cash (or $25 if I opted for store credit) so it was worth the trip to me. Overall, its a solid place to sell clothes or shop for some neat vintage-looking stuff if that's you're thing. Will have to return to give their coffee bar a try. read more

I've tried to sell and buy clothes here several times but it usually doesn't end well. This place has one very specific client it caters to-the dime-a-dozen boho-ish socal/soft southwestern girl that wears Levi's, holey old graphic tees, and those obnoxious wide brim felt hats. If you have any other style than this I don't recommend trying to sell here. I've brought in medium to high end brand name items and was told "these styles don't sell for us". So I took them over to Flashbacks in Carlsbad and was given 200$ for them! My advice to Captains Helm would be to expand your inventory to different styles and clients. Not everyone wants to buy dirty old band tees! read more

Okay, listen the store is laid out well, and from first look it's an objectively cool concept. Going through the racks I quickly saw that 80% of the clothing there is stained, and worse for wear. Yes I know it's vintage, but there's a difference between an authentic affordable vintage store and a bunch of millennials charging 40 bucks for an old sweater you could buy at an actual thrift store for 5 dollars in better condition! The employees were snotty and unfriendly. My overall experience was underwhelming and annoyed - just about everything in there is 30 dollars or more. read more

Captain's Helm - Stained Shirt - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Super cute store with a lot to offer. It is difficult to sell anything, but hopefully I will have better luck in the future.

This was one of those stores I never went in, as I felt like it was all consignment. I have my favorite vendors for many things, most being local and at least specialty companies in California, making their own products in state in our state. Although, I am about any independent maker creating something special. One gets used to sizing in brands, etc. and I don't have patience to try things on. I know what I like, how it fits, etc when I stick with my brands. Now, when it comes to local handmade new items made of vintage materials and re-puposed, I can get into that. The shop has some fun point of sale items like air freshness (purchased) repurposed customer throws (considering) and handmade candles (gifting) with scents focus on local beach communities. My favorite item in the store is the French berets in many colors. Go in and check out Captains Helm on a visit to Captains Grounds Coffee. #Oceanside #CaptainsHelp #TheBeret #CaptainsCoffee read more

Captain's Helm - Custom Blankets Re-Purposed - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Oceanside, California

Interesting upscale resale store. I like that it's not cluttered. It has a lot of style. I made an appointment to see if they might buy some gently used clothes and received same day service, which was really nice. Overall, I think the clothes are overpriced. YOu can really find some unique items in this store. read more

Such a charming clothing and coffee shop. They have a great selection of different clothing and shoes, great quality, prices are relatively good. I also appreciate the great customer service from Sophia and Hannah. I will be back :) read more

Nice selection of vintage. Good prices - nothing is over priced. Friendly staff that offered to hold my items while I shopped. Racks aren't stuffed and easy to shop. I bought a vintage blouse in perfect condition. Highly recommend! read more

Don't bother calling, they don't pick up the phone. Went in person and was told they only accept vintage clothes (despite clearly not) and the woman was incredibly snooty about it and pretty directly gave the "our clientele is very demanding" reverse Karen vibe. Like the condescending sales clerks in Pretty Woman. The stuff we were trying to sell was designer by the way not garage sale junk. Glad we asked if she knew anyone that would be interested in what we had because she sure as heck wasn't going to tell us without prompting, just to be a decent person. Perfect 5/7 faux granola "quirky" boho-turquoise rings as a rating. Hipsters find this shop pretentious and Karen's will feel right at home. read more

Staff is super rude.. what a bummer , cool clothes , rude staff. They just stare at you and don't say hello. read more

Very disappointing and overall a bad experience. I have shopped here several times before and came in the other day to sell some of my clothes. A lady with long dirty blonde hair and bangs who helped me out was rude, talked extremely quickly, and it seemed as if she was rushing me to get me out as quickly as possible. There were little to no other customers inside. I brought in 40 items and it took them around 8-10 minutes to look through everything. She made little to no eye contact on her part and I felt like I wasn't welcome to be there. I had a few questions as a first-time seller, but she made me too uncomfortable to ask them. I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. When she was done, she handed me the check for the pieces they wanted and didn't have the decency to tell me where my leftover clothes were or to hand them back to me. I had to look over the counter for them, take them, and leave. Her attitude and lack of customer service were embarrassing on her part. You shouldn't treat someone as if their presence is inconvenient when your job description is to provide good customer service. Never again would I come back as either a customer or a seller. read more

