13 Best Shopping in Capitol Hill, Seattle

One of the city's liveliest and most interesting farmers’ markets fills a plaza and spills onto a side street. There's fresh produce galore, prepared foods including Ethiopian cuisine and ice pops, plus music, samples, and plenty of cut flowers. The market is open Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm.

A major reason to visit this landmark bookstore—formerly a longtime haunt in Pioneer Square, hence the name—is the great selection of Pacific Northwest history books and fiction titles by local authors, complete with handwritten recommendation cards from the knowledgeable staff. A big selection of bargain books, underground parking, lovely skylights, and an appealing café all sweeten the deal—and the hundreds of author events held every year mean that nearly every day is an exciting one for dropping by.

Browse through low-budget zines and carefully crafted journals to explore your niche interests or discover new ones: not only is print not dead, it's thriving at this tiny but huge-hearted new-era newsstand. Opened in 2021, it inhabits an old elevator shaft remodeled to hold more than 200 different magazines and publications. Carrying everything from super-high-end imported fashion journals to the latest tabloid, Big Little News refuses to stick to either half of their moniker.

Try the cupcake of the month or flavors like the peppermint patty and the tiramisu, made with Stumptown coffee.

At one of the city's original kings of coffee, the espresso is as pretty as it is divine.

Nominally a vintage clothing store with a focus on inclusive styles and sizes, Indian Summer is a fashion community destination for anyone who has ever struggled to fit into traditional clothes or trends. The unique vintage clothes curated by owner Adria Garcia show off impeccable taste that caters to nobody's beauty ideals, filling the shelves with the kinds of dresses, pants, hats, and more that so many people always dreamt of but never thought they could wear.

This lovely store sells artisan crafts from studios in Japan and the Northwest. As at the International District branch, you'll find tasteful home wares, cute but functional gifts, and quirky pieces of furniture. After a long day of looking at retro and ironic items, this place will cleanse your palate.

Yep, it's a Portland import, but Seattleites have swallowed their pride with this one, as the coffee is just too good to ignore.

It's hard to miss this excellent used-book store: simply look for the six-foot neon cat waving his Cheshire tail. Inside, you'll find plenty more kitties winding their way through the maze of stacks. The specialties here are rare books and out-of-print treasures, but they've got a smattering of everything and the employees (feline and human) care deeply about finding you the right books.

If you're on the hunt for Japanese avant-rock on LP, antiwar spoken word, spiritual reggae with Afro-jazz undertones, or old screen-printed show posters, you've found the place. Obscure, experimental, adventurous, and good? Wall of Sound probably has it.

If you're on the hunt for Japanese avant-rock on LP, antiwar spoken word, spiritual reggae with Afro-jazz undertones, or old screen-printed show posters, you've found the place. They carry new and used CDs and LPs of all sorts, specializing in the kinds of things you probably won't find anywhere else.