Must-see shopping in California

  • Adobe Books & Backroom Gallery

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Wall-to-wall inspiration – just-released fiction, limited-edition art books, rare cookbooks, well-thumbed poetry – plus zine-launch parties, comedy nights…

  • Recchiuti at theLab

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Star chocolatier Michael Recchiuti sells confections at the Ferry Building but invents them in Dogpatch – taste his latest concoctions here first. Go for…

  • Kinokuniya Books

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Like warriors in a showdown, the manga, bookstore and stationery divisions of Kinokuniya vie for your attention. You must choose where your loyalties lie:…

  • Apothecarium

    San Francisco

    What's that alluring frosted-glass emporium – the lovechild of an Apple Store and Victorian lingerie boutique? Just as you suspected: it's America's best…

  • Bound Together Anarchist Book Collective

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Since 1976 this volunteer-run, nonprofit anarchist bookstore has kept free thinkers supplied with organic-permaculture manuals, prison literature, and…

  • Amoeba Music

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Enticements are hardly necessary to lure the masses to the West Coast's most eclectic collection of new and used music and video, but Amoeba offers…

  • Community Thrift

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    When local collectors and retailers have too much of a good thing, they donate it to nonprofit Community Thrift, where proceeds go to 200-plus local…

  • Park Life

    San Francisco

    The Swiss Army knife of hip SF emporiums, Park Life is design store, indie publisher and art gallery rolled into one. Browse among presents too clever to…

  • Needles and Pens store.

    Needles & Pens

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This scrappy zine shop/how-to source/art gallery/publisher delivers inspiration to create your own artworks, zines and repurposed fashion statements. Nab…

  • Mollosk Surf Shop in the Sunset District.

    Mollusk

    San Francisco

    The geodesic-dome tugboat marks the spot where ocean meets art in this surf gallery. Legendary shapers (surfboard makers) create limited-edition boards…

  • Paul's Hat Works

    San Francisco

    Psst…keep this SF style secret under your hat: there is no Paul. Started in 1918 by a Peruvian hatmaker named Napoleon, Paul's has been maintained by…

  • Good Vibrations

    San Francisco

    'Wait, I'm supposed to put that where?' The understanding salespeople in this worker-owned cooperative are used to giving rather explicit instructions, so…

  • Rose Bowl Flea Market

    Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley

    Every month, rain or shine, since the 1960s, the Rose Bowl football field has hosted the 'Flea Market of the Stars,' with rummaging hordes seeking the…

  • Camp

    Coastal Orange County

    Vegans, treehuggers and rock climbers, lend me your ears. The Camp offers one-stop shopping for all your outdoor and natural-living needs. Active Ride…

  • Lab

    Coastal Orange County

    Sister property to the Camp across the street, this outdoor, ivy-covered ‘anti-mall’ is the original in-your-face alternative to South Coast Plaza, even…

  • Bi-Rite

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Diamond counters can't compare to the foodie dazzle of Bi-Rite's sublime wall of local artisan chocolates, treasure boxes of organic fruit and California…

  • Guerneville Bank Club

    Russian River Area

    After 30 years of abandonment, this beautifully restored 1921 bank building now contains stuff more valuable than money: art, wine, ice cream and pie. The…

  • Recchiuti Confections

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    No San Franciscan can resist award-winning Recchiuti: Pacific Heights parts with old money for its fleur de sel caramels; Noe Valley's foodie kids prefer…

  • Luxe De Ville

    Silver Lake & Echo Park

    Mention Oskar de la Cruz to LA stylists and chances are they know (and love) Oskar and his Echo Park boutique. His sharp eye for rare, uber-stylish and…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Rare Device

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Sly San Francisco wit is the rare device that makes this well-curated selection of gifts for all ages so irresistible. Block kits help kids build their…

  • Tantrum

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Overbooked kids and overworked adults deserve a time-out for Tantrum, delightfully stocked with musical otters, wooden ducks on wheels, and a mechanical…