Must-see shopping in Northern California

  • Adobe Books & Backroom Gallery

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Wall-to-wall inspiration – just-released fiction, limited-edition art books, rare cookbooks, well-thumbed poetry – plus zine-launch parties, comedy nights…

  • Recchiuti at theLab

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Star chocolatier Michael Recchiuti sells confections at the Ferry Building but invents them in Dogpatch – taste his latest concoctions here first. Go for…

  • Apothecarium

    San Francisco

    What's that alluring frosted-glass emporium – the lovechild of an Apple Store and Victorian lingerie boutique? Just as you suspected: it's America's best…

  • Bound Together Anarchist Book Collective

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Since 1976 this volunteer-run, nonprofit anarchist bookstore has kept free thinkers supplied with organic-permaculture manuals, prison literature, and…

  • Amoeba Music

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Enticements are hardly necessary to lure the masses to the West Coast's most eclectic collection of new and used music and video, but Amoeba offers…

  • Community Thrift

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    When local collectors and retailers have too much of a good thing, they donate it to nonprofit Community Thrift, where proceeds go to 200-plus local…

  • Park Life

    San Francisco

    The Swiss Army knife of hip SF emporiums, Park Life is design store, indie publisher and art gallery rolled into one. Browse among presents too clever to…

  • Needles and Pens store.

    Needles & Pens

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    This scrappy zine shop/how-to source/art gallery/publisher delivers inspiration to create your own artworks, zines and repurposed fashion statements. Nab…

  • Mollosk Surf Shop in the Sunset District.

    Mollusk

    San Francisco

    The geodesic-dome tugboat marks the spot where ocean meets art in this surf gallery. Legendary shapers (surfboard makers) create limited-edition boards…

  • Paul's Hat Works

    San Francisco

    Psst…keep this SF style secret under your hat: there is no Paul. Started in 1918 by a Peruvian hatmaker named Napoleon, Paul's has been maintained by…

  • Good Vibrations

    San Francisco

    'Wait, I'm supposed to put that where?' The understanding salespeople in this worker-owned cooperative are used to giving rather explicit instructions, so…

  • Bi-Rite

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Diamond counters can't compare to the foodie dazzle of Bi-Rite's sublime wall of local artisan chocolates, treasure boxes of organic fruit and California…

  • Mission Comics & Art

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Heads will roll, fists will fly and furious vengeance will be wreaked inside this mild-mannered shop stocking big-name and indie comics. Staff picks range…

  • Jade Chocolates

    San Francisco

    SF-born chocolatier Mindy Fong hits the sweet spot between East and West with only-in-SF treats like passion-fruit caramels, Thai-curry hot chocolate and…

  • Baggu

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Plastic bags are banned in San Francisco, which is a perfect excuse to stock up on SF designer Baggu's reusable Ripstop nylon totes in bright colors and…

  • Omnivore

    San Francisco

    Salivate over signed cookbooks by chef-legend Alice Waters and signed first editions of Berkeley chef Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat, and stay for…

  • Amour Vert

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Looking smart comes easily with effortless wardrobe essentials that casually blend style, comfort, and sustainability. Wear your heart on your sleeve with…

  • Relove

    San Francisco

    'More style, less waste' is the credo here, and this dream walk-in-closet of vintage and indie fashion delivers – recent scores include handwoven…

  • Stag & Manor

    San Francisco

    Dashingly handsome decor from indie design boutique Stag & Manor lets you take the Castro home. Macrame wall hangings give your pad California creds,…

  • Paloma

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Like ransacking a poet's attic, this SF maker collective yields evocative, imaginative handmade finds. You might discover hand-patched indigo scarves,…

  • MAC

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    'Modern Appealing Clothing' is what this store promises – and it delivers for men and women alike, with streamlined chic from Engineered Garments, graphic…

  • Tigerlily Perfumery

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    If you want to bottle San Francisco and take it home with you, you've come to the right place. Tigerlily stocks an intoxicating variety of local perfumers…

  • Zentner Collection

    Oakland

    The Zenter has been called the Bay Area's 'other Asian art museum,' and while that designation is tongue in cheek, it's not entirely inaccurate either…

  • Golden Gate Fortune Cookies

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Find your fortune at this bakery, where cookies are stamped from vintage presses – just as they were in 1909, when fortune cookies were invented for SF's…

  • Rare Device

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Sly San Francisco wit is the rare device that makes this well-curated selection of gifts for all ages so irresistible. Block kits help kids build their…

  • Tantrum

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Overbooked kids and overworked adults deserve a time-out for Tantrum, delightfully stocked with musical otters, wooden ducks on wheels, and a mechanical…

  • San Francisco Rock Posters & Collectibles

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Are you ready to rock?! Enter this trippy temple to classic rock gods – but leave your lighters at home because these concert posters are valuable. Expect…

  • Isotope

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Toilet seats signed by famous cartoonists over the front counter show just how seriously Isotope takes comics. Newbies tentatively flip through superhero…

  • Cliff's Variety

    San Francisco

    None of the hardware maestros at Cliff's will raise an eyebrow if you express a dire need for a jar of rubber nuns, some silver body paint, and a case of…

  • Sui Generis Illa

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Sui generis is Latin for 'one of a kind' – which is what you'll find at this high-end designer consignment shop that features recent seasons' looks, one…

  • Charlie's Corner

    San Francisco

    For Castro kids, the biggest neighborhood attraction is over the hill at Charlie's Corner, a storybook world where kids are invited to read, draw and sing…

  • Nancy Boy

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    All you closet pomaders and after-sun balmers: wear those potions with pride, without feeling like the dupe of some cosmetics conglomerate. Clever Nancy…

  • Local Take

    San Francisco

    Take in the local scenery at Local Take, a gallery of original SF souvenirs made and designed by locals. Bring home your very own Castro landmark – like a…

  • Dark Carnival

    Berkeley

    Rumor has it this is the oldest science-fiction, fantasy and horror bookstore in the country. Whether true or not, those who love this sort of genre of…

  • ATYS

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Tucked in a courtyard, this design showcase is like a museum store for exceptional, artistic household items – to wit, a mirrored coat rack, a…

  • Holly Yashi

    North Coast & Redwoods

    The renowned hometown jeweler, famed for its nature-inspired Niobium metalwork, has its headquarters in Arcata's up-and-coming Creamery District. You get…

  • Rumiano Cheese

    North Coast & Redwoods

    You'll find the non-GMO cheeses made by this 100-year-old company on the menus of high-end restaurants up and down the California coast. Be sure to stop…

  • Oaklandish

    Oakland

    Urban fashions for anyone who 'hella' loves Oaktown are sold downtown at this signature shop. T-shirts, hats and stickers make a statement with original…

  • Gravel & Gold

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    Get back to the land and in touch with California's roots without leaving sight of a Mission sidewalk. Gravel & Gold celebrates California's hippie…

  • Green Arcade bookstore on Market Street.

    Green Arcade

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Everything you always wanted to know about mushroom foraging, worm composting and running for office on an environmental platform – plus poetry and…