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With its grand department stores and funky secondhand boutiques, San Francisco summons a full range of shopping experiences. From the anarchist bookstore to the mouthwatering specialty-food purveyors at the gleaming Ferry Building, the local shopping opportunities reflect the city's various personalities. Visitors with limited time often focus their energies on the high-density Union Square area, where several major department stores tower over big-name boutiques. But if you're keen to find unique local shops, consider moving beyond the square's radius.
Each neighborhood has its own distinctive finds, whether it's 1960s housewares, cheeky stationery, or vintage Levi's. If shopping in San Francisco has a downside, it's that real bargains can be few and far between. Sure, neighborhoods such as the Lower Haight and the Mission have thrift shops and other inexpensive stores, but you won't find many discount outlets in the city, where rents are sky-high and space is at a premium.
Seasonal sales, usually in late January and late July or August, are good opportunities for finding deep discounts on clothing. The San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner advertise sales. For smaller shops, check the free SF Weekly, which can be found on street corners every Wednesday. Sample sales are usually held by individual manufacturers, so check your favorite company's website before visiting.
A San Francisco staple since the 1930s, this decadent shop draws designers and other fans for its luxurious bed and bath items and linens. The pretty tablecloths, runners, napkins, fragrant candles, and luxurious bath accessories are popular gifts.
This shop specializes in beautifully crafted Japanese tools for gardening and woodworking. In addition to the usual hardware-store items, you can find seeds for Japanese plants and books about topics such as making shoji (paper screens). There are also lots of Japanese teapots and cookware vessels to browse. It's a great destination for a unique souvenir and a fun experience to see a truly historic San Francisco business.
When Martha Stewart or the buyers at Williams Sonoma need inspiration, they come to see how Sue has set her sprawling table or dressed her stately bed. Her specialty is opulent linens for every room. And when Pacific Heights residents are looking for an impeccable hostess or bridal gift, they come by for a hand-embroidered velvet pillow or a piece of Amanda Moffat pottery.
The store carries woks, of course, but also anything else you could need for Chinese cooking and eating—bamboo steamers, ginger graters, wicked-looking cleavers—plus artistic chopstick holders and accessories for Japanese cooking, including sushi paraphernalia and tempura racks.
Behind a historical facade lies the massive mothership of the Sonoma-founded kitchen-store empire. La Cornue custom stoves beckon you in, and two grand staircases draw you up to the world of dinnerware, linens, and chefs' tools. Antique tart tins, eggbeaters, and pastry cutters from the personal collection of founder Chuck Williams line the walls.
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