Shopping in Seattle
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Main & North Arcades
Rachel the Market Pig marks the main entrance to the Main and North Arcades, thin shed-like structures that run along the edge of the hill; these are the busiest of the market buildings. With banks of fresh produce carefully arranged in artful displays, and fresh fish, crab and other shellfish piled high on ice, this is the real heart of the market. Here you’ll see fishmongers tossing salmon back and forth like basketballs (many of these vendors will pack fish for overnight delivery). You’ll also find cheese shops, butchers, tiny grocery stalls and almost everything else you need to put together a meal. The end of the North Arcade is dedicated to local artisans and crafts…
reviewed
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B
Pacific Place
Seattle’s best-quality boutique mall feels a bit like the lobby of an upscale hotel – it’s cylindrical, and the total lack of that hectic shopping-mall vibe makes it very pleasant to walk around. Clothiers include J Crew, Club Monaco and BCBG. The large stores of Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma are fun to look around in. Take a moment to gape in the window at Tiffany & Co or saunter inside for a special gift. The mall’s top level features a movie theater, a pub and a couple of restaurants. This is also where you’ll find the nicest public restrooms in downtown Seattle.
reviewed
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Elliott Bay Book Company
In its new home on Capitol Hill, the venerable Elliott Bay Book Company has gone from creaky and labyrinthine to vast and soaring-ceilinged. At first everyone worried about the relocation, but the new space has an open, energetic vibe – maybe even better than the original (sacrilege!). Still the best bookstore in town, and one of the best in the Northwest, Elliott Bay is also the local leader in author appearances, with writers appearing at a reading or signing almost nightly (think Tom Robbins, Sherman Alexie and David James Duncan). Readings are held in a dedicated room downstairs. They are usually free and generally start at 7pm. Pick up a schedule near the store entra…
reviewed
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Westlake Center
This ‘boutique mall’ – also the starting point for the Monorail – has turned into a landmark, partly because of its location and the fact that its concrete patio and steps make a nice gathering point. It’s somehow heartening to see ragtag groups of antiwar protesters (and an inordinate number of cops) rallying in front of such a monument to the big American dollar. Inside you’ll find shops like Fossil watches, LUSH and Made in Washington. Local stores include an outlet of Fireworks, which offers inexpensive arty products by regional craftspeople – they make great gifts.
reviewed
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Uwajimaya
Dried squid? Check. Sheets of seaweed? Check. Dumpling steamers, teapots, chopsticks? Check, check, check. The enormous Asian grocery and supply store Uwajimaya, anchoring an eponymous shopping center, has everything needed to prepare Thai, Japanese, Chinese and just about any other type of Asian specialties. You’ll find fresh and frozen meat and fish, canned and dried produce, and intriguingly labeled treats of all kinds, as well as cooking tools, small appliances, spices, cookbooks, toiletries and gift items. It also has a deli and bakery, and a number of hole-in-the-wall restaurants edge the building.
reviewed
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Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
This landmark shop, on Pier 54, now has a lesser sibling, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe Too – but never mind that. The original shop is where you’ll find cabinets of shrunken heads, piglets in jars and dried puffer fish – not for sale, of course, just for atmosphere. Also not for sale are the famous black diamond, Chief Seattle’s hat, a variety of stalagmites and ‘tites, and some pretty cool fortune-telling machines. The funniest souvenir available for purchase is a Mt St Helens ‘snowglobe’ – instead of snow, it has little gray particles meant to look like ash from the volcano’s eruption.
reviewed
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Kinokuniya
A great source for hard-to-find imported books and magazines in Asian languages (and in English about Asian culture), this bookstore inside Uwajimaya Village is also one of the few shops in the country where you can buy the lesser-known films of Kinji Fukasaku and other masters of Asian cinema on DVD. It has a fabulous supply of wrapping paper, cards and notebooks, not to mention imported comics and toys. Hello, Kitty!
reviewed
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Easy Street Records & Café
This place has everything: rock-and-roll, coffee, beer, food…and an open, airy place to hang out while enjoying all of the above. Any place where you can shop for new import records, have a beer and then kick back on the couch for a while is bound to attract attention, and you might have to elbow some hipsters out of your way to grab that coveted album – just try not to spill. Also at Queen Anne.
reviewed
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Fremont Sunday Market
Fremont is an especially great place to be during the Sunday Market, which features fresh fruits and vegetables and an incredible variety of artists and people selling junk. In summer the market is held outdoors in the parking lot; in winter, it moves inside. Fremont’s market has joined forces with its sister market in Ballard, which also runs every Sunday but is more a traditional farmers market.
