Forever 21, which last year signed a lease for the enormous former Virgin Megastore space at Stockton and Market, is about to get its second Union Square-adjacent store. The chain's spinoff brand, XXI Forever, which targets a "slightly older demographic," is going into the 53,000-square-foot space just a block away from Forever 21's flagship at 1 Powell Street. (Signage just went up this morning.) more ›

Although it's sponsored by American Express, and supported by large corporations such as Amazon, Google, Clear Channel and countless others, the 2nd Annual Small Business Saturday will provide the antidote to Black Friday madness. Over 2.5 million have "liked" the event nationwide on Facebook, pledging to get out to support their local businesses. Groovy, yes? more ›

You may have heard, via the big national ad campaign, that iconic Italian design house Missoni released their line of inexpensive clothing and home goods today at Target. Though we do not yet have a Target within city limits, design- and bargain-fiends have been clamoring to buy something -- anything! -- at the nearest store. The products went live on the store's website this morning, and demand for the stuff crashed the whole site -- though it appears to be up and running again [Ed. Note: actually, attempts to purchase things are delayed, and even small items now appear "on backorder"]. Also, greedy society that we are, people have already turned around and put the stuff up for sale on eBay, at a significant markup, and PEOPLE ARE BUYING IT. more ›

If you find yourself with leisure time on weekdays, or you're looking for something fun to do on your lunch/coffee break, here are this week's highlights. A shout-out of course goes to the folks at FunCheapSF for the heads-up on a few of these events. more ›

We've already told you all you need to know about tomorrow's Street Food Festival. Here's other stuff that might be less crowded. more ›

Since Jerry Brown couldn't rally enough Republicans to extend the state sales tax, San Francisco's steep 9.5% tariff on retail goods will drop slightly to an almost-manageable 8.5% rate starting tomorrow. That drop ought to make those mid-summer and holiday weekend sales 1% easier on the ol' pocketbook, but unfortunately for shoppers Temporary Mayor Ed Lee doesn't seem to share his mustachioed predecessor's lust for retail therapy at Wilkes Bashford and Neiman Marcus. The interim mayor is already looking to levy a half-percent local sales tax. more ›

Maybe you've been needing the right excuse to splurge a little, or you've been saving lots of errands for the weekend. Well, on Saturday, your retail therapy could benefit a good cause. A few enterprising folks at San Francisco's Seeing Labs and Mission Motors have come together to form Shop for Japan, a global fundraiser that benefits disaster relief charities in Japan, which takes place on Saturday. more ›

SHOP: Vintage fans can shop their heart out at the aptly named All Vintage Everything event, featuring a night of great vintage brought to you by Bay Area online and boutique vendors, further spiced up with some music, cocktails, and surprises. more ›

Oaklanders have a new place to shop for discount housewares and Justin Timberlake fashions as Target opens a new store on the Oakland/Emeryville border, at 1555 40th Street. The big ribbon cutting happened Tuesday, as Oakland North reports, and the place was open as of yesterday -- but the grand opening event is technically on Sunday, March 6. more ›

Over at GayCities, Matt Slusarenko puts out a Lavender Alert about a "motherlode" of size-large and XL designer clothes that just appeared at the Mission Thrift Town, courtesy of a closet cleaning at the home of hirsute local movie star Robin Williams. We're talking Issey Miyaki, Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, and the Armani tux Williams wore to collect his Oscar for Good Will Hunting! more ›

Raise your hand if you still have some gifts to buy, and you've run out of time to shop locally. (Raises hand.) FunCheapSF via The Frugal Find to the rescue! Head over to Amazon for free one-day shipping on select, larger ticket items, today only. You'll also save some cash in the process. more ›

Burrito Justice devised this whimsical yet ramrod pristine map of San Francisco parks and neighborhoods - including the noted blogger's personal mission in life: the recognition of La Lengua - which can be yours for the holidays. Inspired by Kyle Sluder’s SOAS (Seattle on a Sheet), The Islands of San Francisco comes in three sizes: 23″ x 23″ ($25), 15″ x 15″ ($16) and 11″ x 11″ ($11). more ›

Each Christmas morning we expect one cookbook under the tree. This year, we had better see Michael Charello's face smiling back at us, because we've firmly requested his latest effort, Michael Chiarello's Bottega, a time boasting over 100 recipes of Southern Italian fare. Recipes range from staples like stocks, oils, crème fraîche, and duck prosciutto to stellar feasts like crispy roasted pork shanks, whole-roasted pig porchetta, and potato gnocchi ravioli with egg yolk and sage brown butter. more ›

December only just began yesterday, and so has the whirlwind of events. SantaCon: If you can't get enough of drunk Santas, then Saturday's your lucky day. Lots of bars will be full of them. more ›

