Amoeba Music remains a mighty presence. It's partly a matter of scale - 25,000sq ft (2,325sq m) of former bowling alley, to be exact - but mainly a matter...

Java junkies from all over the area double-park in this alley and swarm over this seatless stand for what many call the best joe in the city. Fans swear by...

It only stands to reason that hilly, windy SF should have an excellent kite shop. Stocked with hundreds of different kites in every imaginable shape and...

The legacy of Beat anti-authoritarianism lives on in this publishing company and bookshop, co-founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953. Be sure to head...

Since the restored Ferry Building reopened in 2002, the Ferry Plaza farmers' market has become a sightseeing attraction in its own right. White tents spill...

So much more than an art supply store, this Bay Area landmark teems with papers, fine pens, children's toys, blank books, timepieces, lighting, portfolios -...

This long-standing Inner Richmond store has a staggering selection of new and used titles, crammed together in glorious disarray (don't miss the fiction and...

Established in 1861, Gump's is the place where moneyed San Franciscans buy wedding presents, china and a variety of baubles, from black pearls to custom...

Jeremy's sits on a sunny corner of South Park, hawking designer wares at discount store prices. It's a label-whore's dream come true, especially the...

That kneeling cushion may be more practical, but the gardener in your life will find something from this deeply bizarre shop rather more fun. Alongside...

Likely the best bakery in San Francisco, Tartine triggers queues and makes foodies swoon over the hot-pressed sandwiches (on housemade French bread),...

Ver Unica is where people with a proper pay cheque go to buy second-hand: it sells unique retro finds, not cast-offs crammed together on dusty shelves. It...