San Francisco - Alison Bing [105]
ADS HATS Map Millinery, Local Designer
415-503-1316; www.adshats.com; 418 Valencia St; noon-7pm Wed-Sat, to 5pm Sun; 14, 26, 33, 49; 16th St Mission
Hats come in handy in SF almost year-round, and this local hat-maker collective sells super-fly lids to keep the fog from chilling your scalp: distressed-leather newsboys, unisex bowlers, svelte 1920s cloches and floppy numbers that would do Janis Joplin proud.
AQUARIUS RECORDS Map Music
415-647-2272; www.aquariusrecords.org; 1055 Valencia St; 10am-9pm Mon-Wed, to 10pm Thu-Sun; 14, 26, 33, 49; 16th St Mission
When pop seems played out, this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius Records, featuring Armenian blues, rare 1970s recordings by SF’s Moog-powered punk rockers The Units, and new releases of blissed-out trance on – get this – cassette. Recent staff favorites include Ethiopian funkmaster Mahmoud Ahmed, groovy Brazilian garage rockers Bango and aluminum records of sci-fi synth by Finnish band Aavikko.
DISCOLANDIA Map Music
415-826-9446; 2964 24th St; 11:30am-6:30pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun; 48; 24th St Mission
The oldest Latin-music store in the Bay Area and as funky as ever, making passersby step in time with merengue, salsa and Tejano blasting out the door. Get yours on CD or vintage vinyl, and stock up on Spanish-language mags, adult comics and pulp fiction.
COMMUNITY THRIFT Map Vintage Clothing & Accessories
415-861-4910; www.communitythriftsf.org; 623 Valencia St; 10am-6:30pm; 14, 22, 33, 49; 16th St Mission
When local collectors and retailers have too much of a good thing, they donate it to Community Thrift, where proceeds go to community organizations – all the more reason to gloat over your $6 ikebana vase, $7 ’80s mohair cardigan and that $35 art deco cigar humidor you found out back by the furniture. Donate your own unused stuff and show some love to the Community.
ROOM 4 Map Vintage Clothing & Accessories, Housewares
415-647-2764; www.room4.com; 904 Valencia St; noon-7pm; 14, 22, 33, 49; 16th St Mission
Spare yourself years of arduous thrifting, and head to this tiny treasure-box boutique for the good stuff: trippy green and orange enamel dishes; a pair of pearlescent dewdrop-shaped lamps; creepy portraits of big-eyed toddlers in the rain; and locally designed underwear made of vintage T-shirt fabric that is styled for boys, but cute enough for girly-girls.
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THE CASTRO & NOE VALLEY
OMNIVORE Map Books
415-282-4712; www.omnivorebooks.com; 3885a Cesar Chavez St; 11am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun; 24, 48, J
Salivate over signed cookbooks by chef-legend Alice Waters, A16’s James Beard Rising Star Chef Nate Appelbaum, and signed copies of Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Check the in-store events calendar for standing-room-only events with star chefs, and don’t miss the collection of vintage cookbooks and such rarities as a Civil War–era recipe-book, written longhand.
AMBIANCE Map Clothing & Accessories
415-647-7144/5800; www.ambiancesf.com; 3985 & 3989 24th St; 11am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat, 11am-7pm Sun; 24, 48, J
The splashy prints reel you in, and the sales pitch works every time: ‘Oh. My. God. That looks so key-oot on you!’ Expect to emerge clutching some little number requiring you to hit the town: swingy skirts for Lindy-hopping in Golden Gate Park, or DNA-pattern jackets for biotech lectures. The shoe-and-sale store next door encourages you to keep the retail rush going, while the sister store at 1458 Haight St features teen-appropriate prom dresses, and 1858 Union St in the Marina offers cocktail attire.
ISSO Map Clothing & Accessories, Local Designer
415-920-9149; www.issosf.com; 3789 24th St; 11am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; 24, 48, J
‘Made, found or designed in the Bay Area’ is the motto of this purveyor of swingy, organic jersey dresses by SF designer SheBible, T-shirts with linocut portraits of Chaka Khan and Fela Kuti by Oakland’s Nopal Apparel, and mod ‘60s white vinyl purses – all at sample-sale prices.
SUI GENERIS