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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.
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.
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.
The revered microroaster's practitioners brew their sacred beans in a $20,000 siphon bar from Japan with halogen-lighted glass globes that resemble a science experiment. A stop here makes for a perfect reprieve from shopping.
This is the perfect spot for all things British; C&C serves traditional afternoon tea starting at 11 am, complete with cucumber sandwiches and scones. The shop also sells china cups and other teatime accessories such as candies, clocks, and coasters.
Nestled in a narrow alleyway, this tiny destination is impossible to find unless you have directions. This is the place to watch fortune cookies being made; the intricate process involves flattening, folding, and pressing patches of dough. You can purchase big bags of cookies in various flavors, shapes, and sizes to take home.
Since 1922, this aromatic shop has been treating the city with its wide selection of ginseng, tea, and other herbs. You might even hear the click of an abacus as a purchase is tallied up. A Chinese doctor (who speaks English) is always on hand to recommend the perfect remedy.
Take a number at this throwback to Old Italy and wait your turn to order a sloppy-good, meatball-and-provolone sandwich or the neighborhood fave, the #1 Italian combo: salami, ham, mortadella, and provolone, spiced up with a few Italian peppers. The sausages and prepared salads are also good here.
This is the only retail outpost of this Sonoma County ranch, a producer of outstanding organic, extra-virgin olive oil. If you stop by in fall or winter, don't miss the Olio Nuovo, the days-old green oil produced during the harvest.
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