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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.
Fashion is taken seriously here (a pair of distressed shoes that look like they've been mowed down on the highway can cost you over a grand), but it's always offered with a wink and a smile. Witty touches abound, from the infamous store windows to the design details throughout. As you enter Barneys' six-story corner locale, a flight of stairs extends to the mezzanine, with its salon displaying thousands of shoes. Below street level, cosmetics and fragrances reign.
The surroundings, which include a Philip Johnson–designed checkerboard facade, a gilded atrium, and a stained-glass skylight, are as ritzy as the goods showcased within. The mix includes designer men's and women's clothing and accessories as well as posh household wares. Although the prices may raise an eyebrow or two, the Last Call sales—in January and July—draw big crowds. After hitting the vast handbag salon, those who lunch daintily can order consommé and bread laden with strawberry butter in the Rotunda Restaurant.
Somehow Nordstrom manages to be all things to all people, and this location, with spiral escalators circling a four-story atrium, is no exception. Whether you're an elegant lady of a certain age shopping for a new mink coat or a teen on the hunt for a Roxy hoodie, the salespeople are known for being happy to help. Nordstrom carries the best selections in town of designers such as Tory Burch, but its own brands have loyal followings, too. The café upstairs is a superb choice for a shopping break.
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