San Francisco

With its grand department stores and funky secondhand boutiques, San Francisco summons a full range of shopping experiences. From the anarchist bookstore to the mouthwatering specialty-food purveyors at the gleaming Ferry Building, the local shopping opportunities reflect the city's various personalities. Visitors with limited time often focus their energies on the high-density Union Square area, where several major department stores tower over big-name boutiques. But if you're keen to find unique local shops, consider moving beyond the square's radius.

Each neighborhood has its own distinctive finds, whether it's 1960s housewares, cheeky stationery, or vintage Levi's. If shopping in San Francisco has a downside, it's that real bargains can be few and far between. Sure, neighborhoods such as the Lower Haight and the Mission have thrift shops and other inexpensive stores, but you won't find many discount outlets in the city, where rents are sky-high and space is at a premium.

Seasonal sales, usually in late January and late July or August, are good opportunities for finding deep discounts on clothing. The San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner advertise sales. For smaller shops, check the free SF Weekly, which can be found on street corners every Wednesday. Sample sales are usually held by individual manufacturers, so check your favorite company's website before visiting.

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  • 1. Amoeba Music

    Haight

    With well over a million new and used CDs, DVDs, and records at bargain prices, this warehouse-like offshoot of the Berkeley original carries titles you won't find on Amazon. No niche is ignored—from electronica and hip-hop to jazz and classical—and the stock changes frequently. In-store performances attract large crowds.

    1855 Haight St., San Francisco, California, 94117, USA
    415-831–1200
  • 2. Berggruen Gallery

    SoMa | Art Gallery

    Twentieth-century European and American paintings, including Bay Area figurative works, are displayed throughout two airy floors at this well-respected gallery established in 1970. Some recent exhibitions have included the works of Robert Kelly and Isca Greenfield-Sanders. Look for thematic shows here, too; past exhibits have had titles such as Summer Highlights and Four Decades.

    10 Hawthorne St., at Howard St., San Francisco, California, 94105, USA
    415-781–4629
  • 3. Bi-Rite Market

    San Francisco is one of the culinary centers of the world, and this universally adored grocery store is its beating heart. It's a farmers' market every day inside and well worth browsing around to see the bounty of Northern California, from peak summer tomatoes to local king salmon, plus all kinds of goodies from small producers. Buy a local peach or blood orange to snack on before strolling across the street for a scoop of salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite's equally beloved creamery.

    3639 18th St., San Francisco, California, 94110, USA
    415-241–9760
  • 4. Britex Fabrics

    Union Sq.

    Walls of Italian wool in deep, rich colors, yards of faille-striped silk, and neat stacks of fresh cotton prints await your creative touch. A San Francisco institution for more than 70 years, the two-story Britex also sells an endless variety of buttons as well as thread and trim. If sewing is your thing, this will be a visit to paradise.

    117 Post St., San Francisco, California, 94108, USA
    415-392–2910

    Shop Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends
  • 5. Chronicle Books

    SoMa

    A local beacon of publishing produces inventively designed fiction, cookbooks, art books, and other titles, as well as postcards, planners, and address books—all of which you can purchase at its home near Oracle Park.

    680 2nd St., San Francisco, California, 94107, USA
    415-537–4200

    Shop Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends
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  • 6. Cowgirl Creamery Artisan Cheese

    Embarcadero | Food/Candy

    Fantastic organic-milk cheeses—such as the mellow, triple-cream Mt. Tam and bocconcini (small balls of fresh mozzarella)—are produced at a creamery an hour's drive north of the city. These and other carefully chosen artisanal cheeses and dairy products, including a luscious, freshly made crème fraîche, round out the selection at the in-town store.

    Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Bldg. #17, at foot of Market St., San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-362–9354
  • 7. Diptyque

    Union Sq. | Household Items/Furniture

    The original Diptyque boutique in Paris has attracted a long line of celebrities. You can find the full array of scented candles and fragrances in this chic shop that would be at home on the boulevard St-Germain. Trademark black-and-white labels adorn the popular L'eau toilet water, scented with geranium and sandalwood. Candles come in traditional and esoteric scents, including lavender, basil, leather, and fig tree. Also available are Mariage Frères teas.

    73 Geary St., at Grant Ave., San Francisco, California, 94108, USA
    415-402–0600
  • 8. Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market

    The partylike Saturday edition of the city's most upscale and expensive farmers' market places baked goods, gourmet cheeses, smoked fish, and fancy pots of jam alongside organic basil, specialty mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, and juicy-ripe locally grown fruit. Smaller markets also take place on Tuesday and Thursday year-round, rain or shine—and the many passionate San Francisco home cooks who frequent them will come even in a rainstorm.

