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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.
Wine nerds will fall in love with this trendy, upscale destination from Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson. Many wine drinkers will also recognize him from the 2012 documentary Somm (and its sequels). High-quality, smaller producers from prominent and lesser-known regions share wall space in this exceptionally organized boutique.
If you like the wine list at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, you can walk next door and pick up a few bottles from its joint establishment. This unintimidating shop carries hard-to-find wines from small producers. Why wait to taste? Crack open a bottle on the patio of sibling restaurant Arbor out back.
Wineshops exist all over the city, but this is the only winery within city limits. Grapes are brought in from Russian River Valley, and all production takes place on-site, reviving an industry that was once thriving a hundred years ago in SoMa before Napa and Sonoma took it over. Come to the tasting room to sample light summery rosés, rich Pinot Noirs, or refreshing Sauvignon Blancs. On the last Saturday of each month, the space becomes a farmers' market with local vendors selling honey and eggs alongside the wine.
This family-owned business appears to be just another neighborhood liquor store, but it's actually a rare and wonderful specialist. In a city obsessed with wine, these spirits devotees distinguish themselves by focusing on rare, small-production Armagnac and Calvados brandy, and Champagne. Look up from the bottles to admire the stained-glass lampshades, too.
Wine geeks love the retail choices and the exciting offerings poured at this hybrid wine store–bar. This is the place to ask questions about quieter regions and rarely seen grapes—the co-owners are gifted sommeliers and love to share their passion with guests. The shop puts together some of the greatest cheese, charcuterie, and tinned fish boards in town.
This wine shop has an ardent cult following around town. The friendly staffers promise to sell only what they taste themselves, and weekly events (Thursday through Saturday) open the tastings to customers. The best-seller list for varietals and regions for both the under- and over-$30 categories appeals to the wine lover in everyone.
Cow Hollow's go-to wine boutique is much more than "the wine shop" co-founded by Governor Gavin Newsom in the early 1990s (when he was 26 years old). A nice selection of imported wines complements the well-priced, well-stocked collection of hard-to-find California wines, creating one of the city's strongest wine rosters. Noe Valley has a sibling store.
Owner and noted wine expert Gary Marcaletti stocks hard-to-find wines and hosts Saturday-afternoon tastings that usually start at 2 pm.
The large selection and great prices make up for this wineshop's bare-bones ambience. At the self-serve wine bar you can taste wines for a modest fee, a great boon if you want to try before you buy. Wine paraphernalia, including wineglasses, books, openers, and decanters, are also sold here.
At the first store in the United States dedicated entirely to sake, each of the many sakes is displayed with a label describing the drink's qualities, with food-pairing suggestions.
The more than 400 whiskeys arranged along the back wall—mostly single-malt Scotches—are organized by their region of origin, so you can easily distinguish those made in Islay from those from Speyside or Lowland. The charming Scottish proprietor can tell you about his favorites, help you with the selection of tartan scarves or cashmere sweaters, or even equip you with a kilt.
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