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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.
Feeding and fueling the city's obsession with international designers, this intimate boutique stocks Caroline Constas, Kinder Aggugini, Isabel Marant, and Timo Weiland, with an emphasis on the very finest fabrics.
The educational gadgets sold here are so clever and engaging that kids won't know they're learning while playing. Space- and dinosaur-related games are popular, as are science videos and optical illusion gifts.
In addition to scarves, jewelry, and other crafts from around the world, this decorative-arts store carries brightly colored glass and ceramic works by local and international artisans, plus beautiful votive candles.
In addition to paints, brushes, and art supplies, this sprawling creators' playground sells beautifully made photo albums and journals, fine pens and pencils, crafts kits, stationery, and inspiring doodads for kids.
Ultrastylish travel accessories—retro-looking flight bags, supersoft leather passport wallets, and luxury toiletries—line the shelves of this brightly lighted shop, which vaguely resembles an airplane interior. High-tech travel gear and a small collection of guidebooks speed you on your way.
The cosmetics line's only Northern California store occupies a quaint historic structure built just after the 1906 earthquake. Indulge in oval milk soaps from France, sugar-lemon lotion, and pomegranate conditioner. Fresh is most popular for its body-care sets, the Umbrian Clay being one of them. During the holiday season, the Seaberry Restorative Body Cream can be hard to come by.
New and vintage goods sit stylishly side by side in this fun, well-lit Outer Sunset space that sells books, lotions, hats, cups, dog leashes, and other items, most of them designed by local artists. Don't miss the greenhouse in back.
From the chunky to the sleek, the shoes carried here—including those by Chie Mihara, Red Wing, Del Carlo, and Paul Smith—are top notch. And if $500 seems steep for a pair of black boots, perhaps you haven't seen the perfect pair by Fiorentini + Baker.
Margie Rogerson opened this store to showcase her platinum-only designs. While she carries a large selection of engagement rings, her specialty is colored stones: rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Their colors really sparkle against the background of this all-white and Lucite space. It's open by appointment only.
Nestled in a narrow alleyway, this tiny destination is impossible to find unless you have directions. This is the place to watch fortune cookies being made; the intricate process involves flattening, folding, and pressing patches of dough. You can purchase big bags of cookies in various flavors, shapes, and sizes to take home.
After more than a century of selling trunks, handbags, and pet leashes to Parisians, Goyard opened its second store here to offer San Franciscans a discreet alternative to Louis Vuitton. Rather than splash its name everywhere, the store signals luxury with a signature chevron pattern. Even if you walk away empty-handed, you'll be reminded of what travel used to mean.
This emporium and working roastery, open since 1935, is one of the best-loved coffee stores in a city devoted to high-quality roasted java. The shop sells craft roast whole-bean bags only. It's worth the jaunt if only for the aromas.
Since 1922, this aromatic shop has been treating the city with its wide selection of ginseng, tea, and other herbs. You might even hear the click of an abacus as a purchase is tallied up. A Chinese doctor (who speaks English) is always on hand to recommend the perfect remedy.
The gold-label designer exudes luxe elegance in a palatial temple of black lacquer, bronze, and marble. Fine jewelry, handbags, and luggage dominate the first floor, and shoes rule the second. If you make it to the third floor without maxing out your credit card, you'll be rewarded with a flute of champagne for trying on an evening gown or dinner coat.
This shop stocks high-quality acoustic guitars, CDs, and thousands of titles of sheet music—and has its own record label to boot. The custom guitars, ukuleles, and mandolins make this a true musician's choice.
Hip, youthful designs for men and women are cheap, cheap, cheap at this import from Sweden that's known as the IKEA of clothing stores. Club-going teenagers and those who want to look like them form long lines for the dressing room, so aim to visit midweek, before or after the noon–2 lunch rush.
This gallery prides itself on its friendly staffers, who will educate you about the art (or leave you alone if you prefer). Artists include Conrad Marca-Relli, Esteban Vincente, Kenzo Okada, and Robert De Niro Sr. Specialties are American modern, postwar abstract expressionist, and Bay Area figurative art.
A spirit of fun imbues this inviting space that showcases local emerging artists. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, making it an ideal place for novice collectors to get their feet wet.
After you experience the Ferry Building’s fancy Saturday celebrity-chef extravaganza, head to the city’s workaday market (Wednesday and Sunday). Vendors at the city's only farmer-operated farmers' market sell heaps of fresh produce, along with baked goods, jams, potted herbs, and plenty of delicious snacks and on-the-go lunches from local artisans.
Arguably the city's best-dressed philanthropist, Joy Bianchi, along with other volunteers, runs this store to benefit the mentally disabled. A red Bill Blass cocktail dress, a Chanel suit, or a Schiaparelli hat are among the vintage masterpieces you might expect to find here—to see the good stuff, all you have to do is ask nicely. Don't miss a look at Bianchi's "mouse couture," a clever fund-raiser display in which designers like Armani and Carolina Herrera dress up 4-inch stuffed mice.
Priced between $3,000 and $50,000, the paintings and sculptures here by mid-career artists, many of them Californians, are primarily representational. Owner Charles Hespe is an instantly likable art enthusiast who delights buyers and browsers.
Treatments at this spa and yoga studio include the signature IO Massage, which incorporates Swedish, acupressure, Thai, and Shiatsu techniques. The more straightforward Hot Stone Massage is done with International Orange's own Anoint Oil—grape-seed oil infused with green tea and scented with white lotus and jasmine flower. For a city spa, this is a large space, but it's tranquil and even has a bamboo garden.
For full-frontal nerdity in a chic modern setting, visit SF's premier comic book hangout. You'll find a great selection of graphic novels and artwork by popular and local artists, as well as lively after-hours events.
One of the city's leading galleries devoted to emerging contemporary artists resides along Chinatown's main thoroughfare. Jessica Silverman has been instrumental in launching the careers of several artists and constantly puts together interesting exhibitions.
Fashion, music, performance, paintings, and photography collide here—literally. Every six to eight weeks a new exhibit enters the space pushing the boundaries of content, concept, and form. The gallery occasionally hosts events with local and international artists.
The trendy but sturdily made and utterly unique footwear for men and women is among the best in the city. Club girls go gaga over the wacky heels, handing over a pretty penny, and everyone loves the sweet messages of affirmation, like "No one can fill your shoes."
The 8,000-square-foot facility, San Francisco's largest gallery, exhibits drawings, paintings, and sculpture. Many of the works are by important contemporary academic realists.
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.
Traditional sit-down Japanese showers and communal bathing are two out-of-the-ordinary experiences at the Kabuki. The renowned Javanese Lulur Treatment includes a combination massage with jasmine oil, exfoliation with turmeric and ground rice, a yogurt application, and a candlelight soak with rose petals. Men and women are welcome every day for private treatments, but call ahead regarding communal bathing schedules; the baths are coed only on Tuesday. Clothing is optional except on coed days.
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