Santa Monica
A boutique stocked with designer, ecofriendly hemp goods made in Downtown LA. It has fitted tees, chinos, hoodies and more, perfectly suited to the…
Must-see shopping in Southern California
Anaheim
It may be a thrift store, but the vintage and gently used clothing and home goods are laid out so stylishly you'd think they cost many times more. Enter…
Disneyland Resort
Just around the bend from the Disneyland Main Gate is this one-stop shop for a mind-boggling variety of souvenirs, clothing and Disneyana, from T-shirts…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
If you dig Japanese anime and steampunk action figures, art, T-shirts and stuffed toys, you'll go gaga at this Technicolor droplet of noise and peace…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
A venue for Fashion District sample sales. Check the website for upcoming sales and bring your own bags and plenty of cash (most vendors don't accept…
The Deserts
Browse for bargains at around 60 outlets by such covetable retailers as Calvin Klein, Kate Spade, Guess, Levi's, Banana Republic and Tommy Hilfiger.
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Your one-stop shop for new and used limited-edition, imported and old-school sneakers. T-shirts and hats are available in its annex two doors down.
San Diego
Lose time perusing the shelves of this cubbyhole comic-book store. It also rents new DVDs and has a bunch of retro arcade games to play inside.
Orange County
Whimsical Dragonfly Shops & Gardens sells native California plants, garden-minded gifts and beaded jewelry inside a white-picketed cottage.
Coastal Orange County
Thoughtfully chosen, fun and educational toys line the shelves here, from name brands to quirky one-off products like wind-up space robots.
San Diego
This is an honest-to-goodness, old-style bookshop, selling mainly used books, including rare and first editions in plastic sleeves.
Santa Monica
Hippie-chic women’s gear with a dash of retro cool. Santa Monica’s pretty, pouty, upscale flower children get dressed here.
La Jolla
A cozy cavern of books with a large collection of new and used academic works and regular book readings and talks.
Disneyland Resort
This shop sells animation cels, ornaments and the like, while artists at work demonstrate the creation process.
San Diego
At the foot of Garnet Ave at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, this store carries spiffy surf apparel for women.
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
One of several sites used for Fashion District sample sales, usually held on the last Friday of the month.
Laguna Beach
Friendly indie bookshop stocks everything, including surf culture and SoCal local-interest titles.
San Diego
A music store selling new and used LPs, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, 45s, VHS, 8-tracks and stickers.
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
Across from Surfrider Beach, this mall spans both sides of Cross Creek Rd, which is why it’s affectionately known as Cross Creek by the locals who gather…
Hollywood
It’s appropriate that a Disney-fied shopping mall should be the spark for Hollywood Blvd’s rebirth. A marriage of kitsch and commerce next to the Dolby…
San Diego
Between downtown and Point Loma, the former offices, barracks and mess halls of the decommissioned Naval Training Center is an up-and-coming open-air area…
Long Beach & San Pedro
A wonderful local brand, based in the Arts District, selling activewear with travelers in mind. Conceived by two Cambodian brothers who were wartime…
San Fernando Valley
Normally, we wouldn't bother to mention this Swedish furniture megastore, but this location is special because it's America's largest. At 456,000 sq ft of…
Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley
This sprawling store is one-stop shopping for all your Chinese needs: teas and accessories, medicinal herbs, snacks and cookies, dried seafood, alcohol…
Silver Lake & Echo Park
A fun little vintage shop stocking mostly women's threads and accessories. On any given visit you might stumble across a Jeanne Marc quilted coat, a 1930s…
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
For bargain bling head to this shrinking Downtown district. Centered on Broadway and Hill St (between 6th and 7th Sts), you can snap up watches, gold,…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
The Beverly Hills branch of America's most fabled jeweler is not short of famous BFFs. Celebs at the store's 2016 relaunch party, which followed an 18…
Hollywood
The hippest mini-mall in Hollywood, this designer construct of brick, wood, concrete and glass is home to streetwear-cum-skateboard store Pharmacy…
Santa Monica
Well, you are in California so you might as well get your aura read. Yes, auras do exist (it’s that heat energy radiating off your skin) and the color…
Greater Palm Springs
Partners in life and in business, Darell and Osamu run this shrine to Japanese design in the desert. The curated collection of tableware, kitchen knives,…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
This locally designed and made label is known for its stretch lace, a material sourced from French and Italian textiles. It started with lounge wear, so…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Like a burst of sunlight on a cloudy day, this whimsical, yet exceptional, vintage women's-wear shop is stocked with affordable designer dresses, shades,…
San Diego
Downtown Del Mar (sometimes called ‘the village’) extends for about a mile along Camino del Mar. This ritzy shopping mall has restaurants, shops and…
Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood
The Prada epicenter on Rodeo is as much about ogling as shopping. The 24,000ft showroom, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhouse, yawns directly onto…
Long Beach & San Pedro
This giant former warehouse, a short drive from San Pedro's port, is a low-key showcase for local artisans and dealers in jewelry to handmade greeting…
Santa Monica
An endearing shop, named one of the best in LA by Los Angeles Magazine, stocked with pop art and handmade games, leather bracelets and earrings. Most of…
West Hollywood & Mid-City
Hip-hop fashion has always been a staple on Melrose and this spot combines that with a skate/punk mash-up that works. Grab a deck, some limited-edition…
Laguna Beach
This earth-toned corner shop hits that right pitch for an effortless girlfriends’ weekend beach getaway, somewhere in between urban chic and beach preppy,…
San Diego
Friendly surfer dudes staff the counter at this beach-apparel and surf-gear shop that carries a good selection of Quiksilver, Hurley, Billabong and O…
