Shopping in California
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Adventure 16
Behind every successful peak-bagger, gearhead and solitary wanderer is a beloved expedition supply store. Adventure 16, with its hefty selection of hiking boots, sleeping bags, adventure duds, guidebooks and maps, fits that bill for LA’s outdoor enthusiasts. In fact, this low-slung shack is so welcoming and well stocked, it’s almost as addictive as the great outdoors.
reviewed
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Heidisays Shoes
To brave the sidewalk runways of SF, you'll need something more comfortably stylish than stilettos. Here you have it: cushy Michael Kors platform wedges, colorful Missoni flats with the signature woozy stripes, and sweet stub-toed Hype moccasins. They don't wait for a season to finish before putting the shoes on sale, because HeidiSays so - and who are we to disagree?
reviewed
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Dark Garden
Not sure what to wear to your Victorian-theme wedding or your Marilyn Manson tribute band’s debut? Dark Garden might have your answer, as long as you don’t need to take any deep breaths and can get help with the lacing (not exactly a cinch, no matter what they tell you). Corsets are made to order and surprisingly comfortable, especially the va-va-voom velvet numbers.
reviewed
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Community Thrift
When local collectors and retailers have too much of a good thing, they donate it to Community Thrift, where proceeds go to community organizations – all the more reason to gloat over your $5 totem-pole teacup, $12 vintage smock dress and that $35 art deco cigar humidor you found out back by the furniture. Donate your castoffs (until 5pm daily) and show some love to the Community.
reviewed
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Just Tantau
Everything a gift store should be – fun, happy to see you, and stocked with one-of-a-kind gifts. Worth a closer look: handmade ornaments, naughty checkbook covers, Venice canal prints, and playful fine jewelry. The bracelets made from old-fashioned typewriter keys are a kick. Guys can gain points with a ‘just-because-I-wanted-to’ perfect gift for that special gal.
reviewed
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Nancy Boy
All you closet pomaders and after-sun balmers: wear those products with pride, without feeling like the dupe of some cosmetics conglomerate. Clever Nancy Boy knows you'd rather pay for the product than for advertising campaigns featuring the starlet du jour, and delivers locally made products with effective plant oils that are tested on boyfriends, never animals.
reviewed
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Flight 001
Having a nice flight in the zero-legroom era is actually a possibility with the in-flight assistance of Flight 001. Clever carry-ons built to fit international size regulations come with just the right number of pockets for rubber alarm clocks, travel Scrabble sets and the first-class Jet Comfort Kit with earplugs, sleep mask, booties, neck rest, candy and cards.
reviewed
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Honey Ryder
Looking hot isn't all about showing skin in perpetually chilly SF, but about the sultry shapes and easygoing glamour you'll find at Honey Ryder. Artfully draped jersey tops reveal dangerous curves, and a killer rack of dresses in fun, strategic prints will show off your sexy sass. They don't mess around with pointless 10% off sales, but slash right down 50-70%.
reviewed
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Undefeated
Sneaker-lovers camp outside this pint-sized store for the latest ‘Outside the Box’ styles from Nike, Converse, Vans and Adidas, each pair specially selected from the manufacturer by the manager. Word spreads on the internet, and voila, sidewalk campouts. Also in Mid-City (Tel: 323-937-6077; 112½ S La Brea Ave; h11am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun).
reviewed
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Coco-Luxe
The Gold Rush may be over, but the sugar rush is definitely on at this SF chocolate maker reinventing American dessert classics like devil’s food cake, malted milkshakes and banana splits as truffles. Cinnamon-candied almonds dunked in chocolate and dusted with cocoa make Block Party Almonds the kind of treat you might not be inclined to share with neighbors.
reviewed
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Gimme Shoes
Don't let SF hills become your arch-rivals: head to Gimme Shoes and kick up those high-end heels. Bide your time and those Philip Lim wood platforms and Vivienne Westwood pirate boots at the spotlit 381 Hayes showcase might hit the 40%-to-60%-off racks across the street at 416 Hayes. Men have their pick of sleek pearl grey Costume National oxfords or soft-soled John Varvatos Fillmore ankle boots.
reviewed
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Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
Stock up on California wines after you've sipped a few – start with viogniers, work your way to cabs, swishing and spitting to maintain your capacity to taste. Savvy staff describe wines in a fun, informative way, ensuring a good time. The bar is jammed on Saturdays, but otherwise staff will take the time to suggest pairings and exciting new releases.
