San Francisco - Alison Bing [108]
PIEDMONT BOUTIQUE Map Costumes & Fetish Wear, Local Designer
415-864-8075; www.piedmontsf.com; 1452 Haight St; 11am-7pm; 6, 7, 33, 37, 43, 71
‘No food, no cell phones, no playing in the boas,’ says the sign at the door, but inside, that last rule is gleefully ignored by cross-dressers, cabaret singers, strippers and people who take Halloween dead seriously. All the getups are custom-designed in-house and built to last – so, like certain escorts, honey, they’re not as cheap as they look.
COCO-LUXE Map Food & Drink, Local Maker
415-367-4012; www.coco-luxe.com; 1673 Haight St; noon-8pm; 6, 7, 33, 37, 43, 71
The Gold Rush may be over, but the sugar rush is definitely on at this SF chocolate maker reinventing American dessert classics like devil’s food cake, malted milkshakes and banana splits as truffles. Cinnamon-candied almonds dunked in chocolate and dusted with cocoa make Block Party Almonds the kind of treat you might not be inclined to share with neighbors.
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top picks
LOCAL DESIGNERS
Dema
Loyal Army Clothing (left)
Mabel Chong (opposite)
Delilah Crown
Upper Playground (above)
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GOORIN BROTHERS HATS Map Millinery, Local Designer
415-436-9450; www.goorin.com; 1446 Haight St; 11am-7pm Sun-Fri, to 8pm Sat; 6, 7, 33, 43, 71
Peacock feathers, high crowns and locally designed embellishments make it easy for SF hipsters to withstand the fog while standing out in a crowd. Straw fedoras with striped tie-silk bands bring the shade in style, and flat-brim baseball caps go high-culture with embroidery of Sumerian hero Gilgamesh destroying the demon Humbaba.
AMOEBA MUSIC Map Music
415-831-1200; 1855 Haight St; 10:30am-10pm Mon-Sat, 11am-9pm Sun; 6, 7, 33, 37, 43, 71
Enticements are hardly necessary to lure the masses to the West Coast’s most eclectic collection of new and used music and video, but Amoeba offers listening stations, a free music zine with uncannily accurate reviews, a free concert series that recently starred Elvis Costello and the Breeders, and a foundation that’s saved over 950 acres of rainforest.
SFO SNOWBOARDING & FTC SKATEBOARDING Map Sporting Goods, Local Maker
415-626-1141; www.sfosnow.com; 1630 Haight St; 11am-7pm; 6, 7, 33, 37, 43, 71
Big air and big style are the tip at this local snowboard and skateboard outfitter. Show some local style as you grab air on a Western Edition deck tricked out with drawings of Fillmore jazz greats and ramshackle Victorian houses, or hit the slopes with Tahoe-tested gear. Check the website for upcoming SF street games and current Tahoe snow conditions.
BLUEBIRD Map Vintage Clothing & Accessories, Local Designer
415-206-1107; www.bluebirdcollection.com; 214 Pierce St; 11am-7pm Thu-Sun; 6, 7, 66, 71, N
Even tiny terrors look adorable in Bluebird’s flouncy, fun frocks and shoulder-tie sundresses inspired by the 1940s and ’50s, when kids weren’t expected to strut around like baby Britney Spears. Designer/owner Stephanie Scarpulla is also a vintage clotheshound, so you’ll find striped ’60s mod minis and dreamy 1970s Gunne Sax maxidresses for women here, too.
WASTELAND Map Vintage Clothing & Accessories
415-863-3150; www.wastelandclothing.com; 1660 Haight St; 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-7pm Sun; 71
The catwalk of thrifting, this vintage superstore adds instant style with funky bell-sleeved Custo shirts, Pucci maxi-skirts and a steady supply of go-go boots. Hip occasionally verges on hideous with acrylic sweaters and patchwork suede jackets, but at these prices, you can afford to take fashion risks.
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HAYES VALLEY
FLAX Map Art Supplies, DIY
415-552-2355; www.flaxart.com; 1699 Market St; 9:30am-7pm Mon-Sat; 6, 7, 71, J, K, L, M, N;
People who swear they lack artistic flair suddenly find it at Flax, where an entire room of specialty papers, racks of plump paint tubes in luscious colors, and a wonderland of hot glue guns practically make the collage for you. Kid-art projects start here, and the vast selections of pens and notebooks are novels waiting to happen.
POLANCO