Walking into VANGSWORLD on Wilshire Avenue feels like being in your cool older brother’s room. Dance music is playing. There’s a large statue of Betty Boop with an array of plushies sitting beneath her. DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, records, toys, pins, video games and sneakers are everywhere. And there’s a shopping cart with a Nintendo 64 in it, plugged into a CRT TV, each hand painted.
That cool older brother is Tyler Vangel, the owner of VANGSWORLD Vintage and Collectibles. The store had its grand opening in December 2023 and is one of many shops offering thrifted finds in downtown Fullerton. What sets VANGSWORLD apart from the rest is its variety, atmosphere and pricing.
Before Vangel opened his store, he would work at flea markets and swap meets every weekend with his wife. “I was doing a mini version of this in a 10×10. I had my pins, video games, everything,” Vangel says. It served almost as a testing ground for what would inevitably become VANGSWORLD, and it showed him the importance of giving his customers options. “When I went to the flea market, you always have customers that are into different things. A lot of other vendors just do clothing, or just do video games, or just do their brand,” he says. “And for me, I’m like why sell myself short? The more variety of things I have, the more there is for different people.”
Vangel had his eyes on the building that he now runs his store in for some time. It was previously a part of the restaurant and bar Mulberry Street, primarily used for storage. He’d often ask about renting the space out, until one Saturday morning in October 2023. He was leaving his office space next door, where he was running his screen-printing business, and saw the for-rent sign in the window. He called right away, eventually scoring the space for himself.
The interior may seem small, but it’s an aspect that he used to his advantage. “When you’re doing a store like this, sometimes a larger space and a larger amount of inventory is almost a little overwhelming,” says Vangel. “If you can curate a good selection and keep it organized and clean with good pricing, that’s almost going to be more attractive than having a larger inventory.”
A common tragedy of thrifting is finding a piece you love only for your eyeballs to pop out of your head like an old Tom and Jerry cartoon at the sign of its price tag. As someone who thrifts and collects himself, Vangel understands that frustration and makes an effort to avoid that. “Every single item I put out on the floor goes through a price check. I look at what it recently sold for on eBay and I price it a little less,” he says. He also marks down clothing or collectibles that he notices have been sitting in the store for a while.
VANGSWORLD doesn’t only sell collectibles and clothing but also offers trade-ins and purchases from those into fashion and collecting. Although Vangel says he tends to be a little selective about what he purchases, he aims to pay more than other clothing contemporaries such a Buffalo Exchange.
The store is the summit Vangel had been climbing towards for years. From his time curating music as a DJ by night and doing sales in the mortgage industry by day, from his shift into the art world to his time selling at flea markets and swap meets, VANGSWORLD is a direct reflection of Vangel’s creative journey.
It’s all reflected inside the store with the persistent sounds of dance music, the hand painted camouflage wall behind the counter, and its intimate, nostalgia filled atmosphere. Next time you find yourself in downtown Fullerton, be sure to stop by the store. Whether you’re into clothing, films, music or collecting, there’s something for everybody in VANGSWORLD.
This appeared in the Summer 2025 print issue of Inside Fullerton.
