It’s officially the holiday season, which means that you’re probably buying gifts, whatever the occasion. We’re big fans of shopping locally and showing SF businesses some love. Here are a few staff picks of our favorite unique stores to shop at this holiday season.
Nest
Located in lower Pacific Heights on Fillmore St, Nest is practically Candyland for unique decor, vintage or vintage-inspired pieces, and glittering costume jewelry. Run by a mother-daughter duo, Nest was opened in 1995. The shop has a bit of everything: fun jewelry, vases, prints, and more. The eclectic curation makes it a perfect spot to find gifts for various people in your life, especially those in the “hard to shop for” category. Plus, it’s worth the visit just to see their gorgeous holiday window displays and the chandeliers shaped into nests.
Locations: 2300 Fillmore St
COVE
The charming store has plenty of beautiful plants to get your loved one with a green thumb and plenty of cute small items to peruse. A large selection of candles, beaded broaches, and adorable ornaments also make great gifts. The shop’s motto is fittingly “find something beautiful,” perfect for finding some delightful gifts.
Location: 206 Fillmore St
Cottage Industry
Cottage Industry is filled to the brim with eclectic goods. The space is glowing with a cluster of creative lights hanging from the ceiling (all for sale, of course), and each corner is overflowing with unique items. The store imports items from artisans all over the world–58 countries to be exact. The store recently got attention for carrying many charms, perfect for making a customized bracelet or necklace.
Location: 2328 Fillmore St
WAVE Collective
For all the art lovers in your life, Wave Collective is a great space to support SF artists who are just breaking into the industry. The artist collective regularly hosts community events and has curated art shows that are typically open applications for SF artists. You can find some great, unique pieces and support the SF art community.
Location: 663 Haight St
Park Life
Park Life is an art and design store with quick and modern pieces. You can shop prints, notebooks, coffee table books, and other funky home goods. The store also has a gallery space with contemporary art that’s stylish and fun. The store has 2 SF locations for shopping.
Location: 220 Clement St and 201 Clement St
City Lights Booksellers
We would be remiss not to include the iconic bookstore in this list. City Lights has a large selection of books for all your bookworm loved ones, including a whole room dedicated to poetry. The independent bookstore was founded in 1953; it soon became a landmark for counter-culture and beatnik writing.
Location: 261 Columbus Ave
Life
This Lower Haight fragrance and gift shop was originally opened in 1992 and continues to be a neighborhood favorite. The shop has vintage pieces, candles, and jewelry, but the real highlight is their specialty costume-made fragrances. You can find oils and various skin products along the shelves as well.
Location: 604 Haight St.
SMO Ceramics
This local ceramics studio is perfect for fun, handmade gifts created right in San Francisco. SMO is an excellent option for those who still prefer online shopping from their couch but want to support local businesses. You can order online and either pick up your purchase at the SF studio or have it shipped. You’ll find a variety of colorful pieces, from fun fruit dishes to our personal favorite, a ceramic disco cake.
Happy House
A new store located in North Beach, Happy House is perfect for unique, artist-made gifts, epsecially for someone that’s hard to shop for. The store describes itself as a “psychedelic general store” and it really does sell a little bit of everything. Happy House is full of color and you can support SF artists while you look for a holiday gift.
Locations: 552 Columbus Ave