Now I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on San Francisco here, this was my third trip ever, and three trips to any city, does not an expert make. However I do want to share with you some of my shopping recommendations from this fine city. I spent the bulk of my weekend between Haight Ashbury and Hayes Valley, so I'm going to concentrate on those areas..perhaps on another trip I shall cover other areas..!
Ambiance, a cute boutique at Haight Ashbury, is filled to the brim with eclectic fancies, from well known labels to lesser known, independent designers.
The store is very well stocked, meaning you can hours and hours going through the racks and racks of clothing, and with items priced for any price ranges there is certainly something for everyone in this store.
The atmosphere was welcoming and the staff were lovely, immediately complimenting my outfit upon entering the store. and as you saw on Friday, in our 'ShopGirl' series, where I interviewed Katie from the store, the staff were not only knowledgeable but cute themselves!
1458 Haight St.
San Francisco
415.552.5095
Ver Unica, as featured in Friday's 'ShopGirl' video was one of my favourite finds. A beautifully curated vintage store in the heart of Hayes Valley, the store features an amazing range of vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. The prices ranged from affordable to completely worth it, but it should be noted this is not a bargain basement vintage store – but a high quality, hand picked, vintage store. Not your average San Francisco thrift store by any means.
Definitely worth a visit, to both the bank and the store!
437 Hayes St
Ste B
(between Gough St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Goorin Bros Hat Shop was first established in Pittsburgh in 1895, and the company moved to San Francisco in 1949. I actually knew very little about the store until I visited this particular one on Haight St in San Francisco. Amusingly enough I have since discovered we have one of our very own in Los Angeles on Melrose…! Not only that but they have stores across the states (and even one in Vancouver) So maybe not as special as I'd first thought..but definitely a great store to visit if you aren't privileged to have one in your home town.
The store had a beautiful range of classic fedora's all with interesting details, and fine trimmings. What's more, priced at around $45 a hat, these were affordable.
I was going to skip any restaurant reviews, mostly because I didn't really have any favourable experiences, from a garlic overdose that had me vomiting to hard boiled poached eggs I somehow hit the jackpot of bad food..quite a feat considering the many wonderful restaurants in San Francisco. But our last full day was different. We had breakfast at Stacks in the morning which was very very good, in fact it was our only good food day, we followed up by a ridiculously good veggie burger in Berkeley, but the highlight of the day was a sweet treat…
Macaron's from Paulette, whilst not the best Macarons I'd ever tasted, were delicious, and what was extremely impressive was the sheer volume of flavours to choose from, all arranged in a beautiful colour palette. Absolutely worth a stop for some of the best macarons you'll taste stateside.
(Again it appears I traveled to San Francisco to find we not only have one of these on our doorstep..but two. Paulette is also is Little Tokyo and Beverly Hills – haha… perhaps I should have Better Known MY Neighborhood…!)
437 Hayes St, (Cross Street: Gough St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
With two stores in Vegas, one in Hollywood and this new one at Haight Ashbury in San Francisco, as well as their e-commerce, chances are you've heard of Bettie Page Clothing already. In case you haven't, this is the one stop shop for all things sartorially retro. Amazing fifties dresses, pin-up and rockabilly style fill the store. Admittedly it does feel a little costumey..but pair a dress with the right accessories and you can have a modern, vintage inspired look as opposed to a flash back in time. With dresses priced on average at $100, it's not cheap as chips..but you're getting great value for money.
Residents Apparel Gallery aka RAG, in Hayes Valley (also featured in our ShopGirl series) is a gem of a store. A perfect haven for those of us who love hipster craft fairs and, well, Etsy. A uniquely wonderful store, RAG is a collaboration of locally based designers and artisans all selling their wares. It's effectively like Etsy except on a local level and you don't need internet access.
The store was welcoming, though much smaller than I expected, tucked away down a little street, inside is filled with art work, clothing, jewelry and other crafty ephemera all handmade locally. Fantabulous.
541 Octavia Street
San Francisco, CA 94102-4317
(415) 621-7718
I couldn't really mention shopping on Haight Ashbury without mentioning the mahussive Wasteland that sleeps bang smack in the middle of the street. The go to place for buying and selling vintage and used clothing has five stores in California, four of which are in and around Los Angeles, but my favourite of which is in San Francisco – go figure?
They have a great selection (an ENORMOUS selection of shoes!) the space is huge and the staff are awesome (they were dressed so well I was almost intimidated) and as per usual the price's are great.
1660 Haight Street,
San Francisco, CA 94117
What are your favourite stores in San Francisco? I'd love to know, so I'm ready for my next trip!
I love Haight Ashbury and San Francisco is such an awesome city…minus the fog! Lol
Can I just say what a relief to find an individual who in fact knows what theyre talking about online. You surely know ways to bring an concern to light and make it necessary.
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