Vintage clothes shopping can evoke both fear and delight in the most picky and ardent shopper, although living in L.A. can make it a lot easier. However, pouring through racks and racks of scary polyester duds from the local Salvation Army just to find one slightly torn but full-of-potential blazer can take the wind out of any shopper’s sail. Luckily, a little store on the corner of La Brea Avenue and 6th Street has made it a little easier and a lot more enjoyable with their monthly Hipster Vintage Flea Market.

The Hipster Vintage Flea Market is a plethora of deals that can make the most resistant shopper feel good about their purchases. Using the traditional definition of "flea market," this Hipster Flea Market is more of an extension of the popular secondhand store, 86 Vintage. With a diverse stock of exquisite secondhand gems that have been brought up to fantastic condition by the 86 Vintage staff themselves, everything in the store, including the crates of old LPs and vintage jewelry accessories, is carefully handpicked by store owners Robin Hauser and Mary Ossanna. There is also a staggering collection of vintage classic rock T-shirts that must to be seen to be believed. Most of the styles in the store aren’t limited to a particular time or style. From the red gingham ’60s mod mini-dress that sits on a rack next to an old slate-gray pinstripe ’40s blazer from Sears, it’s safe to assume that you could find almost anything here.

Having successfully put on eight flea markets, Hauser is anticipating their 12th flea market, where they plan to mark the anniversary with a backdoor barbecue bash and in-store DJ to celebrate.

"Our flea market is a good event for all of our customers and clients because it’s a good way for them to come in and get a feel for our new merchandise and [also] get good sale prices on it," says Hauser. "People have been responding really well [to the flea market]. We’ve been getting lots of e-mails and responses, especially with the 10 percent-off flyer promotion we have going on."

86 Vintage is one of a few businesses from the owner triad – another being Chestnuts and Papaya, a neighboring private shop only open to special appointments, where designers come to pick up clothes that end up influencing the upcoming season’s trends.

"We actually have a couple of businesses. We are also a sourcing company, so we source for different design teams like Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie. They’ll come in and tell us what they’re looking for in their seasons ahead and we find vintage pieces for their inspiration and they come in and purchase them," says Hauser.

The customer base isn’t limited to the fashion elite, however. Their clientele ranges from ages 15 to 40 and most of their customers are college students.

The Hipster Vintage Flea Market is open the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The next flea market will be held on March 12. Early bird discount flyers can be found in the 86 Vintage store at 463 S. La Brea Ave. For more information, call (323) 954-8686.