By Eric Allen

Finding Thayer Street in Boston’s South End is tricky. It’s unmarked, and is more of a brick walkway than a street. Cars can’t even drive down it. But the neatly hidden path is home to art galleries, an antique restoration store and a hidden oasis of authentic apparel.

This oasis is called Bobby from Boston, and it is like your grandfather’s attic, if your grandfather happened to be actor Steve McQueen. It’s filled with vintage sport coats, silk ties, fedoras and leather suitcases all thoughtfully arranged.

The shop sells mostly men’s clothes and accessories, although there is an assortment of women’s items in a separate room.

Upon entering, the store’s atmosphere seems vaguely familiar. The walls are adorned with old photos and memorabilia from some bygone era. Racks of prep school ties sit on top of glass cases filled with vintage patches and sunglasses and a wall of blazers and leather jackets is offset by shelves of colorful plaid button-downs and striped tees.

A trip to Bobby from Boston is like a trip to Rugby on Newbury Street, only with the authenticity and style Rugby wishes it had.

Bobby from Boston opened in 1995, when store owner Bobby Garnett said he turned his warehouse of vintage clothes into the shop that stands today. He said the store’s name comes from Garnett’s legacy: clothing dealers in England used to spread the word of his business by asking other dealers if they had seen “Bobby from Boston.”

“I always had this woody haberdashery thing in my mind,” Garnett said.

The friendly staff and smart d’eacute;cor makes Bobby from Boston a destination for the intelligent, self-styled shopper. But the focus on men’s items is what sets the store apart from other vintage stores, Garnett said.

The eyes of men’s sartorial tastemakers stand out: sitting on a case of vintage accessories is a framed letter from GQ Magazine notifying Garnet that the store has been added to the GQ 100, a list of superior men’s stores in the country.

Such a distinction is not undeserved; the shop maintains a modern appeal with an old-school twist. The clothes may be from a different era, but the upright gentleman and the hipster alike will be able to find pieces that look cool today.

The traditional men’s shop atmosphere is comforting – a soundtrack of oldies plays while customers peruse the racks of clothes enclosed in a handsome wooden framework.

What might be the most alluring aspect of Bobby from Boston is its collection of vintage accessories. Placed throughout the store, small chests of neatly labeled drawers hold cuff links, bow ties, handkerchiefs and other trimmings. Similarly, glass cases display vintage pipes, tie bars, patches and sunglasses, with more accessories to come, Garnett said.

“We are going to start carrying watches, flasks, money clips and belt buckles,” he said.

The continually changing assortment of goods is a reason to stop in frequently. The items seem fairly priced and have a certain authentic style that makes them trend-exempt.

Shoppers looking for such goods should head to Bobby from Boston one weekend – it’s the South End’s diamond in the rough, and it’s worth the search.