Toni's Vintage Trips: Summer at Mars & Other Telegraph Ave. Hidden Treasures (Berkeley, CA)

All summer, I've been wanting to visit an amazing vintage store in my Telegraph Avenue neighborhood, Mars. Since summer is almost over, I visited Mars today and enjoyed it so much. I walked over along Telegraph Avenue and took some photos of the neighborhood's landmark stores and cafes and the UC Berkeley campus, which was hosting 2 dance parties.

Mars is an amazing store because it is strictly vintage. It attracts students, tourists and of course, local shoppers. The women's department is upstairs. There is a huge shoe selection with boots and shoes from many eras. There is one entire wall with nothing but vintage blouses. And the dress area is separated according to eras and skirts, pants, etc. There is also a rack of world dresses that I particularly liked.

It was hard to tear myself away from Mars, but I had to say goodbye - like saying goodbye to summer. Next door, was a hidden vintage watch shop, Studio 6, owned and operated by Russell who showed me many interesting items, such as the talking Mickey Mouse watch and the vintage poor man's Rolex that he's selling for $700. He even offered to clean and repair a vintage watch of mine that I plan to take in soon. From Studio 6, I walked down Telegraph to the UC Berkeley campus and found a large group of students taking a dance class and another group doing the Lindy. School is in full swing. My last stop was at the other end of the Avenue and is one that I wanted to share. It is not your typical vintage store, but has some very hip, modern shoes and dresses and also recycled clothes at a very good price. That hidden gem is The Dark Entry. I hope you will check out all of these stores the next time you visit Berkeley. Enjoy!