Must-see shopping in Northern California

  • Nooworks

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Get a streetwise Mission edge with Nooworks' locally designed, US-made fashions, most under $100. Nooworks' open-mouth shirts are ideal for Pancho-Villa…

  • Marine Layer

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Get instant California cool without getting the shivers in Marine Layer's 'absurdly soft' tees, which this clever SF company makes by blending cotton and…

  • Epicurean Trader

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    A must-visit for discerning bartenders and fans of the artisanal foods movement, this grocery, liquor store and deli carries only small-batch products,…

  • Poco Dolce

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    People who swear they're not into dessert can't get enough Poco Dolce, San Francisco's award-winning, sustainably sourced chocolates with a touch of sea…

  • Reliquary

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Enter the well-traveled wardrobe of Leah Bershad, a former Gap designer whose folksy jet-set aesthetic is SF's antidote to khaki-and-fleece global…

  • Mission Skateboards

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Street cred comes easy with locally designed Mission decks, custom tees to kick-flip over and cult skate shoes at this shop owned by SF street-skate…

  • Red Blossom Tea Company

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Crook your pinky: it's always teatime at Red Blossom, featuring 100-plus specialty teas imported by second-generation tea merchants Alice and Peter Luong…

  • Workshop Residence

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Cottage industry is alive at Workshop Residence, where artists and designers collaborate with Bay Area fabricators to produce limited-edition designs –…

  • Betabrand

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Crowdsource fashion choices at Betabrand, where experimental designs are put to an online vote and winners produced in limited editions. Recent approved…

  • Sports Basement

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Specializing in odd lots of sporting goods at closeout prices, this 80,000-sq-ft sports-and-camping emporium is also the best place to rent wet suits for…

  • Studio

    San Francisco

    Spiff up your pad with original Bay Area art at great prices. Featured works show a strong sense of place, including Michael Reardon's lightwashed…

  • Paxton Gate

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Salvador Dalí probably would've shopped here for all his taxidermy and gardening needs. Get a surrealist home makeover with animal-skull puppets,…

  • Voyager

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Post-apocalyptic art-school surf shack is the vibe inside this curated storefront, featuring the work of sundry indie makers on plywood planks. Items for…

  • Clare V.

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    If you see chic California-made leather clutches in your future, you must be ClareV-oyant. Buttery Italian leather gets splashes of California color – a…

  • Triple Aught Design

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Whether you're a social-media millionaire who runs Parkour or you just rock that look, Triple Aught has your back, with zip-up urban sweaters and multi…

  • Legion

    San Francisco

    This indie art and craft gallery may be off the beaten path, but its fans are legion. Curator-owners bring California's outlandish outlooks indoors with…

  • Sui Generis

    San Francisco

    Emerge with confidence from this men's designer resale boutique, sure that nobody but you will be working your look. The well-curated collection of…

  • Foggy Notion

    San Francisco

    You can't take Golden Gate Park home with you – the city would seem naked without it – but Foggy Notion specializes in sense memories of SF's urban…

  • Black & Blue Tattoo

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This women-owned tattoo parlor gets it in ink with designs ranging from honeycomb-pattern bicep graphics to shoulder-to-shoulder Golden Gate Bridge spans…

  • Heath Ceramics & Newsstand

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    No local artisan SF restaurant decor is complete without earthy Heath stoneware, including the hand-glazed tiles found at this Mission studio-showroom…

  • Molte Cose

    San Francisco

    Like a movie set in progress circa 1963, Molte Cose is an obsessively researched collection of one-off gifts and vintage finds artfully displayed on glove…

  • Wasteland

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Take center stage in this converted-cinema vintage superstore in barely worn designer rompers, vintage concert tees and a steady supply of go-go boots…

  • Upper Playground

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Blend into the SF scenery with a locally designed 'Golden State of Mind' hoodie, tectonic-plate map tee, Bay Bridge smartphone case, and SF snap-back caps…

  • Piedmont Boutique

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    'No food, no photos, no playing in the boas,' says the sign inside the door – but that last rule is gleefully ignored by drag stars, pageant dropouts,…

  • Rainbow Grocery

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This legendary cooperative attracts crowds to buy eco/organic/fair-trade products in bulk, sample the bounty of local cheeses and flirt in the artisan…

  • Anomie

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    An essential stop on a Union St shopping raid, Anomie carries multiple small-production, independent designers of casual women's clothing, all subtly…

  • Cove

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Sand-cast cocktail rings, succulents dripping from sea-urchin shells, scented candles in the shape of a doll's hand: such unique gifts lead grateful…

  • Picnic

    San Francisco

    Modern gifts for modern women and the people they love – bold, unique, price-savvy. Gift yourself and others with picnic-ready multitools, versatile…

  • PlumpJack Wines

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Discover new favorite Californian vintages for under $25 at the distinctive wine boutique that won founder and Governor Gavin Newsom respect even from…

  • elizabethW

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Local scent maker elizabethW supplies the tantalizing aromas of changing seasons without the sweaty brows or frozen toes. 'Te' smells like a Georgia porch…

  • Dog Eared Books

    San Francisco

    For vacation reading that matches the Castro scenery, head into Dog Eared for a wide selection of San Francisco literature, LGBTQ+ memoirs and novels…

  • Stranded

    Oakland

    Stranded is the kind of cool record store you wished you had worked at when you were younger (or maybe now). It only carries vinyl, and offers a…

  • On the Run

    San Francisco

    If your morning jog leaves your feet or shins hurting, get your gait checked here before you hit Ocean Beach or Golden Gate Park trails. The pros will…

  • Alley Cat Books

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Part bookstore, part community center, with books in the front, and local art shows and art books in the back. Alley Cat is not a hush-hush place but an…

  • Green Apple Books

    San Francisco

    Stagger out of this literary opium den while you still can, laden with remaindered art books, used cookbooks and just-released novels signed by local…

  • Harvest Off Mission

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This tidy Bernal Heights dispensary is tops for its 'farm-to-feeling' edibles, which include things like animal cookies, Black Ice and Pineapple Love…

  • Ambiance

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    The Union St outpost of this four-store SF-based chain showcases midrange designers, with a good mix of trendy and classic cuts in jeans, dresses, shirts,…

  • Exploratorium Store

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Bring home gifts for the kids that you won't find anywhere else. The shop at the Exploratorium – the city's famous art and science museum – carries unique…

  • Flax Art & Design

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    The city's finest art-supply store carries a dizzying array of ink, paints, pigment, brushes, frames, pens, pencils, markers and glues, plus paper in…

  • SCRAP

    San Francisco

    Renew, recycle and rediscover your creativity with postindustrial arts and crafts materials from SCRAP. Take a workshop for inspiration and make your own…