Berkeley
Rumor has it this is the oldest science-fiction, fantasy and horror bookstore in the country. Whether true or not, those who love this sort of genre of…
Must-see shopping in Northern California
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Tucked in a courtyard, this design showcase is like a museum store for exceptional, artistic household items – to wit, a mirrored coat rack, a…
North Coast & Redwoods
The renowned hometown jeweler, famed for its nature-inspired Niobium metalwork, has its headquarters in Arcata's up-and-coming Creamery District. You get…
North Coast & Redwoods
You'll find the non-GMO cheeses made by this 100-year-old company on the menus of high-end restaurants up and down the California coast. Be sure to stop…
Eastern Sierra
This large store is a one-stop shop for all your outdoor needs. Rents camping, climbing, backpacking and winter-trekking gear, and sells shoes, clothing…
Marin County
Corte Madera is home to one of the Bay Area's best bookstores. In the Marketplace shopping center, it has a strong travel section and frequently hosts big…
Lone Pine
Food, beer, souvenirs and excellent advice from the friendly staff make this the (only) place to visit before and/or after your hike up Mt Whitney. It…
Oakland
Urban fashions for anyone who 'hella' loves Oaktown are sold downtown at this signature shop. T-shirts, hats and stickers make a statement with original…
Gold Country
Specialists in kitsch and highly collectible Americana, with Hawaiian shirts, alternative vinyl, guitars, ukuleles and even pinball machines. In their…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Get back to the land and in touch with California's roots without leaving sight of a Mission sidewalk. Gravel & Gold celebrates California's hippie…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Everything you always wanted to know about mushroom foraging, worm composting and running for office on an environmental platform – plus poetry and…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
A three-story emporium devoted to Japanese pop culture, New People brings Tokyo style to SF. Get dolled up in Lolita petticoat dresses at 2nd-floor Baby…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Get a streetwise Mission edge with Nooworks' locally designed, US-made fashions, most under $100. Nooworks' open-mouth shirts are ideal for Pancho-Villa…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
A must-visit for discerning bartenders and fans of the artisanal foods movement, this grocery, liquor store and deli carries only small-batch products,…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Get instant California cool without getting the shivers in Marine Layer's 'absurdly soft' tees, which this clever SF company makes by blending cotton and…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
People who swear they're not into dessert can't get enough Poco Dolce, San Francisco's award-winning, sustainably sourced chocolates with a touch of sea…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Enter the well-traveled wardrobe of Leah Bershad, a former Gap designer whose folksy jet-set aesthetic is SF's antidote to khaki-and-fleece global…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Street cred comes easy with locally designed Mission decks, custom tees to kick-flip over and cult skate shoes at this shop owned by SF street-skate…
North Beach & Chinatown
Crook your pinky: it's always teatime at Red Blossom, featuring 100-plus specialty teas imported by second-generation tea merchants Alice and Peter Luong…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Cottage industry is alive at Workshop Residence, where artists and designers collaborate with Bay Area fabricators to produce limited-edition designs –…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Wild beading ambitions strike suddenly within these walls lined with bulk beads, inducing visions of DIY drag and handmade holiday gifts like sparkling…
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
On the cutting edge of the Tenderloin, Hero transforms casual browsers into SF fashionistas with statement pieces by rising-star local designers: Stevie…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Crowdsource fashion choices at Betabrand, where experimental designs are put to an online vote and winners produced in limited editions. Recent approved…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Specializing in odd lots of sporting goods at closeout prices, this 80,000-sq-ft sports-and-camping emporium is also the best place to rent wet suits for…
San Francisco
Spiff up your pad with original Bay Area art at great prices. Featured works show a strong sense of place, including Michael Reardon's lightwashed…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Salvador Dalí probably would've shopped here for all his taxidermy and gardening needs. Get a surrealist home makeover with animal-skull puppets,…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Post-apocalyptic art-school surf shack is the vibe inside this curated storefront, featuring the work of sundry indie makers on plywood planks. Items for…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
If you see chic California-made leather clutches in your future, you must be ClareV-oyant. Buttery Italian leather gets splashes of California color – a…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Whether you're a social-media millionaire who runs Parkour or you just rock that look, Triple Aught has your back, with zip-up urban sweaters and multi…
San Francisco
This indie art and craft gallery may be off the beaten path, but its fans are legion. Curator-owners bring California's outlandish outlooks indoors with…
San Francisco
Emerge with confidence from this men's designer resale boutique, sure that nobody but you will be working your look. The well-curated collection of…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
This women-owned tattoo parlor gets it in ink with designs ranging from honeycomb-pattern bicep graphics to shoulder-to-shoulder Golden Gate Bridge spans…
San Francisco
You can't take Golden Gate Park home with you – the city would seem naked without it – but Foggy Notion specializes in sense memories of SF's urban…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
No local artisan SF restaurant decor is complete without earthy Heath stoneware, including the hand-glazed tiles found at this Mission studio-showroom…
San Francisco
Like a movie set in progress circa 1963, Molte Cose is an obsessively researched collection of one-off gifts and vintage finds artfully displayed on glove…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Take center stage in this converted-cinema vintage superstore in barely worn designer rompers, vintage concert tees and a steady supply of go-go boots…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Blend into the SF scenery with a locally designed 'Golden State of Mind' hoodie, tectonic-plate map tee, Bay Bridge smartphone case, and SF snap-back caps…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
'No food, no photos, no playing in the boas,' says the sign inside the door – but that last rule is gleefully ignored by drag stars, pageant dropouts,…
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
This legendary cooperative attracts crowds to buy eco/organic/fair-trade products in bulk, sample the bounty of local cheeses and flirt in the artisan…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Sand-cast cocktail rings, succulents dripping from sea-urchin shells, scented candles in the shape of a doll's hand: such unique gifts lead grateful…
