I first heard about the vintage store a few years ago and I did not have a chance to visit it until about a year ago. I was intrigued by its location, but mostly by its name and the fact that it sold strictly vintage clothing, shoes and accessories.
The clothes, accessories and shoes at the Lemon Frog Shop are all high quality and in excellent condition.The vintage jewelry is probably my favorite thing there, but the clothing and the shoes are fun too. And the purses, well they do not make purses like they used to.
Micki Curtis, who has owned the shop since 2007 said she has always worked with vintage.
“My parents always shopped at garage sales,” Curtis said.
Curtis credits her childhood with helping her to appreciate things that are older, unique and of good quality.
“Just because it’s old I don’t want it in my store necessarily,” Curtis said.
Curtis handpicks everything in her store. From boots to belt buckles, glamorous dresses to fun funky purses and costume jewelry.
Curtis said boots are very popular. She has a wide selection of boots in almost every color.The name of the store, which Curtis said she got from an old Sears catalog, is exactly what she was looking for.
“I wanted a psychedelic, fun and colorful name,” Curtis said.
Marie Shelley, who works at the Lemon Frog Shop, said the shop was her favorite store when she was just a customer.
“Micki has an amazing eye,” Shelley said. “She has really good taste.”
“We have the cutest vintage pieces specializing in ’70s with some ’60s and ’80s,” Shelley said.
Curtis is not just concerned about the type of products she sells, but also about the sizes and prices.
“My goal is to have all sizes, something for everybody and $10 and up prices,” Curtis said.
Curtis stays true to her commitment to sell items that are affordable on any budget. In the front of her store she has a sale section and a vanity on one wall that has a display of jewelry for $10.
Vintage jewelry at the Lemon Frog Shop varies in style, color and time period. There is always something new.“It’s stuff that I always want to wear and stuff no one else has,” Tanja Laden, a customer said. “That’s the only vintage shop I shop in.”
Laden said Curtis has a “curatorial eye” when it comes to picking out the clothing that she sells in the store.
“She recognizes the clothing as art,” Laden said.
Katie Page, a customer from Hollywood said she has only been to the Lemon Frog Shop two or three times, but she likes it.
“Most L.A. places are over picked,” Page said.
Page said that vintage stores “sometimes feel too Goodwill,” and that is not the feeling she gets at the Lemon Frog Shop.
“It’s actual vintage,” Page said.
I could not agree more. Every time I have visited the store with worn wood floors and colorful displays, there is always new merchandise to look through.
One of my favorite things about the store is the wall decorations, which include a frog clock and a wooden frog with green eyes. But my favorite displays in the store are the purse displays.
Not being label-conscious, I tend to stay away from the big name brand bags and I often have a hard time finding purses that are well made and affordable. I have bought two purses from the Lemon Frog Shop and I have received two as gifts and they are by far the best purses that I own.
Curtis is also very friendly and helpful. When customers enter her store she makes sure that they know where the sale section is, and she is ready and willing to answer any questions that arise.
The Lemon Frog Shop is the best vintage store I have ever seen and it is not overly trendy and the items are not outrageously priced.
“You should come by the store and check it out,” Shelley said.
The Lemon Frog Shop is located at 1202-B N. Alvarado St. in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/lemonfrogshop.
Expenses
Gas: About $6
Parking: Free
Vintage purse and necklace:$41.14
Total amount spent: About $47.14
