San Francisco - Alison Bing [100]
SOKO HARDWARE Map DIY, Housewares
415-931-5510; 1698 Post St; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
Cover all your San Francisco contingencies: window wipes (for fog), duct tape (for earthquakes), paper lanterns (to disguise those awkward Victorian chandeliers) and a rice cooker (because soggy rice is a culinary crime in SF). Ikebana, bonsai, tea ceremony and Zen rock-garden supplies are all here at fair prices.
KATSURA GARDEN Map Flowers & Gardens
415-931-6209; 1581 Webster St; 10am-5:30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
When you’re in the mood for a little something special, try a bonsai. Katsura Garden can set you up with a miniature juniper that looks like it grew on a windswept molehill, or a stunted maple that will shed five tiny, perfect red leaves this autumn.
ICHIBAN KAN Map Gifts
415-409-0472; 22 Peace Plaza, Suite 540; 10:30am-8pm; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
Really, it’s a wonder you got this far in life without penguin soy-sauce dispensers, chocolate-covered pretzelS ‘Men’s Pocky,’ extra-spiky Japanese hair wax, soap dishes with feet, and the ultimate in gay gag gifts, the handy ‘Closet Case’ – all for under $5.
KOHSHI Map Gifts
415-931-2002; www.kohshisf.com; 1737 Post St, Suite 335; 11am-7pm Tue-Sun
Let’s be honest: San Francisco fog smells better when gently scented by Japanese incense. Here you’ll find fragrant sticks for every purpose, from long-burning sandalwood for meditation to cinnamon-tinged Gentle Smile to atone for laundry left too long, plus lovely gift ideas: gentle charcoal soap, cups that look like crumpled paper, and purple Daruma figurines for making wishes.
JONATHAN ADLER Map Housewares
415-563-9500; www.jonathanadler.com; 2133 Fillmore St; 11am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; 1, 2, 3, 4, 22
Vases with handlebar mustaches and cookie jars labeled ‘Quaaludes’ may seem like holdovers from a Big Sur bachelor pad c 1974, but they’re the latest snappy interior inspirations from California pop potter (and Top Design judge) Jonathan Adler. Don’t worry whether that leather pig footstool matches your mid-century couch – as Adler says, ‘Minimalism is a bummer.’
ZINC DETAILS Map Housewares
415-776-2100; www.zincdetails.com; 1905 Fillmore St; 11am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
Pacific Heights chic meets Japantown mod at Zinc Details, with orange lacquerware salad-tossers, a Rondo sake dispenser that looks like a Zen garden boulder, and bird-shaped Alessi soy dispensers. If you can’t find what you need here, try up the street at Zinc’s 2410 California St location.
CROSSROADS Map Vintage Clothing & Accessories
415-775-8885; www.crossroadstrading.com; 1901 Fillmore St; 11am-7pm Mon-Thu, 11am-8pm Fri & Sat, noon-7pm Sun; 1, 2, 3, 4, 22
Pssst, fashionistas: you know those designers you see lining Fillmore St? Many of their creations can be found used at Crossroads for a fraction of retail, thanks to Pacific Heights clotheshorses who tire of clothes fast and can’t be bothered to hang onto receipts. That’s why this Crossroads store is better than the other ones in the city (including Market and Haight Sts). For even better deals, trade in your own old stuff and browse the half-price rack.
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THE MARINA & THE PRESIDIO
PAST PERFECT Map Antiques & Collectibles
415-929-7651; 2230 Union St; 11am-7pm; 22, 41, 45
So this is how Pacific Heights eccentrics fill up those mansions: Fornasetti face plates, Danish teak credenzas and Lucite champagne buckets. The store is a collective, so prices are all over the place – some sellers apparently believe their belongings owe them back rent, while others are happy just to unload their ex’s mother’s prized spoon collection.
SUMBODY Map Beauty Products, Local Maker
415-775-6343; www.sumbody.com; 2167 Union St; 10am-6pm Mon-Wed, to