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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.
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.
This is an excellent stop for unique art-related and San Francisco–themed souvenirs. Posters, calendars, books, artist monographs, jewelry and children's art sets are just some of the notable categories on sale.
This wineshop has an ardent cult following around town. The friendly staffers are always helpful, many of the wines are directly purchased by the company itself (which often means better wines and better prices) and weekly events (Thursday through Saturday) allow customers to taste some of the wines before purchasing. A wide range of regions and varietals are represented here, so it's hard to say that there is a particular specialty other than simply great wines. Whether shoppers are looking for a prestigious Bordeaux or an under $20 Chardonnay, it's pretty much guaranteed they'll be excited by their purchase.
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.
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. Bi-Rite also partners with craft brewers to create one-of-a-kind editions of favorite bubbles and brews. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. The working factory tour on select Fridays and the quieter Saturday factory tour are destinations in and of themselves for home reno enthusiasts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The three floors here are stocked with literature, poetry, and children's books, with a focus on hard-to-find works by people of color.
Apple's flagship San Francisco store is a two-level, open-air tech temple to Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple Watches, and the people who use them. Inside, it's more about getting your iPhone fixed at the Genius Grove, but outside everyone is using those phones to take pictures of the modern structure.
If you like the wine list at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, you can walk next door and pick up a few bottles from its joint establishment. This unintimidating shop carries hard-to-find wines from small producers. Why wait to taste? Crack open a bottle on the patio of sibling restaurant Arbor out back.
Gadgets and home accessories with a sleek modern design are imported from all over Europe and Japan and sold at this charming store in a courtyard off Union Street. Among the eye-catching items are a Mies cuckoo clock and a wine rack made of leather loops.
Nearly every month brings a compelling new contemporary American artist exhibition at this longtime gallery standout near SFMOMA. Peter Halley, Bruce Cohen, and Isca Greenfield-Sanders are among the recent notable artists on display, but sometimes an exhibition provides a young artist an opportunity here for their solo debut. It's worth keeping track of the gallery's schedule for any talks by the exhibition's featured artist.
A North Beach landmark, this store sells ceramics of the quality found in the artisan clusters of Italy. The excellent selection of hand-painted Italian pottery, imported mainly from Tuscany, Umbria, and Sicily, has been shipped worldwide by this proud, family-run business since it was opened by Italian immigrants in 1946. Their specialty is Umbrian Deruta ceramics and some Palio di Siena Contrade pieces, and they work directly with generational artisans.
Comfortable, chic flats are the beloved signature item at the flagship store of this shoe designer, with varieties ranging from the most comfortable slippers ever to sandals that could walk down a runway. These flexible shoes can work for the office or a casual night out. The Union Street boutique shows that multidimensional approach as well, with its plush design that invites lingering long after shoes have been purchased.
Some of the vibrant works on show in this cozy Latin American art gallery come from such artists as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Francisco Toledo.
Windows at this modest-size bookstore frame close-up views of the docks and San Francisco Bay. Commuters snap up magazines by the front door as they rush off to their ferries, and kids browse the Kids' Corner while Ferry Building visitors thumb through the thorough selection of cooking and travel titles. Author events take place several times a month.
This fine bookshop sells current releases, children's titles, and offbeat periodicals. Authors passing through town often make a stop at this neighborhood institution.
This old-school collective, around since 1976, stocks books on anarchist theory and practice, as well as titles about gender issues, radicalism, and various other left-leaning topics. A portion of the revenue supports anarchist projects and the Prisoners Literature Project.
The vintage jewelry here, mostly from the early part of the 20th century, includes a wide selection of estate pieces and objets d'art. With rings that range in price from $5 to a couple thousand, there's something for everyone. Hours can vary, so it's best to call ahead before visiting.
Opened in 1976, one of the city's most beloved independent bookstores resides quietly among the chic fashion boutiques lining Fillmore Street. All ages will find ample choices, from contemporary fiction to children's books to a large selection of Buddhist Dharma literature. The store is owned by Inner Richmond favorite Green Apple Books.
The shops lining this open-air mall next to the Peace Plaza (look for the giant pagoda) are geared more toward locals, but there are some fun Japanese-goods stores here, too. Start your exploration with exquisite Japanese homewares in a gallery-like space at SF76 ( 1758 Buchanan St. www.sf-76.com). Look for Hasami and Tomoro pottery and ceramics by local artists. It's easy to spend hours among the fabulous origami and craft papers at Paper Tree ( 1743 Buchanan St. paper-tree.com). After shop browsing, have a seat on the steps around local artist Ruth Asawa's twin origami-style fountains, which sit in the middle of the mall. Wrap up a visit with lunch at Hinodeya Ramen ( 1737 Buchanan St. hinodeyaramen.com), serving lighter dashi (clear-broth) ramen, a rarity in the city.
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