Pepes Thrift Shop

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS CROOK. Oh how I wish I had read these reviews before coming in…
He is honestly so comically bad at his job and cartoonish in his schemes that I almost recommend trying him out, however, fair warning, Pepe is a crook through and through.
Do not do business with this man as you have no idea what the outcome will be. At best you’ll have to wait much longer than he told you, more realistically though, you will be lied to over the course of a month while never receiving what you paid for. And regardless of the wait or lies, his furniture is poorly made garbage — it is literally put together using staples and glue. No joke, his furniture is put together using staples and glue, and it will break within the first year.
Personally, I bought a living room set from him — a couch, credenza, bench and chair (along with a tiny chair that he was throwing in for free). Nothing was ready on time. NOTHING. Eventually «my order was ready to be delivered.» Except only the couch and credenza showed up, and when I asked about the other items, the delivery guy said he didn’t know anything about it. When I called Pepe, he said «oh my wife left it here by accident.» When I went to pick them up «uh oh, my wife accidentally put them in a different delivery truck» When I returned the next day «I’m sorry, my wife left them at our home.» This went on for several weeks!
He either doesn’t make the item at all and hopes you’ll give up, or he sells them first chance he gets because, why not, he’s a crook.
Also, extra points for blaming everything on his wife.
Eventually I called him and said I couldn’t come in that day, and surprise surprise, «they are in the shop ready for pick up.» Well, double surprise Pepe, I was waiting outside. I came in and he said his wife JUST loaded them into her car. «Oh great, so she can deliver them?» «Yes tonight.» Well, true to form, Pepe’s wife never showed up as she was «stuck in traffic» even though I live nearby and my GPS indicated no more traffic than usual. So I told him I would be in the next day to pick it up, you guessed it, «my wife left the baby carriage in our car and it rolled and broke the bench, i can make a new one this week.»
More points for playing the new born baby card and for throwing his wife under the bus again.
«Ok, Pepe, I am done. I would like a refund please. Also, I especially not like to pay for a bench that will break when a baby carriage rolls into it.» — I think I said this, but honestly at this point I was so angry I’m sure it came out as hot nonsensical air. Shame on me for giving his this much slack.
Icing on the cake — I had to pay full price for the items I received instead of the deal on the living room set as a whole. Out of principle I wasn’t going to wait any longer for an item that was going to break the next week anyways, and/​or support this joke of a business any longer.
More icing — When I at least wanted the little chair he was throwing in with the rest of the package, the only actually vintage item, Pepe had given it to his son who was adorable and using it for homework. He knew what he was doing. I wasn’t going to take that kid’s chair.
And my final layer of icing — All of my items broke within the first 6 months, when I asked Pepe about fixing it, he said it wasn’t his problem. I have also since recognized a few Pepe pieces out on the curb waiting for garbage collection. They looked to be in good condition except for the fact that they had fallen apart. Staple-​man strikes again!
Learn from my mistakes. Please do not support this man. Let today be one day closer to Pepe’s closing down forever. Pepe could not care any less about you.

Great store with reasonable prices. Love shopping here — bought a really nice mid-​century arm chair recently.

Pepe is the BEST! As a home stager I’ve found dozens of pieces here for a bargain, including several custom pieces that would’ve been three times as much anywhere else in Los Angeles. Set designers, stagers and interior designers take note! Shop no where else for your MCM needs.

I’m my sure whether I’m more shocked or outraged by the fact Pepe’s has anything less than five stars. Like, I’m genuinely wondering right now whether people give them the ratings intentionally so that no one will go there and keep it a secret. This place is literally the bomb. It’s got the best selection of affordable (like actually affordable. Like a normal person with two jobs can buy stuff here) and they are nice and the turnover in inventory is hard to wrap my mind around.
Go here. Then give them a great review.

I went here to sell my furniture and Pepe offered 50 dollars for a living room table, a vanity and a china cabinet. I asked for 100 and he said to go down the street and ask the other thrift shop. He also said that if they don’t offer a better price just come back and he would buy at 50.
I went to the other shop and they said they are not interested. I went back to Pepe’s and he was busy, said to wait, and went to the back. I waited for a while looking around the shop. The shop is a mess, he could do a better job at present his store. He came back from the back and looked at my furniture again and changed his offer. He cut the deal in half, 25. And said he only wanted the vanity. I wanted to get ride of the truck load and offered 30 and he took it.
I feel a bit played. Because he did this another time for a set of dinning room table and chairs. He offered 40 and said to go to the other store. I went and they offer 45 and I excepted. I feel like he colludes with his competitor and sets prices. But I guess that’s how it is, just business. And offers are going to change.
Lessen learned, go to the store down the street first then talk to Pepe.