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Pacific Herb & Grocery
A good place to get a sense of Chinatown is along S Weller St. Apart from the many restaurants, there’s Pacific Herb & Grocery, where the herbal-medicine specialists can tell you all about the uses of different roots, bones, flowers and teas. The shop next door is a great place to buy tofu at low prices – you can even watch them make it on the premises.
reviewed
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Sonic Boom
A local institution, Sonic Boom has moved from 15th Ave to this arguably handy spot, and also has a location in Ballard. This awesome indie record store has a great selection of new and used CDs and vinyl, and staff will order you something if they don’t have it in stock. Ask about in-store performances by bands coming through town.
reviewed
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Deluxe Junk
A local landmark, Deluxe Junk is one of Seattle’s most kitschy secondhand shops. Located in a former funeral parlor, it carries a deeply weird assortment of, well, junk. But some of it is pretty nice junk, retro and glitzy and sometimes fabulous – from retro sundresses and fluffy feather boas to home wares and furniture from the 1950s.
reviewed
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Pure Food Fish
Perhaps the gift that says ‘I heart Seattle’ the most is a whole salmon or other fresh seafood from the fish markets. All the markets will prepare fish for transportation on the plane ride home, or you can just call and have them take care of the overnight shipping; Pure Food Fish has the best reputation locally for quality and value.
reviewed
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DeLaurenti’s
DeLaurenti’s is a mandatory market stop for the Italian chef or continental food enthusiast. Not only is there a stunning selection of cheese, sausages, hams and pasta, but there’s also the largest selection of capers, olive oil and anchovies that you’re likely to find this side of Genoa. The wine selection is also quite broad.
reviewed
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Bud’s Jazz Records
Whether you’re looking for recordings of Coltrane or the Duke, you’ll have a good chance of finding them here. Bud specializes in vintage vinyl recordings of early and hard-to-find jazz. Hours aren’t always strictly kept, but it’s worth checking back to catch the shop when it’s open.
reviewed
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Niketown
The huge Niketown has its roots in the Northwest – it was founded by Phil Knight in Eugene, Oregon. The store sells all kinds of Nike clothing, shoes and accessories, and acts as a sort of museum for the company’s marketing campaign, with posters and quotations from some of its endorsement stars covering the walls.
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Left Bank Books
This legendary bookstore and distributor is small but fierce, with an essential collection of political theory, off-center fiction and surrealist literature. A sign in the anarchist section humbly requests that, if you’re going to steal books, you do it from a corporate chain store, not a workers-run collective.
reviewed
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Pioneer Square Antique Mall
The Antique Mall is a warren of little shops across from the Pioneer Square pergola; it’s actually part of the Seattle ‘underground’ and can be somewhat claustrophobic, but if you’re a patient gem hunter, you’ll definitely score. There’s lots of vintage clothing, jewelry, photos, cameras, china and knickknacks.
reviewed
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Once Upon a Time
This children’s store stocks top international brands like Baby Bjorn for savvy parents who like to dress their renaissance tots in labels from around the world. You’ll find everything from the practical to the simply adorable: strollers, knit toys, train sets, books, games, little socks and hats, and more.
reviewed
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Hardwick’s Hardware Store
Locals in the know come to Hardwick’s to explore the rows and rows of buckets filled with bizarre little gadgets and gizmos. Some people probably know what these objects are for, but most shoppers are looking for things to use in their art projects. It’s a hive of a place that’s fun just to explore.
reviewed
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Made in Washington
If you’re looking for something authentically Northwest, head to Made in Washington. One of several locations around the city, it stocks arts and crafts, T-shirts, coffee and chocolate, smoked salmon, regional wines, books and handy creations like the ‘Bite of Washington’ gourmet-food gift basket.
reviewed
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Archie McPhee
No longer in Ballard, but still crammed to the gills with all manner of wacky goodies you probably didn’t even know you needed, Archie McPhee is a Seattle tradition and a lot of fun, whether you’re buying or just marveling at the selection. Inflatable meatloaf, anyone? Maybe some Cthulhu mints?
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Wide World Books & Maps
Travelers will want to make a pilgrimage to Wide World Books & Maps. In addition to a great selection of travel guides, this pleasant store offers a full array of travel accessories and a staff of seasoned globetrotters. Ask for a calendar of events such as slideshows and author readings.
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Babeland
Opened in 1993 as Toys in Babeland, this sex-positive toy store – inspired by the riot-grrrl aesthetic and staffed by possibly the friendliest and least judgmental people on earth – has since abbreviated its name and expanded its business to include shops in New York and Los Angeles.
reviewed
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Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods
If you’ve had a hankering for authentic lefse (Norwegian flatbread), black licorice or Kalle’s Kaviar in a squeeze tube – and who hasn’t? – this is the place to cure it. Olsen’s also stocks Nordic-flavored knickknacks and gift items.
reviewed
