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New Toys
While shopping Haight Street for the latest ironic t-shirt, stop in Kidrobot, a new store along the main strip. Nestled amongst shops filled with clunky shoes and whispers of "sticky kind buds," Kidrobot will appeal to anyone from dot-com techies to skateboard junkies and Marina prepsters or Mission hipsters. As Kora Thomas, Kidrobot manager explains, "So many different kinds of people come in here-it would be hard to put them in any category." More
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Under a jade and coral gateway, you enter Chinatown- one of the largest Chinese quarters outside of Asia. From this juncture at Bush and Grant, you encounter streets thick with herbs, tea leaves, jade jewelery and wisdom hats that crowd amongst the singing crickets and clamor of both locals and tourists. Forget about parking. The area is best covered by foot. More
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As the hot air of the inland valley merges with the cool coastal winds, magic happens for many San Francisco kite enthusiasts. Winds sweep across Ocean Beach and the Marina Green and set the stage for a visual playground. Kites leisurely billow in the air. Like kids induced by a sugar coated high, you'll find kite flyers looking to the sky in wide-eyed excitement. More
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How many times have you been caught empty-handed while attending a birthday, anniversary, or wedding? You're in a need of a quick gift, but procrastination got the best of you. Here are four gift stores that not only help you save face, but make you look hip in the process. Heartfelt, tutti frutti, Rainbow Station, and kar'ikter will make gift shopping as easy as ordering a Big Mac combo through your local drive-thru. More
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In the United States celebrating death is a macabre endeavor. Very seldom do we rejoice when departed souls diminish from existence and join the nether world. Dia de los Muertos, in the Mexican community, is a departure from our consternation. It celebrates death as the bedfellow of life, each sharing the yin and yang of our being. Visit Casa Bonampak and Studio 24 "en el Corazon de la Mision" (in the heart of the Mission) for Dia de los Muertos culture, education, and supplies. More
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Days 'til Christmas are winding down and I have a strange recommendation for last minute shoppers: drive to your local San Francisco mall. When push comes to shove, shopping malls are the last place where you'd like to be during the holiday crunch, however, everyone could use a personal touch to their holiday gifts. Why not complement your Christmas presents to loved ones with a personalized photo of yourself with Santa Claus? More
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Designer Chocolate
In San Francisco, Union Square is where you'll find fashion, quality, luxury and even fine art. It's also the perfect address for Richart, a chocolatier who has redefined chocolate in very similar ways. Just like the major fashion houses, France-based Richart comes out with new "collections" based on the seasons, several times a year. In addition, they feature seven families of chocolate- roasted, fruity, citrus, herbal, spiced and balsamic. Each individual chocolate resembles a mini mosaic tile, decorated with a delicate colored pattern to identify its flavor... More
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A Cruelty Free Make Over
Alternative cosmetics have recently pegged a finger on the pulse of beauty culture. Take Urban Decay, for instance; the trend-setting cosmetics company famous for color names inspired by the sordid realities of urbania (Roach, Smog, Rust, Oil Slick and Acid Rain) has flouted the puke-perfect priss of conventional makeup lines for years. Then there's Real Cosmetics, the pioneering company launched by Lubna Khalid that addresses the absence of products catering to ethnic skin... More
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With all the creative folks who call San Francisco home, it's about time a shop successfully synthesized writings, art, homespun clothing, and accessories the way Needles & Pens does. Tucked away in the Mission, this gem of a d.i.y. store used to be the stuff of daydreams for Andrew Scott, a writer/designer who's been involved in the zine scene for years, and Breezy Strand Culbertson, a sewing machine queen. After returning from six months of travel, the couple decided to give themselves a job by opening a spot that incorporated their own interests as well as those of their artistic friends and the creative community in general... More
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Fodder for your Inner Child
Ever pine for the novelty stores of your childhood, those quaint little get-ups that could be found on every street corner and painted a proverbial picture of Americana and its essentials? I can see it now: glass jars dotted with gum drops, marble-top counters sporting multi-colored pens, fire engine red stools made for lazy lounging and imbibing ice cream sodas. Getting nostalgic yet? Um, probably not, unless you grew up in the 1950s. All the same, avatars of the five and dime stores of yore, despite exponentially inflated prices, are popping up everywhere... More
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