A public service announcement from the Examiner: an MTA program to encourage carpooling and hopefully ease holiday congestion begins tomorrow and runs until December 26th at eight different city garages. The program offers one hour of free parking to vehicles with three occupants, or two free hours to those with four or more, and is good from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (except at Civic Center, which is weekends-only). Check the list of garages on the MTA site here and please warn us before you start unloading your minivan full of hellions, OK? [Examiner] more ›

Making plans to take advantage of Black Friday shopping deals? We'd rather not, personally, that's why we have the Internet and a stack of Amazon gift cards. But if that's your kind of thing, you might want to start queuing up now because one Lori Davenport has already set up camp in front of the St. Petersburg, Florida Best Buy. As she says, "it's not about being first or any sort of firstness, it's about our own personal firstness...it's about the experience of what this brings to you." more ›

Yes, eager shoppers, you may soon be able to get Giada DiLaurentiis bakeware and other Target bargains right in the heart of S.F. The Planning Commission yesterday voted 5-2 to approve the CityPlace Mall project, which is planned as a "value retail" center that might have Target as an anchor tenant. (Target is also looking at Geary and Masonic.) Because the approval was still up in the air, the developer has not yet signed deals with retailers, but those names are sure to come out soon. more ›

We don't normally post about sales, but this one is well worth your time. (Unless you're insanely wealthy, that is.) But Goodwill stores are having a batshit sale next week. On Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 clothing is just $2 a piece and shoes are 50% off. Also, on Sunday, June 27 Goodwill's two boutique outlets, in Menlo Park and West Portal, will slash each piece of clothing or pair of shoes 50% off. With a good eye and a little time, great finds can be found at Goodwill. Find the location nearest you. more ›

Twenty-six years after opening their first store off Polk Street, then later moving to Van Ness, American Rag, purveyors of questionably-priced vintage and new fashions, has called it quits in San Francisco. There hasn't been a peep -- not even on the store's website -- about the closure, but it sounds like their Los Angeles and Newport Beach locations will remain open. more ›

We picked up this gem the other day at Out of the Closet on Polk Street. We imagine it sat in someone's kitchen for decades, and we plan for it to do the same in ours. We especially love the lone exclamation point and the rather whimsical cherries and strawberries. This find so makes up for the many other fruitless trips to Out of the Closet we've endured. Bon Appétit, indeed! more ›

How much is that doggie in the window (who's inadvertently superimposed with the reflection of this contributor)? Spotted at Kayo Books on Post near Leavenworth, purveyors of paperbacks from the 1940s to 1970s, presenting a glimpse into the "lurid past of dimestore novels, sleazy 1960s exploitation, and 1970s pop culture." more ›

We always walk by MishaSF at Polk and Pine and make a note to ourselves that we'll go there the next time we need to obtain a gift. (They need a bigger sign to help us remember their name!) MishaSF is the go-to place for such quirky and surprisingly affordable gifts as Mon-Keys Monkeys, a Coat Hanger Life Line, No Slip Bathtub Bananas, a BBQ Grill Sword, and a Ketchup & Mustard Condiment Gun. Now, we've got MishaSF's number! more ›

We're starting a new series in which we capture photos of places of interest as we're out and about. The above photos are from the Goodwill at Post and Fillmore. We've scored lots of swank stuff from this location, most notably a Hobo bag and a sweet cape, but it seemed pretty well picked over today, unless you're into Bernadette Peters on vinyl or outdated electronics. more ›

by Rachel Brodsky more ›

There's no getting around it--the holiday season is upon us. And while you could hunker down in your apartment, grow a beard and hibernate till February, perhaps one of the best ways to navigate the utter insanity of these next four weeks is to find a decent way to deal with it. Enter Etsy's Handmade Ho Down, where this Thursday, popular Bay Area artisans will gather at 1015 Folsom Street to sell their handmade wares. Etsy can't shorten your gift list any, but they can make the process a bit easier (and make it so you won't have to visit the mall, aka Holiday Hell). more ›

Just in time for the holidays, Thread will be having a two-day shopping extravaganza this weekend at Fort Mason Center, featuring wares from the top 100 hand-picked independent fashion and art designers. more ›

Two years ago, we happened on this rare downtown standout called Shotwell. Our first visit made us (literally) squee with joy, because not only did they have fantastic vintage pieces, but also carried a bevy of local designers, like Rebecca Beeson and Gytha Mander. Bag Lady hearts local designers, very much so. more ›

Well, now we've heard everything. more ›

Special thanks to the on-the-ball tipster who informed SFist of this humorous yet slightly disturbing occurrence surrounding Yelper Marie K.'s 3-star review of Perish Trust, an antique store on Divisadero Street, last week. more ›