Quirk Reviews

Hi Karolina, I’m genuinely sorry you made the trip and found us closed. I understand how frustrating that must have been. I do want to offer some context, particularly because a one-star review can have a significant impact on a very small independent business.

Quirk is currently a team of one. I’m also living with a brain tumor, and there are occasionally days when my health requires me to step away or change our hours unexpectedly. Los Angeles is also experiencing an extreme heat wave, which has made this an especially difficult week.

At the same time, I’m running our nonprofit community work supporting people who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires. Between the shop and that work, I haven’t taken a vacation in over a year. I share that not because I expect customers to know what is happening behind the scenes, but because small businesses are run by human beings, and sometimes circumstances arise that simply cannot be anticipated.

We keep a phone number posted on our door so that anyone who finds us unexpectedly closed can reach us, and we do our best to keep our hours current online when last-minute changes happen.

I completely understand being disappointed that we weren’t open when you arrived. What is difficult is receiving the lowest possible rating from someone who has never actually had an experience inside Quirk, with our merchandise or our service, based solely on an unexpected closure.

I hope you’ll consider visiting us another time and, if you do, judging this little business on the experience you actually have here. We’d be happy to welcome you.

Thank you so much, Jeremy! It was such a pleasure helping you find the right vintage men’s suit to pair with your watch. We’re so glad you discovered Quirk Vintage here in DTLA and that the styling experience felt special.

We also really appreciate you taking the time to learn about The People’s Free Boutique, our nonprofit fire-relief boutique supporting LA wildfire survivors with dignified, high-quality clothing and essentials. Creating a space where both our vintage clients and our community care work can coexist means so much to us.

Thank you again for supporting our small independent boutique in Downtown Los Angeles. We hope to see you back soon!

Hi Theresa, I’m sorry for the inconvenience and understand it’s frustrating to arrive during posted hours and find us away.

We were briefly a block away, assisting at our nearby nonprofit fire-relief boutique for LA Fire survivors, but we should have communicated the temporary closure more clearly. A one-star review is disappointing when we haven’t had the chance to meet or welcome you in to experience the shop, our service, or our selection, but we appreciate the feedback and will work on clearer signage going forward.

We are a very small business with a small team, and sometimes things come up. As noted on the hours sign in the photo you included in your review, we do have a contact number posted on the door for calls or texts, as well as a Ring camera for immediate contact. In the future, we hope not to miss you, but those options are always welcomed and encouraged.

Elizabeth, thank you so much for this. It was truly such a pleasure having you in the shop and getting to meet you.

The “eccentric aunt” feeling is exactly what I’m always thinking about when I’m sourcing and curating, making sure everything feels discovered, lived in, and full of personality rather than just racks of resale.

I’m so glad you spent time with the bags. I really try to find pieces that feel special and a little rare, the kind you don’t run into twice.

And I genuinely loved talking with you. Getting to share the stories behind the pieces and hearing what people are drawn to is one of my favorite parts of being in the shop. It makes the whole experience feel human and connected in a way that online never can.

Thank you again for coming through and supporting a small vintage shop in the fashion district. I hope we get to see you again soon.

— Melynda

Thank you so much for this, it really means a lot. It was such a pleasure having you both in the shop and getting to talk through pieces with you.

I’m so glad your husband found those loafers. That was such a great pair, and finding them with the original dust bag always makes it feel a little extra special. Moments like that are exactly why I love what I do.

I really appreciate you noticing the mix of true vintage and more modern pieces. I try to keep everything feeling curated, wearable, and a little unexpected rather than overwhelming.

And thank you for mentioning the online shop too. I’m always adding more, so hopefully next time you’re browsing from San Francisco you’ll find something that feels just as good as discovering it in person.

Also completely hear you on parking. Downtown LA definitely has its quirks, but there are a few nearby lots and it’s usually a bit easier if you plan ahead or walk in when you can.

Thank you again for coming through and for the thoughtful review. I’d love to see you both again next time you’re in Los Angeles.

— Melynda

Raine, thank you so much. This really means a lot.

