On April 1, 1979, Carla Bell and her sister opened a tiny boutique in the basement of the building at 2840 College Avenue in Berkeley, selling used Levi’s for $2.00 per pair. The store was originally open only in the afternoons and on weekends until 1981 when Carla decided to dedicate herself full-time to her new business, adding Chris Grace to the partnership.
Business took off and soon the store was filled to the brim with the best selection of used Levi’s in the Bay Area. Carla incorporated military surplus and many lines of new clothes from Frye boots to Dickies work wear to several t-shirt lines. Over the years the store has changed a little here and there, but always kept it’s huge selection of denim and corduroy. Carla is known the world over as the pants expert, the denim genius who can take one look at someone and fit them in the perfect pair of jeans.
Over 25 years later, Slash, still going strong, had the opportunity to expand. On July 1, 2006, a new era in Slash’s history began. Carla and Chris and their longtime employee, Julie Harleman, took their denim expertise and tripled their original retail space, adding a new section to the store that concentrates on NEW lines of denim, with the same attention to customers that made Slash the success it has always been.
In addition to the wide selection of used and vintage Levis they have always had, Slash now carries a wide selection of both men’s and women’s denim lines, specializing in selling all of our denim for under $100
Now, Slash truly is the only place you ever need to go to make your wardrobe complete.