Must-see shopping in North America

  • Mission Comics & Art

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Heads will roll, fists will fly and furious vengeance will be wreaked inside this mild-mannered shop stocking big-name and indie comics. Staff picks range…

  • Kramerbooks

    Washington, DC

    This flagship independent – which leapt into First Amendment history when it refused to release Monica Lewinsky’s book-buying list to Ken Starr's snoops –…

  • LL Bean Flagship Store

    Midcoast Maine

    A 10ft-tall Bean Boot sits outside the flagship LL Bean store. Although a hundred other stores have joined it in Freeport, the wildly popular LL Bean is…

  • Jade Chocolates

    San Francisco

    SF-born chocolatier Mindy Fong hits the sweet spot between East and West with only-in-SF treats like passion-fruit caramels, Thai-curry hot chocolate and…

  • Baggu

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Plastic bags are banned in San Francisco, which is a perfect excuse to stock up on SF designer Baggu's reusable Ripstop nylon totes in bright colors and…

  • Copenhagen House

    Santa Ynez Valley

    The name stays true to Solvang's Danish roots but the eclectic mix of top-quality design goods, all from the motherland, couldn't be further from the town…

  • Fred Segal

    West Hollywood & Mid-City

    No LA shopping trip is complete without a stop at Fred's. Recently relocated from its long-standing Melrose Ave location, this 13,000-sq-ft warren of high…

  • Omnivore

    San Francisco

    Salivate over signed cookbooks by chef-legend Alice Waters and signed first editions of Berkeley chef Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat, and stay for…

  • Third Man Records

    Detroit

    Local boy Jack White opened Third Man, and it's a super-fun browse. The store sells records (of course), turntables, T-shirts and other gear, but the…

  • Capitol Hill Books

    Washington, DC

    A trove of secondhand awesomeness, this shop has so many books that staff have to double-stack them on the shelves. Categories are, er, unconventional,…

  • Lahaina Arts Society

    Lahaina

    Representing more than 55 island artists, this nonprofit collective runs two galleries in the Old Lahaina Courthouse. The Banyan Tree Gallery is on the…

  • Amour Vert

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Looking smart comes easily with effortless wardrobe essentials that casually blend style, comfort, and sustainability. Wear your heart on your sleeve with…

  • Art in the Age

    Philadelphia

    Designed as a boutique homage to the cocktail, this spot is both a home-bar supply store and tasting room. Settle down at its bar for a tasting ($7 or $10…

  • Honolulu Museum of Art Shop

    Honolulu

    The shop at the Honolulu Museum of Art provides an opportunity to purchase superb Hawaiian artworks and crafts. On offer are publications, stationery,…

  • Mohawk General Store

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Stylish individualists hit Mohawk for edgy, progressive men's fashion and accessories, including hard-to-find fragrances from the likes of Byredo and…

  • Relove

    San Francisco

    'More style, less waste' is the credo here, and this dream walk-in-closet of vintage and indie fashion delivers – recent scores include handwoven…

  • Bulletin

    SoHo & Chinatown

    With beginnings as an online magazine from which readers could shop, Bulletin is now a brick-and-mortar wholesale marketplace decked with pink neon lights…

  • Stag & Manor

    San Francisco

    Dashingly handsome decor from indie design boutique Stag & Manor lets you take the Castro home. Macrame wall hangings give your pad California creds,…

  • Wyeth

    The Hamptons

    Wyeth is the sort of place where you can't tell exactly what is going on inside as you pass by on the road but you are compelled to stop and check it out…

  • Galeria Melissa

    SoHo & Chinatown

    This Brazilian designer specializes in downpour-friendly plastic footwear. Recyclable, sustainable, stylish – women's and kids' shoes run the gamut from…

  • Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books

    Philadelphia

    Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill is the owner and passionate force behind this ace cafe and bookstore specializing in black writers and…

  • Paloma

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Like ransacking a poet's attic, this SF maker collective yields evocative, imaginative handmade finds. You might discover hand-patched indigo scarves,…

  • Massy Books

    Gastown & Chinatown

    A former pop-up favorite with a now-permanent Chinatown location, this delightful bookstore is lined with tall stacks of well-curated, mostly used titles…

  • Resurrection

    SoHo & Chinatown

    Resurrection gives new life to cutting-edge designs from past decades. Striking, mint-condition pieces cover the eras of mod, glam-rock and new-wave…

  • MAC

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    'Modern Appealing Clothing' is what this store promises – and it delivers for men and women alike, with streamlined chic from Engineered Garments, graphic…

  • Shane Confectionery

    Philadelphia

    Since 1863 this wonderfully old-school candy shop has been making sweet treats, including buttercreams and slabs, from antique molds. With the shop…

  • Garrett Popcorn

    Chicago

    People form long lines outside this store on the Mag Mile. Granted, the caramel corn is heavenly and the cheese popcorn decadent, but is it worth waiting…

  • Steven Alan Outpost

    Los Feliz & Griffith Park

    The fashion cognoscenti love New York designer Steven Alan for his super-cute men's and women's threads, which fuse preppy style with unique detailing and…

  • William Stout Architectural Books

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    You can't fit SFMOMA into your pocket, but you can put it on your coffee table – California architectural obsessions begin at William Stout, with 1st…

  • Ten Thousand Villages

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Browse a globe-trotting selection of goods at this ethically focused handicrafts store supporting fair-trade initiatives around the world. Pick up…

  • Caballito de Mar

    Puerto Vallarta

    On display at this fantastic gallery are one-of-a-kind items acquired by owner Gloria on her road trips around Mexico, sourced directly from individual…

  • Tigerlily Perfumery

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    If you want to bottle San Francisco and take it home with you, you've come to the right place. Tigerlily stocks an intoxicating variety of local perfumers…

  • Artists & Fleas

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    Over 75 purveyors of rough-stone jewelry, scented candles, extra-strength CBD oil and art-print T-shirts assemble at this indoor market, where smooth…

  • Zentner Collection

    Oakland

    The Zenter has been called the Bay Area's 'other Asian art museum,' and while that designation is tongue in cheek, it's not entirely inaccurate either…

  • Sanko Kitchen Essentials

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Upgrade from ho-hum minimalism with Japanese goods bound to bring joy: bronzed Traveler's Company pen cases, square-handled charcoal Hasami porcelain mugs…

  • Munro's Books

    Victoria

    The name is no coincidence. Victoria's cathedral to reading was established in 1963 by Nobel-prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro and her husband Jim…

  • Esqueleto

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Esqueleto showcases highly imaginative, affordable collections of fine jewelry from mostly West Coast and New York–based designers. Among them is the work…

  • Black Dog Salvage

    Blue Ridge Highlands & Southwest Virginia

    As seen on the cable show Salvage Dogs, the folks at this sprawling antique shop sell doors and doorknobs, light fixtures, wrought iron, and vintage…

  • Golden Gate Fortune Cookies

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Find your fortune at this bakery, where cookies are stamped from vintage presses – just as they were in 1909, when fortune cookies were invented for SF's…

  • Old City Market

    Saint John

    Wedged between North and South Market Sts, this sense-stunning food hall has been home to wheeling and dealing since 1876. The impressive brick interior…

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