We've sold clothes to Captain's Helm on two occasions with mixed results. This most recent trip I was surprised they didn't buy more since a lot of what we brought in was exactly what they had hanging on their racks and in season. Perhaps they are sitting on too much inventor currently and only looking for extra special items. It's awesome that you can make an online appointment ahead of time and the customer service has been excellent on both trips. For the items they did purchase from us (a pair of red wing boots, some like new Vans, an Anthropologie dress, and two flannel shirts) I feel like we were very fairly compensated. It's great that there is a coffee shop attached and plenty of books and home goods to browse in addition to the clothing. I've never purchased anything, but if you're a hipster looking to overpay a little for some clothing that was in style during the grunge era and you want to look at pictures of yourself in five years with embarrassment and regret, this place is your 'vibe'. read more

I came in today after normally what is a good experience. Tons of shoppers without masks (we are close to normal but sadly not close enough), the workers (especially this one guy) had their masks below their mouths practically, and two were in the back talking about how "fat" all their customers were these days due to gaining "COVID weight". That last part really drove home the negative experience for me, you are a business there is no reason to speak so negatively about your customers so openly while they are shopping. I used to come here often, won't be back until they get their stuff together read more

Not impressed. I go vintage clothes shopping on a regular basis and heard about this store. The shop does carry some vintage clothing - they carry new stuff as well. Bottom line is the prices are unrealistic: a pair of plain 501 Levi's $35, I saw a (new)fake leather hat for $40 that I've seen on eBay for $10 (same brand). Though I found one old knit sweater that was cute, I wasn't going to pay $30 when it had holes that were unraveling. read more

Great place in Oceanside with vintage clothing as well as California lifestyle brands like Obey, Brixton, RAEN in the men's section. The men's section is actually pretty big compared to most other vintage shops. Every time I've come here, I have always walked out with at least 1-2 items. I've also sold clothing to them and they've always taken most of what I brought in. The only bad thing is I always see pieces that I would have purchased if they weren't covered in stains. Would be better if they just weren't even of the racks. Especially since all the clothing is perfectly curated in terms of style. They also have a small home section and children's section that they have been adding to which is a nice addition. Like other reviews say, some of the employees are overly rude for no reason, but that's not really an issue to me. Most of them are nice. read more

A one stop shop for fun vintage, delicious coffee and friendly faces. Every stop here has been great but today sale associate Kaila made it exceptionally inviting and enjoyable! read more

I was here two weeks ago and found such great vintage pieces! The staff is great and the store is incredible.

Loved this place! I've seen the great reviews before, but this was the first time I got to visit. A perfect example of a clean, well priced thrift/consignment store. There was a cool coffee spot in the front, making the whole store smell great. The vibe of the clothes were a bit hipster for me, and I didn't buy anything. That doesn't change the fact that this place is clearly well run/managed and I appreciated the quality of the store and items in it. For any boho/hipsters looking for some new clothes, check this place out! read more

We found some amazing thrift finds (madewell jacket and converse shoes). Prices were fair for what they were offering. I also grab some new items in the home decor section. Will be back when I'm visiting again. read more

Super friendly staff, a great selection & really reasonable prices. I love the coffee bar & esthetics of the whole place. I bought an awesome kimono robe from the 60's. Will definitely return when I come back. read more

This is a very positive 3 stars for Captain's Helm. The store is really nice, no thrift vibe at all! A cute coffee bar and seating out front, super spacious inside, no musty smells, it actually looks like a boutique selling new clothing! The girls working were very nice, I had some things I wanted to sell and they looked and them right away, I was in and out in about 10 minutes. They only wanted one dress as most of my items were jeans and purses which both just don't sell here. They recommended where to take my stuff, another bonus. Positive service goes along way, good store. read more

Great locally owned thrift shop with a vintage twist. Great selection and connected to an awesome coffee shop to enjoy while you shop!

