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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.
You can find this locally based line of cosmetics and skin-care products at Macy's and Sephora, but it's much more fun to come to one of the eponymous boutiques. No-pressure salespeople dab you with whimsical makeup such as Ooh La Lift concealer and Tinted Love, a stain for lips and cheeks.
The cosmetics line's only Northern California store occupies a quaint historic structure built just after the 1906 earthquake. Indulge in oval milk soaps from France, sugar-lemon lotion, and pomegranate conditioner. Fresh is most popular for its body-care sets, the Umbrian Clay being one of them. During the holiday season, the Seaberry Restorative Body Cream can be hard to come by.
Fans swear by this company's high-quality, simply packaged skin- and hair-care products. Its spacious store stocks oceans of lotions, potions, and soaps.
Towers of bulk soap, which can be cut to order, and mountains of baseball-size fizzing "bath bombs" are some of the first items you'll see in this tightly packed and extremely fragrant little boutique, which resembles a cheese shop more than a Sephora. Some potions are so fresh (and perishable) that they're stored in a refrigerator and come with an expiration date.
The makeup is bold and trendy, as are many of its devotees. Mod salespeople are happy to show you creamy lipsticks, glittery powders, and dramatic eye shadows.
This sparse white-on-white locally owned store sells indulgent skin- and hair-care products, as well as a small selection of natural laundry and cleaning products.
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