Opened up the saran wrap on the cabinet and vanity and they are pieces of shit. Uneven, shoddy, didn’t even put shelves in a tall cabinet. It’s infuriating.

Okay. Here is the deal. Pepe is a nice guy but he is really bad at estimating how long something will take to either build or deliver. This is a fun shop to buy something cool and put it in your car or truck. He will negotiate price. We had him make us a credenza to a specific measurements and it took forever but we weren’t in a rush and it was hand made and cheaper than Ikea. I would not recommend this route. I think it was pretty frustrating until we gave up and eventually we got it. It’s a fun place to browse, just do yourself a favor and prepare to come back with your own truck. It is also the official credenza capital of the world:

I’ve purchased one piece, but mainly I have acquired his services to refinish items that I’ve bought. The store is great and cost effective for your average vintage shopper, but the management of the business is lacking. Constant price changes, expectation for the patrons to cover storage fees which should be a built-​in business expense. Nice guy he just needs to work on those areas, but if you can stomach the chaos it’s a great place to find gems.

BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE. I bought two custom side tables from this guy and he said they would be ready a week later. I checked in with him for 5 weeks and nothing. Multiple times he never called me back about them. Finally, 6 weeks after he said they would be ready, he delivered them. They were completely the wrong dimensions! I called him and said I want my money back. He agreed but wouldn’t say he was sorry and wouldn’t come pick them up. I have never written a review on Unilocal before, but this guy is unbelievable and people should know to STAY AWAY from him. Oh, by the way, I still haven’t gotten my money back.

Update: The lamp I had bought from Pepe’s broke after a few months. I went back to see if he could fix it. He told me the parts would cost more than the lamp. I asked if I could exchange or if he would buy it back from me and was told no.
He also said that he was doing me a favor by fixing it at all. I’m just grateful I didn’t spend a ton on a vintage lamp and have this happen.
I’m supposed to call back in a couple of days and he will let me know how much it costs to fix. I’m pretty much counting the whole thing as a loss after reading the other reviews on here.
He still has better prices than anyone in town for furniture and this is the only thing I would buy from him-​furniture and arrange for my own delivery. As far as lamps or anything electrical buy at your own risk.
Basically this guy doesn’t guarantee any of his products, so I guess you get what you pay for.
I went in here today with a budget in mind. Pepe was cool, and let me pay what I wanted. He also offered a discount which was pretty fair on other items I was interested in. The furniture is reasonably priced, and cheaper than anywhere else I’ve been. After reading the reviews I will get someone else to deliver.
Also, he only takes cash at the moment, but the woman behind the counter told me they’re joining the 21^st century and getting a credit card machine.
I also think there is a parking lot in the back, which I didn’t know about until I came into the store.

DO NOT do business with this dolt. I wished I had read the reviews prior to coming in here. This guy is an unethical jerk. He makes promises he can’t deliver on.
HUGE time waster he will jack your time without remorse.
DO NOT have him work on anything of yours.
Brought him a trade on some paintings which he gave me credit on. I also then asked me about producing a daybed. PePe then gave me the final quote with the trade in value. I wanted move forward and came back with the covering. This jack a hole then decides to up the prices by 30% !! I was baffled & told him I’m not interested. I then took my paintings back.
I was fortunate to dodge a bullet here.