Cute store. Love all the clothes and accessories they have! Next to the store is a coffee shop which is nice. My only complaint is the female workers are very snotty and not nice. They like to follow you around and watch you the entire time but don't bother to ask if you need help or at least smile at you. Very uncomfortable vibe here read more

I fell in love with Captin's Helm the moment I walked in. I found it on Yelp, while road tripping and always looking for cool resale shops to shop at. The price points were on point! I managed to score 8 items for on 130 bucks! I can't wait to blog about my finds. The girls were very friendly and helpful. I can't wait to go back! read more

Captain's Helm - One of my cool finds - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Oceanside, California

I love this store! My husband, daughter and I come up at least once a month to check out their new inventory! We do a lot of trade, so it's nice to clean out our closet and buy new goodies. The area where this store is reminds me of North Park. They have a delicious coffee in front and next door (Revolution Coffee). Also, everyone that works here has amazing style! I love checking our their out their outfits and they are all so sweet! read more

Since they serve coffee, they use that as an excuse to allow large groups of people to hang out without masks on inside the store, and MULTIPLE employees were wearing masks incorrectly making this a very unsafe environment. I had to immediately leave without even looking around much and I won't be coming back. read more

I visited over the weekend, based on the raving 5 star reviews on Yelp. I was extremely disappointed. I was in the store for about 20 minutes and never had a store employee speak to me once. Wasn't greeted when I arrived, wasn't told goodbye when I walked out. There were roughly 10 kids (I can't imagine them all being employees, I think mostly were friends) all hanging out at the registers doing nothing but talking about concerts they were seeing over the weekend. There were maybe 2 other customers in the store with me, not as if it would be a huge task to engage with us. The selection of clothes, in my opinion, was sad. But I will say that the reviews on here are spot on.....hipster clothing to the max. I guess I was expecting more variety, things from different decades, a wider selection to appeal to more people. It was just way too hipster for my taste. Men: ultra skinny pants, plaid shirts and 1970's porn staches. Women: hippy dippy headbands and ugly grandma clothing that is somehow 'cute'. If that's not your scene, this store isn't for you. read more

.. First and foremost, allow me to shed light on the negative reviews: This jaded, consumerist idea that you need to be "catered" to is the antithesis of what this store is about. You want to be pampered and have your ego stroked, go to Macy's. This store has its own identity. Aside from the outstanding collection of clothing, the customer service is indeed engaging and the quality of the clothing (with the basement prices) cannot be a more winning formula for success. I moved here from Connecticut over a year ago where I had the luxury of discovering boutique stores and fashion spots in both New York and Boston; this store is a gem. In summary, if you are looking for one-of-a-kind/vintage/lightly worn/rare brand clothing pieces for a fraction of the price, this store is the best of its class in all of Southern California. read more

This review is a general overview of several visits. So I am pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that I don't want to pay almost what I would assume is full price for a second hand item, regardless of it being in "like new condition" or not. Sure I can understand some of the designer labels being a little more pricey but last seasons clothing from forever 21...yeah not happening. It's kind of a bummer because this store really does have great stuff and it's not an overcrowded zoo like flashbacks. The customer service is less then stellar if the staff is preoccupied don't expect any help what so ever. All and all the overpriced items and the lack of customer service have warranted me not coming here relatively as often as I would have if one of those two things had been different. I'm one of those people who will spend more money if the service is there or if I don't feel like a burden to the associates. read more

I love this company and 90% of my wardrobe is from Captains. Visiting this store is now a part of my personality. Highly recommend.

New surf shop in Oceanside! This place is a gem. It is sort of like "Home" in Encinitas with tons of resale/vintage clothing, mixed with Mitch's Surf Shop in Solana Beach. They have some great used boards (noseriders, fish, single fins, etc) and some new shapes from Christensen, Tanner Hall, etc. The boards skew retro/alt, but there's already enough thrusters out in the world, so this is cool with me. I bought some sunglasses for $5 and there was a ton more stuff that I could have bought. The store is expansive, not expensive. Lots of clothing, boards, fins (Captain Fin of course), DVDs, and all sorts of other stuff to explore. Kinda hipster-ish overall, but there's enough in here that there is something for everyone. Check 'er out! read more