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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.
For boutique shopping that's anything but hit or miss, browse through this unusual selection of jewelry by artists like Gabriella Kiss, Harwell Godfrey, and Gillian Conroy. The one-of-a-kind rings, charms, and pendants have won this boutique a loyal following.
There is truly nothing sweeter than a cellophane bag tied with colorful ribbon and filled with malt balls or floral meringues from this Insta-friendly candy and pastry store. Grab a gingerbread cupcake or a tantalizing macaron or some shortbread. The pastel-color cake stands make even window shopping a treat.
With 14 galleries and additional studio space spread across three warehouses, this is the heart of Dogpatch's artist community and one of the city's leading nonmuseum visual-art destinations. Most galleries are open to the public several days a week and feature compelling contemporary art exhibitions—with some being more traditional and others more on the edgy/abstract end of the creativity spectrum.
A cross between a Parisian antiques show and a Jamaican flea market, this store can get even the most monochrome excited about color. Turn up the volume on your SF souvenirs with vintage artist journals, rare Oaxacan jewelry, hard-to-find Herb Caen books, and classic Paris and Barcelona map scarves.
The younger generation's counterpart to the Japan Center, this shopping center includes Japanese pop-culture items and anime-inspired fashion, like handmade, split-toe shoes at SOU • SOU and Lolita fashion at Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.
Love to eat? Love to read? Then this place is paradise. The shelves are bursting with books on growing and cooking food. The store stocks cookbooks on such diverse subjects as the cuisine of colonial Jamaica or 1940s creole cooking. And if you're after a signed first edition by Julia Child or James Beard, you'll find that, too. The shop frequently hosts fun conversations with cookbook authors and chefs.
This is the place in San Francisco to find gorgeous handcrafted Italian leather shoes. From knee-high boots to contoured heel pumps, Paolo Iantorno's selection will make your heart miss a beat.
An eclectic assortment of souvenirs, art, books, apparel, stationery, and prints tempts browsers at this design-centric outpost. With a well-curated collection of School of Life philosophy books and nontouristy T-shirts to take back home, it's the perfect place to browse for a half hour while waiting for your table at Burma Superstar across the street.
Elevating gardening to an art, this serene shop offers beautiful vases, succulents, decorative garden items, and coffee-table books. The collection of taxidermy and preserved bugs provides more unusual gift ideas. A couple storefronts away is too-cute Paxton Gate Curiosities for Kids, jam-packed with retro toys, books, and other stellar finds.
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.
Michael and Jacky Recchiuti began making otherworldly chocolates in San Francisco in 1997, using traditional European techniques. Now considered among the best confectioners in the country, they stock their store here with their full chocolate line, including several unique items like dark chocolate truffles made with rosemary and olive and a box of burnt caramel truffles decorated with images of San Francisco's iconic places. Creating a mix-and-match box from the creative individual truffle flavors is arguably the most fun—and delicious— activity here.
Offering well-curated clothing, accessories, and jewelry from the Roaring '20s to the hippie '60s, this premier vintage shop has a loyal following among retro-conscious gals and pals. Patrons have fun turning back the clock in the well-organized yet funky interior with Hawaiian-theme dressing rooms and a leopard-print chaise lounge.
Selling hard-to-find denim, sportswear, shoes, and accessories with a European influence, this store includes clothes designed by Fred Perry, G-Star RAW, and Benson. R by Rolo, down the street at 2267 Market Street, has high-quality gym- and sportswear.
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 sweet, airy space offers city mementos more than a few standard deviations above the usual Fisherman's Wharf or Chinatown souvenirs. High-quality San Francisco–themed wares include graphic tees, sweatshirts, and beanies, as well as cute onesies and other items for kids. Beautiful books, housewares, and glassware by local artists make excellent souvenirs and gifts.
The huge selection of rock-and-roll memorabilia, including posters, handbills, and original art, makes this spot a groovy cave for the nostalgic vintage '60s. Also available are posters from more recent shows, many at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium.
A cash-only piñata and party goods shop, this is a creative if unusual pit stop for toys, birthday party items, and hard-to-find candies.
The artists at this screen-printing boutique offer homespun souvenirs in the form of colorful graphic T-shirts and hoodies paying homage to the city. Favorites include tees saluting North Beach and various signature San Francisco street signs. You can often see the giant screen printer behind the counter in action.
Not much in Cow Hollow's retail scene has been around since the 1970s except this venerable luxury shoe store. Fine Italian leather shoes for men and women are the specialty, from sleek pumps to sharp flats, along with trendy, upscale sneakers and sandals. Designer sunglasses and handbags are also sold, so shoppers can look suave from head to toe.
The colorful cottons carried here are mainly for infants, with some articles for older children. Brands include many Californian and European labels, including Petite Lem, Kanz, and 3 Pommes. There's a sizable section of San Francisco–theme gear and books, and a few shelves of organic and eco-friendly toys as well as whimsical finger puppets round out the selection.
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.
In addition to fun housewares, books, wellness items, and stationery that leans toward retro charm, this local company sells smart decor, linens, and accessories with San Francisco and California themes.
This hip, creative store features an interesting mix of Japanese items like bento boxes, along with stylish, useful gear for the creative professional set like travel tumblers, journals, and various kinds of bags for everything from hiking trails to working from a coffee shop.
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.
A fresh place to find a lacy top or a soft pair of jeans, Two Birds stocks Frēda Salvador, Ulla Johnson, and Smythe. You'll also find sleek jewelry, handbags, and dresses by local designers.
Architect William Stout began selling books out of his apartment, then opened a Jackson Square store in the mid-1980s, where it remains the definitive source for professionals looking for tomes on architecture, urban planning, and design.
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. Double-check before visiting; Chanel is scheduled to take over the space in 2025.
Cards, toasters, aprons, books, candles, and a wide selection of SF-theme items line the shelves. You'll also find fridge magnets, wisdom-spouting bags, and bakery-shape pencil erasers. And if you've misplaced your water bottle, the shop stocks a rainbow of colors.
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.