reviewed
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Room 4
Spare yourself years of arduous thrifting, and head to this tiny treasure-box boutique for the good stuff: trippy green and orange swirled enamel dishes; free-form driftwood lamps; creepy portraits of big-eyed toddlers in the rain; and Pendleton plaid wool shirts and brass trucker belt buckles with unisex appeal.
reviewed
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Bluebird
Even tiny terrors look adorable in Bluebird’s flouncy, fun frocks and shoulder-tie sundresses inspired by the 1940s and ’50s, when kids weren’t expected to strut around like baby Britney Spears. Designer/owner Stephanie Scarpulla is also a vintage clotheshound, so you’ll find striped ’60s mod minis and dreamy 1970s Gunne Sax maxidresses for women here, too.
reviewed
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Sumbody
Tans are too LA; in SF everyone is after that dewy, fogged-in-for-months fresh face. This Sebastopol-based company uses natural ingredients like rice bran and honey in the aptly named Rice & Shine facial wash, kava kava in the narcolepsy-inducing Knockout Bath Melt, and coconut cream in sea-salt scrubs that leave you as emollient as a Pier 39 sea lion.
reviewed
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City Discount
Bargains never tasted so sweet: heart-shaped Le Creuset casseroles, frighteningly effective Microplane graters, Brika espresso makers and other specialty gourmet gear, all at 30% to 50% off the prices you'd pay downtown. Hard-to-find appliance replacement parts, parchment paper and cooking tips are all readily available from dedicated foodie counter staff.
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Chinatown Kite Shop
Be the star of Crissy Field and wow any kids in your life with a fierce 6ft-long flying shark, a surreal set of flying legs or a flying panda bear that looks understandably stunned. Pick up a two-person, papier-mâché lion dance costume and invite a date to bust ferocious moves with you next lunar new year.
reviewed
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Algabar
Forget about mass brands, Gail Baral has hopscotched from India to Japan to France to source handmade tableware, linen, frames, vases and other inspired lifestyle enhancers. These share her lofty space with fine teas from Mariage Frères, waiting to be sampled at the in-house tasting bar along with gourmet olive oils, chocolate and other tasty treats.
reviewed
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Shareen Vintage
You'll feel like the ultimate insider journeying down a grimy cul-de-sac to this signless warehouse where Shareen Mitchell wants you looking fab in yesteryear's fashions. If that mod mini is all wrong for you, she'll let you know. Most items sell for between $20 and $45 with some going for $1 to $5 during blowout sales every third Saturday of the month.
reviewed
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Amoeba Music
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 listening stations, a free music zine with uncannily accurate reviews, a free concert series that recently starred Elvis Costello and Shonen Knife, and a foundation that's saved more than 1000 acres of rainforest.
reviewed
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Past Perfect
So this is how Pacific Heights eccentrics fill up those mansions: Fornasetti face plates, Danish teak credenzas and Lucite champagne buckets. The store is a collective, so prices are all over the place – some sellers apparently believe their belongings owe them back rent, while others are happy just to unload their ex's mother's prized spoon collection.
reviewed
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SFO Snowboarding & FTC Skateboarding
Big air and big style are the tip at this local snowboard and skateboard outfitter. Show some local flair as you grab air on a Western Edition deck with drawings of ramshackle Victorian houses, or hit the slopes with Tahoe-tested gear (mostly for dudes, some unisex). Ask clued-in staff about upcoming SF street games and Tahoe snow conditions.
reviewed
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Cliff's Variety
None of the hardware maestros at Cliff's will raise an eyebrow if you express a dire need for a jar of rubber nuns, silver body paint and a case of cocktail toothpicks, though they might angle for an invitation. The window displays at Cliff's, a community institution since 1936, are a local landmark.
reviewed
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San Francisco Flower Mart
When you're in San Francisco, in love and in the doghouse, do what the locals do: bring armloads of relentlessly cheerful sunflowers, bask in forgiveness and never let on that you got them cheap at the Flower Mart. Many of the 80 flower and plant vendors offer seasonal flowers grown locally, not flown in, so you can enjoy your greenery the green way.
reviewed
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Isotope
The toilet seats signed by famous cartoonists over the front counter show just how seriously Isotope takes comics. Newbies tentatively flip through Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware in the graphic-novel section, while fanboys load up on Berkeley's Adrian Tomine or the latest from SF's Last Gasp Publishing and head upstairs to lounge with local cartoonists.
reviewed