Always such a pleasure having you in the shop and getting to work together. Pulling that whole look together on a time crunch really did feel like a bit of magic, and you made it easy.

I’m so glad you found pieces that felt special. That’s always the goal, whether someone comes in with something very specific in mind or is just exploring and seeing what speaks to them.

And I really appreciate you mentioning my background as well. My work in costume design and styling definitely shapes how I curate the shop and how I help people put things together in a way that feels intentional and personal.

Thank you again for your continued support and for such a thoughtful review. Always looking forward to the next time.

— Melynda

Darby, your words really landed. Thank you for sharing this — I’m so moved by your honesty and the way you framed your journey.

We started The People’s Free Boutique inside Quirk as a scrappy little idea, but the way it’s grown into a community hub is because of people like you. Knowing you found clothes that helped you show up for your life — for work, for your son, for yourself — is everything. And hearing that you’ve run into old friends or found new ones here makes me want to cry in the best way.

Clothing may not be everything, but it's never just stuff. What we put on our bodies can help us feel rooted again, especially when everything else feels upended. Thank you for allowing us to be part of that process. We’re honored to have you in our orbit. And yes — we’ll be ready with more great pieces whenever you come by next.

With deep gratitude,
Melynda

Aida, thank you so much for the five stars! Whether you visited Quirk for vintage gems, modern designer pieces, or The People’s Free Boutique, we’re so glad something made a positive impact. We hope to see you again soon — there’s always something new waiting on the racks.

With gratitude,
Melynda & the Quirk crew

Thank you so much, Adria! It has been incredible to witness your resilience and generosity after everything you and your family have been through with the Eaton and Palisades fires. We are so grateful to support your mission of helping others rebuild their closets and their confidence through The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk.

Seeing you and your mom turn around and create fashion care packages and events for your own impacted community has been one of the most inspiring parts of this whole journey. It is exactly why we launched this mutual aid project — to help restore dignity, joy, and self-expression for fire survivors when it feels like so much has been lost.

For anyone reading: Quirk is open by appointment for regular shopping, and The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk continues to serve fire-affected individuals and families for free. If you would like to support or donate, please visit our website or DM us on Instagram. Thank you for believing in what we are building!

— Melynda and The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk Team

Jamie, thank you so much for this thoughtful review. I’m incredibly grateful for the time and heart you brought to The People’s Free Boutique, especially during our early, temporary location days.
Just to clarify for anyone reading: Quirk is our DTLA vintage and modern fashion showroom, while The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk is our mutual aid project that launched in response to the LA fires. It operates separately from our retail business and is entirely donation- and volunteer-driven.

Jamie, your support helped us provide free, dignity-based fashion and supplies to individuals and families impacted by the Eaton and Palisades fires. We couldn’t have done it without community members like you showing up through it all. Thank you for being part of this ongoing mission to meet people where they are, with compassion and care.

Andrés, thank you so much for everything you continue to do. Your presence, energy, and commitment have become such a steady part of The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk.

As you know, this project began as a small pivot in response to the LA fires, and it has since grown into a full mutual aid boutique providing free, stylist-curated clothing, supplies, and emotional support to fire survivors and families in crisis. Volunteers like you are the reason it works.

You consistently show up for our community with compassion, respect, and thoughtfulness. Watching guests leave with not just clothes, but dignity and joy, is everything this was meant to be. I'm truly grateful to have you on this journey with us.

Thank you so much, Patricia! Your support and generosity during the height of the LA fire relief efforts meant the world to us.

You didn’t just donate—you organized a local drive in Santa Barbara, collected essential toiletries, and personally drove them down to our DTLA showroom to support The People’s Free Boutique by Quirk. Your help on the ground at our mutual aid hub came during our busiest, most intense weeks—and we couldn’t have supported over 1,500 people without volunteers like you.

Quirk started as a vintage and modern fashion showroom, but thanks to community partners like you, it became a full-scale disaster relief and mutual aid boutique—offering free, dignity-based clothing and essentials to those displaced by the wildfires.

Thank you for helping us show what fashion and community care can do when combined with purpose. 💛