Best Places To Buy Homemade Gifts In San Francisco

Homemade in San Francisco means unique, creative, innovative, different and thought-provoking. Basically, all those things people in this city want to find as they differentiate themselves from the mass of transplants that call San Francisco home. How do we find uniqueness? Through our apparel and home decor. Here's what the Bay Area has to offer to help make you and your home one-of-a-kind.

Urban Bazaar
1371 9th Ave.
San Francisco, CA
(415) 664-4422
www.urbanbazaarsf.com
Click here for the workshop schedule

Urban Bazaar, located in the Inner Sunset district between Irving and Judah, will blow your mind away with its selection of local artist collectibles. Some of the handmade items you will find at Urban Bazaar include gloves, mittens and scarves, jewelry and home decor. They also house "The Succulent Bar," an indoor nursery for sustainable planting. Workshops are highly encouraged and can teach you how to be a local artist yourself. Community get-togethers happen on occasion in the shop's backyard area, where customers are invited to mingle and get to know the store and its staff.

Mr. Africa
Embarcardero Street Vendor
Corner of Drumm & Market
San Francisco, CA 94111

There may be no solid address but, like clockwork, you can find Mr. Africa out with his booth set up on the corner of Drumm & Market selling his incredible handmade jewelry. This is a sole proprietor who import his goods from Africa, where they are made by local indigenous artists and are sold at fair trade value. It is remarkable that a street vendor is able to provide us with high quality goods that aren't available in stores and has created a name for himself. Mr. Africa is truly a great jewelry find.

Cottage Industry
2326 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 885-0326
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cottage-Industry-Painting-Salon

Cottage Industry is packed full of goodies. You will find items that are eclectic, with a price range from low to high end. Some items are not marked, so you will have to ask for a price quote. With unique artwork and home decor pieces, Cottage Industry is a great place for the savvy shopper with honed negotiating skills. This fun and fancy-free store caters to the affluent San Franciscan looking for those extra touches for their home. Many items are not mass produced, staying true to the theme of most shops on Fillmore Street, so you will literally find one-of-a-kind items here.

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Indie Industries
2352 Market St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 861-1150

The name of this Castro District store says it all. They offer Indie apparel whose designers can all be found within the Bay Area. This is the perfect place to go if you're looking for a gift that is trendy, but also a conversation starter. The designs are diverse--some are retro and some are oh-so-San Francisco. Pricing is mid-range and Indie Industries offers great deals. This store truly encompasses the spirit of this city and one can easily become a regular at this homemade gift shop.

Chinatown Kite Shop
717 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 989-5182
www.chinatownkite.com

Handcrafted kites made of silk adorn this cute shop in Chinatown. Gifts from Chinatown Kite Shop will please the young and bring out the youthfulness in the old. For those into the sport of it, they have durable sport kites meant to fly in kite competitions. They also carry windwheels and other souvenirs, or you can call them in advance to custom-design your own kite. Get yourself ready for the many kite festivals in the Bay Area with a crocodile-shaped kite and try to contain the childlike giddiness that starts to creep up inside you.

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Timbuk2
506 Hayes St @ Octavia
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-9860
www.timbuk2.com

Making highly chill customizable bags since 1979, these guys know the needs of this pedestrian city and pioneered the first messenger bag. All of Timbuk2's bags are custom made right here in San Francisco in the Mission. This isn't just an embroidered name, their version of customized goes right down to the very color of stitching you choose to use, to where to put reflector strips, dividers and gadget holders. They are the polyvore of bags, except you can actually buy them.

Mel Ball is the founder of AskASalon.com, utilizing her background of 10 years in the beauty industry to promote, market, mentor, and build business for small salons and spas across the country. She links up quality salon or spa talented folks with businesses that need them, and supports the growth of all those in the service industry through her virtual knowledge networking site and real-world events. She resides in San Francisco. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.