DOWNTOWN ARMOR

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Since moving out here to San Francisco in 2005, I've seen leather and boot shops either move out of the city or close for good. Even though we still have the amazing www.mr-s-leather.com, www.leatheretc.com, www.goodvibes.com, and others, San Francisco needs more options for high-quality rubber gear and boots.

I used to work at Stompers Boots https://stompersboots.com/ in 2012. It was brief but I loved it. Stompers is missed very much here in San Francisco. They sold mostly new boots but also did a small amount of consignment, which included not just boots but also pants and jackets. After Stompers moved to Florida, I started working at Worn Out West, a consignment kink shop on Market St. in the Castro. That's where I met my fiancé Gray. We were going to buy it, but that didn't work out well at all. Ultimately, our goal is to have a brick-and-mortar business. We also really want to include other types of non-traditional styles. I like the idea of catering to other kink groups and subcultures.

The main goal on our list of "main goals" is to focus on consignment. We love the idea of reselling kink gear; it almost feels like a must. Memories and stories are so important, and everything has a story behind it. One of my favorite things about Worn Out West was when customers would bring in what used to be pin-covered vests worn to dozens of events over the years. These vests were covered in tiny little holes, and some customers had stories for each of the empty spaces. When I came across these on a day off, I couldn't help but think, "Where have they been? What did they do? Who were they with?" I loved it. I love vests. There's something more intimate about them, especially those covered in patches showing where they've been or just a large patch on the back representing the hard work put into getting that piece.

If I haven't made it all too clear, one of my favorite things are boots. I absolutely love boots. My favorites are brands like White's (www.whitesboots.com), Nick's (www.nicksboots.com), JK (www.jkboots.com), and WESCO (https://builder.wescoboots.com/About.aspx) among others. I'm particularly fond of logging and wildfire boots – there’s nothing like a well-built boot. Many others share this passion, especially women. Whether it’s logging, biking, Doc’s, or WESCO styles, these boots come in heights ranging from 10 inches to 32 inches with heels or rugged Vibram treads. While working at Stompers and Worn Out West, it was evident that women had limited options available. I disliked having to say, "We might have a men's 5 if you want?" That's just unacceptable. Boots are for everyone, including you, ladies.

Leather carries stories. Downtown Armor exists to keep those stories moving by helping quality pieces find their next person.

Some items are practical. Some are personal. Some carry community history. We treat them with respect, assess what they need, and help determine what can be cleaned, restored, preserved, sold, donated, or responsibly re-homed.

DONATE

Ready to let go of leather, boots, or gear? Downtown Armor accepts selected donations of quality items that can be cleaned, repaired, restored, sold, donated, archived, or responsibly re-homed.

Donations are final once accepted.

CONSIGN

Have quality pieces you would like to sell? We review selected leather, boots, gear, and accessories, decide what fits our current inventory, set pricing, display accepted items, and manage the sale.

Our standard consignment window is generally 90 days, with some flexibility depending on stock and item type.

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Start Consignment

DONATE

Ready to let go of leather, boots, or gear? Downtown Armor accepts selected donations of quality items that can be cleaned, repaired, restored, sold, donated, archived, or responsibly re-homed.

Donations are final once accepted.

ESTATE & COLLECTION TRIAGE

Dealing with a leather collection after a death, move, breakup, downsizing, or major life change can be overwhelming. We help partners, families, friends, and community members triage collections with discretion and care.

We can help sort what may be sold, donated, restored, preserved, specially handled, or responsibly discarded.

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Ask About Estate Help

SHOP

Downtown Armor is for people who love leather with character: broken-in boots, jackets, vests, pants, chaps, harnesses, accessories, gear, and one-of-a-kind community pieces.

Every piece is selected with an eye toward quality, usability, story, and fit within the Downtown Armor collection.

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Shop Information

WE MAY ACCEPT

- Leather jackets, vests, pants, chaps, and harnesses

- Quality boots

- Leather accessories

- Kink and community gear in usable condition

- Pieces with resale, restoration, archival, or community value

ITEMS WE MAY DECLINE

We may decline items that are unsafe, unsanitary, damaged beyond use, counterfeit, illegal to resell, outside our current needs, or not a good fit for Downtown Armor.

Items not accepted for donation that are left behind may be discarded or donated elsewhere.

HOW INTAKE WORKS

Clear, respectful, and practical.

1. Contact us or bring items in during intake hours.

2. We review the items and determine what Downtown Armor can accept.

3. Accepted items are sorted for donation, consignment, restoration, resale, archival consideration, or responsible re-homing.

4. Items that are not accepted must be taken back unless other arrangements are made.

OUR APPROACH

Clean. Respectful. Practical. Community-minded.

Downtown Armor is not here to judge your closet, your collection, or your history. We are here to help determine what can be cleaned, restored, preserved, sold, donated, or responsibly re-homed.

CONTACT

Have gear to donate, consign, or triage?

Send us a message with a brief description and photos if available. For larger collections or estate situations, let us know approximately how many items are involved and what kind of help you need.

Downtown Armor

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Downtown Armor

San Francisco, California

Legacy leather, restored and re-homed.