Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
Odds are your favorite SF meal was served on Heath Ceramics, Bay Area chefs' tableware of choice ever since Alice Waters started using Heath's modern,…
Must-see shopping in California
San Francisco Rock Posters & Collectibles
North Beach & Chinatown
Are you ready to rock?! Enter this trippy temple to classic rock gods – but leave your lighters at home because these concert posters are valuable. Expect…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Toilet seats signed by famous cartoonists over the front counter show just how seriously Isotope takes comics. Newbies tentatively flip through superhero…
San Francisco
None of the hardware maestros at Cliff's will raise an eyebrow if you express a dire need for a jar of rubber nuns, some silver body paint, and a case of…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Sui generis is Latin for 'one of a kind' – which is what you'll find at this high-end designer consignment shop that features recent seasons' looks, one…
San Francisco
For Castro kids, the biggest neighborhood attraction is over the hill at Charlie's Corner, a storybook world where kids are invited to read, draw and sing…
The Haight & Hayes Valley
All you closet pomaders and after-sun balmers: wear those potions with pride, without feeling like the dupe of some cosmetics conglomerate. Clever Nancy…
Los Angeles
Nirvana for fans of mid-century-modern design, Sunbean Vintage stocks an utterly fabulous collection of retro furniture and homewares. Dive in for…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Here's classic, retro-inspired, fashionable women's wear that's eco-conscious without the granola. It does it by using pre-existing materials, which means…
San Francisco
Take in the local scenery at Local Take, a gallery of original SF souvenirs made and designed by locals. Bring home your very own Castro landmark – like a…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
What started as a one-man storefront is now California's largest new-and-used bookstore, and a sight to behold spanning two levels of an old bank building…
Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights
A Japantown go-to since 1925, Soko has an exceptional selection of hard-to-find housewares, from hot-water ladles for Japanese baths to properly tuned…
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…
South Bay Beaches
Bridges made his name as a surf photographer then branched into general sport, commercial and pop-art work. Check out dramatic shots of glacier surfers in…
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…
Los Angeles
It would be hard to find a better collection of antiques, masks, clothes and jewelry outside of West Africa than those found in this owner-operated…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
A tremendous vintage Americana store just off the main Little Tokyo strip. There's plenty of beautifully ragged denim, with a notable collection of pre…
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…
South Bay Beaches
If you dig old stuff, weird stuff and weird old stuff, stop by this old barn crammed with Brunswick record players and Hammond typewriters. There are…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
An intimate, hidden-away courtyard shop that specializes in selling signed shooting scripts from past blockbusters, and 1st editions from Shakespeare (…
Long Beach & San Pedro
Everyone from today's hipsters to Hollywood costumers comes to shop at Retro Row's dozens of vintage stores, cafes, hair salons and happening restaurants.
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
This one-of-a-kind store pops from the Topanga Canyon roadside, thanks to skeletons and mannequins dressed like Egyptian eunuchs and Viking warriors,…
Los Feliz & Griffith Park
Occupying two adjoining shopfronts, this much-loved Los Feliz institution carries everything from art, architecture and fashion tomes, to LA history…
Los Angeles
Set in the Helms Complex, this is the city's best visual-arts book depot, with new, fine and out-of-print titles on its shelves and in its cabinets. The…
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…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
An amazing boutique with a steampunk vibe, Gold Bug shows work and collections created (or curated) by 100 area artists. We saw a robotic, metallic…
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…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Large, popular and rather-polished vintage boutique with racks packed with skirts and tops, fur-collared jackets and Pendleton wool shirts.
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…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
The Beverly Hills branch of New York's most fashion-forward department store delivers four floors of sharply curated collections for women and men. Expect…
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…
Meltdown Comics & Collectibles
West Hollywood & Mid-City
LA’s coolest comic store proudly lets its geek flag fly, with indie and mainstream comic books, from Japanese manga to graphic novels, and all the…
Huntington Beach
Just south of downtown HB, this flashy, futuristic new mall sits right across Pacific Coast Hwy from the ocean. Besides large, chain retailers like H&M,…
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…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
A tremendous, but not cheap, menswear brand that creates tailored chinos, jeans, T-shirts and blazers. Owned by two Santa Barbarian brothers, the line…
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…