    San Francisco, California, 94111, USA
    415-291–3276
  • 9. Fraenkel Gallery

    Union Sq. | Art Gallery

    This renowned gallery represents museum-caliber photographers or their estates, including Nicholas Nixon, Nan Goldin, Richard Misrach, and Garry Winogrand. Recent shows have included work by Robert Adams, Idris Khan, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Most shows feature one or two artists, but the annual Several Exceptionally Good Recently Acquired Pictures showcases the range of works the gallery exhibits.

    49 Geary St., 4th fl., between Kearny St. and Grant Ave., San Francisco, California, 94108, USA
    415-981–2661

    Shop Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 10. Green Apple Books

    Richmond

    A local favorite with a huge used-book department also carries new books in every field. It's known for its history room and rare-books collection, as well as fiction CDs, DVDs, comic books, and graphic novels.

    506 Clement St., San Francisco, California, 94118, USA
    415-387–2272
  • 11. Heath Ceramics

    Heath designs and produces sleek, glossy tiles for the home and newly spun bowls, plates, and cups in rich earth colors to decorate kitchens. You'll also find locally inspired cookbooks and high-quality furniture and silverware from trendy peers throughout Heath's immaculately arranged factory showroom. The company's designs can be found at many of San Francisco's top restaurants and cafés, including the adjacent Tartine Manufactory.

    2900 18th St., San Francisco, California, 94110, USA
    415-361–5552

    Shop Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
  • 12. Held Over

    Haight

    The extensive collection of clothing from the 1920s through the 1980s in this vintage store is organized by decade, saving those looking for flapper dresses from having to wade through lime-green '70s polyester sundresses. Shoes, hats, handbags, and jewelry complete the different looks.

    1543 Haight St., San Francisco, California, 94117, USA
    415-864–0818
  • 13. Margaret O'Leary

    Pacific Heights

    If you can only buy one piece of clothing in San Francisco, make it a hand-loomed cashmere sweater by this Irish-born local legend. The perfect antidote to the city's wind and fog, the sweaters are so beloved by San Franciscans that some of them never wear anything else. Pick up an airplane wrap for your trip home.

    2400 Fillmore St., San Francisco, California, 94115, USA
    415-771–9982
  • 14. Molinari Delicatessen

    North Beach | Food/Candy

    This store has been making its own salami, sausages, and cold cuts since 1896. Other homemade specialties include meat and cheese ravioli, tomato sauces, and fresh pastas. Do like the locals: grab a made-to-order sandwich for lunch and eat it at one of the sidewalk tables or over at Washington Square Park.

    373 Columbus Ave., at Vallejo St., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-421–2337
  • 15. SFMOMA Museum Store

    SoMa

    This is an excellent stop for unique souvenirs, including a large selection of watches and jewelry, as well as artists' monographs and artful housewares. Posters, calendars, and children's art sets round out the merchandise.

    151 3rd St., San Francisco, California, 94103, USA
    415-357–4035
  • 16. Verve Wine

    Lower Pacific Heights

    Wine nerds will fall in love with this trendy, upscale destination from Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson. Many wine drinkers will also recognize him from the 2012 documentary Somm (and its sequels). High-quality, smaller producers from prominent and lesser-known regions share wall space in this exceptionally organized boutique.

    2358 Fillmore St., San Francisco, California, 94115, USA
    415-896–4935
  • 17. Vital Tea Leaf

    Chinatown

    Tea enthusiasts will feel at peace in this bright, spacious haven for sipping. You'll find more than 400 different varieties of tea here, and the staff is extremely knowledgeable on the health benefits of each and every one.

    1044 Grant Ave., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-981–2388
  • 18. XOX Truffles

    The decadent confection comes in countless flavors here, from the traditional (cocoa-powder-coated Amaretto) to the unusual (flavored with rum-coconut liqueur and coated with coconut flakes). There's something for everyone, even vegans. Bonus: all espresso drinks come with a complimentary truffle.

    754 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-421–4814
  • 19. 826 Valencia

    The brainchild of local author Dave Eggers is primarily a center established to help kids with their writing skills via writing programs, tutoring, and storytelling events. But the storefront is also "San Francisco's only independent pirate supply store," a quirky space filled with eye patches, spyglasses, and other pirate-themed paraphernalia. Eggers's quarterly journal, McSweeney's, and other publications are available here. Proceeds benefit the writing center. On the center's storefront is an intricate mural designed by graphic novelist Chris Ware as a meditation on the evolution of human communication.

    826 Valencia St., San Francisco, California, 94110, USA
    415-642–5905
  • 20. AB Fits

    The affable staff can help guys and gals sort through the jeans selection, one of the hippest in the city, from hyperlocal to international brands. On-staff experts pride themselves on being able to match the pants to the person. Occasional release parties are hosted: sign up for the mailing list to get a taste of local fashion and art life combined.

    1519 Grant Ave., San Francisco, California, 94133, USA
    415-982–5726

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