Must-see shopping in Western USA

  • 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…

  • Tattered Cover Bookstore

    Denver

    There are plenty of places to curl up with a book in Denver’s beloved independent bookstore. Bursting with new and used books, it has a good stock of…

  • 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…

  • Planet 13

    Las Vegas

    File this under only-in-Vegas: this self-described 'cannabis superstore and entertainment complex' is an emporium the size of several city blocks devoted…

  • 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…

  • Exterior of Elliot Bay Book Co, a book shop.

    Elliott Bay Book Company

    Seattle

    Seattle's most beloved bookstore offers more than 150,000 titles in a large, airy, wood-beamed space with cozy nooks that can inspire hours of…

  • Powell's City of Books

    Portland

    Powell's is one of the USA's largest independent bookstores, with a whole city block of new and used titles, and a well-attended series of readings.

  • USA, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Farmer's Market, baskets of apples for sale at farmers' market

    Santa Fe Farmers Market

    Santa Fe

    Local produce, much of it heirloom and organic, is on sale at this spacious indoor-outdoor market, alongside homemade goodies, inexpensive food, natural…

  • 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…

  • REI

    Queen Anne & Lake Union

    REI is the be-all and end-all of outdoor clothing and equipment, and its Lake Union flagship is no exception. In fact it even comes equipped with some…

  • Camp

    Coastal Orange County

    Vegans, treehuggers and rock climbers, lend me your ears. The Camp offers one-stop shopping for all your outdoor and natural-living needs. Active Ride…

  • Lab

    Coastal Orange County

    Sister property to the Camp across the street, this outdoor, ivy-covered ‘anti-mall’ is the original in-your-face alternative to South Coast Plaza, even…

  • REI

    Denver

    The flagship store of this outdoor-equipment super-supplier is an essential stop if you are heading to the mountains or just cruising through Confluence…

  • 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…

  • Susan Wheeler Home

    Seattle

    This newer addition to Georgetown's small vintage row manages to find a perfect balance of pleasingly cluttered yet artfully refined. There are shelves…

  • Fancy Tiger Crafts

    Denver

    So you dig crochet and quilting? You knit a mean sweater and have a few too many tattoos? Welcome to Fancy Tiger Crafts, a sophisticated remodel of granny…

  • 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…

  • Copenhagen House

    Santa Ynez Valley

    The name stays true to Solvang's Danish roots but the eclectic mix of top-quality design goods, all from the motherland, couldn't be further from the town…

  • 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…

  • Easy Street Records & Café

    Seattle

    Pearl Jam once played at Easy Street, arguably Seattle's most multifarious record store, and the business continues to sponsor regular events. Inside,…

  • 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…

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