Happy holidays, San Francisco! Check out these unique local businesses to shop for gifts this season, from artisan goods to adorable collectibles.
It’s officially the holiday season, which means that you’re probably buying gifts for your friends and family. We’re big fans of shopping locally and showing SF businesses some love. Here are a few staff picks for our favorite unique gift shops in San Francisco.
Want more inspiration for your next shopping day? See our running list of local holiday markets in the Bay Area.
1. COVE
The charming store has plenty of beautiful plants to get for your loved one with a green thumb, plus an array of cute collectible 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: Lower Haight – 206 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94117
2. 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: Pacific Heights – 2328 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115
3. 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: Lower Haight – 663 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
4. Nest
Located in Lower Pac Heights on Fillmore Street, 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 popular SF gift 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.
Location: Lower Pacific Heights – 2300 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115
5. Park Life
Park Life is an art and design store with unique 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, with multiple pop-up locations to check out.
Location:
- 220 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
- 201 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
- Pop-up store at SFMOMA through Feb 2025
- Book store in collaboration with Albion at Fort Mason Center
6. City Lights Booksellers
We would be remiss not to include the iconic City Lights bookstore in this list. They have 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: North Beach – 261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
7. Life
This fragrance and gift shop in San Francisco 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 boutique shelves as well.
Location: Lower Haight – 604A Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
8. 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.
Location: Alamo Square – 988 Oak St, San Francisco, CA 94117
9. 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.
Location: North Beach – 1412 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
10. Rare Device
Rare Device is a delightfully funky art gallery and gift shop in San Francisco with all sorts of unique collectibles including whimsical home decor, jewelry, beauty products, and more. They highlight both local and international artisans, and the store’s location on Divisadero Street puts you in a good spot for a full day of shopping near Alamo Square.
Location: Alamo Square – 600 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117
