16 Best Shopping in San Diego, California

San Diego's most upscale mall has a contemporary Mission theme, lush landscaping, and nearly 200 shops and restaurants. Acclaimed retailers like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, and Tiffany & Co. are here, along with boutiques from fashion darlings like Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Ted Baker. H&M is a favorite of fashionistas in search of edgy and affordable styles. Free wireless Internet service is available throughout the mall. Select "Simon WiFi" from any Wi-Fi–enabled device to log onto the network.

If you're visiting from out of state, are a member of the military, or have a AAA membership, you can pick up a complimentary Style Pass at Simon Guest Services (located on the lower level beneath AMC Theaters near Banana Republic), which can get you savings at more than 70 of Fashion Valley's stores and restaurants.

This home-decor shop is run by a husband-and-wife duo. There's furniture, kitchenware, jewelry, greeting cards, and a kids' section.

This beautifully styled shop carries a wide variety of design-conscious goods for the home, including geometric print pillows, outdoor bistro chairs, and home bar accessories. In Pigment's plant lab, you can build your own terrariums, which make great souvenirs.

Visible from blocks away, thanks to its large mural paying homage to Stephen King, Verbatim Books boasts an inventory of more than 35,000 books in its wide-open wonderland of the printed word. Visually stunning inside and out—decked with chandeliers and the store's name spelled out in books on its back wall (which also has a mysterious, colorful door)—the shop carries everything from classics to cookbooks to supernatural and metaphysical volumes, in addition to maintaining a zine library for those interested in DIY publishers.

With a Mexican villa theme, the Bazaar hosts riotously colorful gift shops such as Ariana, for ethnic and artsy women's fashions; Artes de Mexico, which sells handmade Latin American crafts and Guatemalan weavings; and The Gallery, which carries handmade jewelry, Native American crafts, collectible glass, and original silk-screen prints. The Laurel Burch Gallerita carries the complete collection of its namesake artist's signature jewelry, accessories, and totes.

Sample homemade fudge and taffy that's been cooked, stretched, and wrapped on-site at this old-fashioned confectionery shop. The old-time candies in nostalgic tins make thoughtful gifts.

This locally owned record store in Mission Hills carries new and used vinyl and CDs. They regularly host in-store performances.

San Diego's largest weekend artisan market presents live music and local artists selling jewelry, paintings, photography, handblown glass, apparel, pottery, and decorative items. The San Diego Trolley's Old Town stop is two blocks north of the market.

The atmosphere is colorful, upbeat, and Mexico-centric at this eclectic market. Local artisans create some of the wares for sale, including everything from dolls and silver jewelry to gourmet foods, home-decor items, and apparel.

This indie boutique in South Park’s historic 30th & Fern building is filled with quirky art, jewelry, gifts, and clothing from emerging designers and artists using recycled or repurposed materials. This is a great place to pick up souvenirs if you’re into supporting local: 75% of the designers are from California.

This festive "store of the kings" stocks Old Town's largest selection of Day of the Dead art, and carries sculpture, handbags, and glassware from Mexico and Peru.

A converted Craftsman house in a mixed residential and business area of South Park, Vinyl Junkies Record Shack is easy to spot, due to its bright orange walls inside and colorful murals outside. Spun off of a seasonal pop-up record swap event, Vinyl Junkies' brick-and-mortar shop is an appealing visit for both diehard record collectors and casual browsers alike. Its selection is well curated, and its walls are lined with an impressive array of eye candy, from classic show posters to vintage record players. DJs regularly spin during shopping hours, and on weekends the store hosts live performances outside.

Spend a little time in the adjacent Digger's Den, where every record is priced $5 or under.

The mere scent of Ye Olde's hand-fashioned soaps conjures up a relaxing bath. If you want to craft your own soaps, you'll find a full line of supplies, as well as soaps and lotions from around the world.