Top Gift Shops In San Francisco

Described as an old-school general store with a modern twist, Heartfelt might be considered a hidden gem if not for its sizable local following. Located on the central business street of Bernal Heights, Heartfelt is a delightful neighborhood retail store offering unique gift items and sundries from mini departments like Bath, Toys and Whit & Whimsy. The store led by Darcy Lee since 1999 also maintains an online store with a special section for new items and staff recommendations. Typically graced with bundles of fresh cut flowers on both sides of the 19th century storefront, Heartfelt has consistently been rated as among the best boutique gift shops in San Francisco

Despite being in business for just a few years, Local Take has received so much praise it's now ranked amongst the best gift shops in San Francisco. Located in the lively Castro district just a few minutes from two San Francisco Muni light rail stations, Local Take offers a multitude of unique items designed by local artist that typically bear an unmistakable San Francisco twist, such as a Sutro Tower Tote, Golden Gate Bridge Tea Towel, Hayes Valley Candle and 3D printed cable car earrings. As a testament to its rising popularity, Local Take added a second store in the Inner Sunset district in April. Local Take also manages an online store, selling interesting items from seven categories including accessories, art, home goods and jewelry.

Ghirardelli Square (credit: Randy Yagi)

Lola Of North Beach
1415 Grant St.
San Francisco, CA  94133
(415) 781-1817
www.lolaofnorthbeach.com

Known for its diverse selection of hard to find gift items and friendly service, Lola of North Beach has often been named among the best Bay Area gift shops. Located in its namesake neighborhood of North Beach, the small boutique store offers a remarkable amount of items including hand creams, infant clothing, San Francisco-themed gifts and a nice selection of books and greeting cards. Even more gift items can be found through the online store, with eight separate sections, including Favorites, For Him, For Her, Little Ones, Home and Office. Founded in 2002, Lola of North Beach also operates Nola Cards a short walk from the original flagship store and a second Lola of North Beach on the main plaza of the historic Ghirardelli Square.

Only In San Francisco (credit: Randy Yagi)

Only In San Francisco
Pier 39
Beach St. & The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA  94133
(415) 397-0143
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.net

Despite being a little kitschy and a lot more touristy, Only in San Francisco is often considered the best one-stop shop for everything San Francisco. Located at Pier 39, the themed gift shop is reputed to be the largest retailer of San Francisco gifts, souvenirs and memorabilia and due to its premier location, attracts a daily parade of shoppers and curious onlookers. Sample gift items from the store include an assortment of competitively priced Alcatraz souvenir items like coffee mugs and shot glasses, jackets and T-shirts emblazoned with "San Francisco," "SF" or landmark attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and affordable jewelry. Although Pier 39 has more than 110 retail stores, Only in San Francisco is hard to miss as it's situated right next to the main entrance on The Embarcadero.

SFMOMA (credit: Randy Yagi)

SFMOMA Museum Store
151 Third St.
San Francisco, CA  94103
(888) 357-0037
www.museumstore.sfmoma.org

After nearly three long years, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) reopened in May to become the largest one of the world's largest museums for modern and contemporary art. Along with the grand reopening of this acclaimed state-of-the-art museum was the reopening of its beloved Museum Store and new additions like In Situ, the highly anticipated new San Francisco restaurant led by Corey Lee of the Michelin three-starred Benu. As part of the new renovations, the Museum Store now has two retail stores onsite, with the expanded main store on the first level featuring an assortment of gift items like art books and home accessories and a satellite store on the second level showcasing SFMOMA-branded items like t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and handbags. The SFMOMA Museum Store also operates a retail store on the departure level at the SFO International Terminal.