Never, EVER do business with Pepe. I had bought a couple of vintage Rosewood (maybe, maybe not) chairs a couple of months ago from Pepe. I also had ordered the upholstery. He delivered the chairs the same day or maybe the day after I purchased them. I was happy to have them and he even gave me the display cushions to use while I waited for the new upholstery I had ordered. He said the new upholstery would be done in 3 days… I went to the store and he didn’t have them. He gave me another date… and another date and still nothing. If it was going to be 2 weeks… just tell me it’s going to take two weeks! I went into the store again and he finally had the upholstery. I forgave quickly because I had what I wanted… but didn’t forget.
THEN…I was in the market for a sofa/​love seat. I had asked him if he had any. He thought for a moment and told me he thought he had one… that came from the same place he had gotten my chairs. I’m like sweet! I went in to the store a few days later and he was working on it behind his shop. It was the perfect size and matched my chairs perfectly. I put down the money right away because he claimed this was the only one and another lady was interested but he was waiting for me to get first dibs. I was so happy! This was a Thursday and he said it would be finished on Sunday. I took the weekend to think about what kind of upholstery I wanted but finally made the decision that Saturday. I knew he wouldn’t have the upholstered sofa finished by Sunday but was OK with it considering I knew he ran behind schedule.
It’s been 3 weeks. He had promised delivery on several occasions and never showed. I kept leaving messages and never once got a call back. I went into the store today demanding my money back. Thank God there were customers in there or I may not have even gotten that back. I was so upset because I had really wanted the the sofa. He offered me $ 100 off and THEN apologized and said he would have the fabric tomorrow. I couldn’t even dream of believing that would happen. I told him I just wanted the sofa and I wanted it delivered today. I would find upholstery elsewhere. He said ok… he could deliver it by 4 pm today.
I went to the shop next door to look around and stepped out back and saw Pepe staining the exact same (type) of sofa! He had to have sold the one I was supposed to get and had another one made and was hurrying to stain it to get it ready for me! He had claimed the previous sofa was the only one!
I just called and left a message saying that I did not want the sofa… would never do business with him again and would tell everyone I know to never do business with him. WHAT A NIGHTMARE! There are some good pieces in the store but much of it isn’t what he says it is.
Go next door to SUNSET BAZAAR. They do great business. Honest and helpful owner.

SO after reading some reviews i can understand better… must have been the twin i spoke with in person while shopping around trying to find decent prices on a storage piece, which he was very accommodating. but when i responded to a post online for one of the pieces, Pepe taked down to me and practically told me to save my money if i didnt have what he was asking for. I mean i know that he refinishes these storage pieces to look all danish modern, but if its not «made in denmark» then why pay the high prices? for that i’ll SAVE MY MONEY and go get the real thing for just a little more then what hes asking for

On the positive I think Pepe has great pieces and affordable prices, but his service once you buy is TERRIBLE. I bought a table and chairs under the condition that they would be refinished. Pepe promised they would be ready for Tuesday. On Tuesday late afternoon I was called to be told they were not ready yet. On Thursday I waited at home all day and they finally arrived, but the table did not have any varnish on it, the metal legs had green paint all over them, and the chairs had not been refinished to what we spoke about either. I had to send it all back and then wait until the next week for everything to be delivered again. Upon redelivery the chairs were still not touched up, the black paint nicked on all the legs which I decided to just live with. I like the table and chairs I bought from him OK but it was such a hassle that I wouldn’t buy from him again, sadly.

I like their stuff and prices. Finishing is decent. But they will not deliver you piece on time or call to tell you that they aren’t coming. Don’t expect an apology either. The first day they didn’t call or show up. (which really pissed me off since I rearranged my work schedule to wait for them) The second time they were an hour late and there was a piece missing. I got stuff to do people! I can’t be waiting around for you to show up whenever you feel like it. My advice is if you’re going to buy something from here, bring your own truck.

IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE A NEGATIVE VIEW I WOULD.
We came here based on the positive feedback from Unilocal.We had two chairs with two small pillows I wanted to reupholster. Pepe was friendly in the beginning and gave me a good price. While browsing, I noticed two night stands that I liked, but I wanted them in white. Pepe said he could finish them and I could pick them all up the following weekend. We paid for half the chairs and the price of the night stands minus the finishing fee.
The following Saturday, we returned to the shop. The chairs were done and sitting outside. We thought they did an okay job. It wasn’t the best tufting I’ve seen, and the bottom covering was very poorly done. They also forgot to reupholster the pillows and promised they would by next week. We thought, whatever, for the price… you get what you paid for. And then we saw the night stands. They were in black, not white, as I requested. Pepe came out and I reminded him that I wanted white, and he was there when I picked out the swatch. He denied the whole thing and said he wouldn’t have quoted me the price he did if I wanted them in white. He proceeded to stand there and argue with me what I know I said. In the end, we agreed for him to redo the night stands and I agreed to pay an extra 105 for the extra work! Pepe offered to deliver them on Tuesday… along with the pillows.
Tuesday came around and Pepe never showed. I couldn’t get in touch with anyone since I only had the store number. When I called on Wednesday, he told me the night stands weren’t dry, so he didn’t want to handle them. I thought, wow… a phone call would’ve been nice. By now, I have come to the realization this establishment is not exactly the most professional. As the following weekend was a holiday, I thought I would be out of town, so I told Pepe we would talk on Monday to figure out when I would come and pick them up. Come Friday, I realized I would actually stay in town, so I called and talked to Pepe’s wife. I told her I could come and pick them up on Monday (4^th of July). She told me it was fine and they would be ready.
We showed up on Monday, and guess what. Nothing. Pepe said his wife forgot to tell him, and they didn’t have them in the store. He said he was sorry and he would deliver them on Tuesday (the next day). I was irritated, but thought it was fine.
Tuesday night comes, and NO PEPE! I can’t say I was surprised. No phone call, just me waiting for him like an idiot.
I’m writing this on Wednesday morning, and I just got off the phone with him. Pepe told me «oh we had an emergency, so I couldn’t come» I told him it was extremely unprofessional of them to not even call me to let me know. I was pretty fed up with their way of doing business, and I no longer want the night stands anymore. I would like to have a refund of what I paid for the night stands. He told me, oh that’s fine, but I’m not giving you the pillows that belong to the chairs. At this point, I was steaming!!! What? The pillows that came with the chairs that I already paid for, that you guys forgot to do in the first place??? Pepe proceeded to lie and tell me the pillows came after and weren’t included in the price he gave me. (this is the first time I’ve heard of this). I am livid at this point. I told him those pillows belong to me and I will take legal actions if he doesn’t give them back. Pepe just continued to lie and said no, he’s keeping them.
The truth is. I know he lost those pillows! He didn’t have them the first time I picked up the chairs and I haven’t seen them since. He’s just dragging his feet so he doesn’t have to admit that he lost them.
THIS IS THE WORST BUSINESS I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH IN LA. DON’T LET THEIR FURNITURE FOOL YOU. THEY DON’T KEEP THEIR WORD AND MAKE UP THEIR OWN STORIES.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. DON’T WALK, BUT RUN AWAY WHILE YOU STILL HAVE YOUR MONEY AND PATIENCE.
I am not giving up. I will take him to court if I have to.

I can’t believe I gave this place 5 stars. I just bought a dresser. Was supposed to be delivered this morning. I took off work– losing 400 dollars in income. They didn’t show up. I had to call. Promised to come at 6pm-​rushed home from work. Didn’t show. I called. «A piece is missing. Come get your money.» Really??? NO apology.

Terrific place. The best thing about Pepes is that they can design furniture in house for you. Great prices!

Not sure why this is listed as closed, I was here today.
And I am also ambivalent about touting this amazing gem of a furniture shop, but the dude is so nice and can custom make beautiful affordable credenzas so he deserves the business.
The merch changes everyday, when I am looking for a nice storage piece, which is often cuz its my job, I check here. Now you should too.

(Oh god, Pepe’s has been reviewed.)
Okay, um, you don’t want to come here. Really. It’s just a cluttered floor to ceiling mess of mid-​century modern furniture at affordable prices. I mean, some pieces are maybe a petty $ 100 – 200 less than you’d find at some trendy vintage shop, but that’s all. A very small modest shop, nothing slick about it. The inventory changes out every week and some pieces even have small worn details about them, so you vintage buyers best stay away.
I’ve gotten a couple decent things from here. I suppose they can border on amazing, in my book: a 1960s peg-​legged Lane chest and a vintage olive Steelcase credenza from an old Army office that I use as a media cabinet. Pepe even drilled a hole for cords on the back of it for a minimal fee (purists, don’t shoot me, please). He’s refinished a lot of the pieces himself, and he’s even repaired the record player in my bf’s old stereo cabinet. Pepe’s very nice, but, uh, it doesn’t mean that he’ll repair for you. Maybe we’re special, huh.
The bottom line is, don’t come here. Please don’t steal treasures that I might want. Thank you.