Shopping: Where to get the goods tonight

By Chloe Schildhause

Bubble baubles from CC Rider

Everyone should be extremely stressed at the moment. You only have 14 more shopping days until Christmas, a mere 10 until Chanukah, and 20 more until my birthday. You’re running out of time! San Francisco merchants and local designers understand this and are here to help you.

TONIGHT: The Divisadero Art Walk starts at 6:00 and technically goes until 9:00, with select businesses open a bit on the later side. Walk between Geary and Haight and check out stores for the thrift lover in your life. CC Rider features vintage goods as well as local designers. I went there the other day and picked up some used books- Stardust: The David Bowie Story as a gift to myself, and The Lani People's The Daring Science-Fiction Novel of a Race of Beautiful Females That Were Called Non-Human for my science fiction-loving sister (good thing she doesn’t read my blogs.)

Then there’s Still Life, a fabulous treasure chest of a store. The Divisadero boutique, which opened within the year, is a place where one can ogle over the vintage threads and hand made jewelry made from various local designers. I ended up buying a high-waisted brown leather skirt on my last visit, and a gorgeous rose ring for my friend Rosie, but it’s the badass switchblade gun necklace that’s on my wish list.

Beyond fashion Divisadero offers the Yoga Garden: get a membership for a dear yogi friend. Or get your friend an exotic plant from the brand new Plant it Earth location.

A nice way to end the shopping on Divis extravaganza is a drink at a bar, and there are no shortages of bars on this street. Madrone Lounge, Bar 821, and Fly Bar are all there for you’re after party elixir. Then there's the new Candy Bar dessert lounge, where you can relax with your loved ones after a long night of shopping and indulge in chocolate chip cookies baked as you order, or the less standard apple crisp accompanied by a goat cheese sherbet.

MORE TONIGHT: A more intimate fair occurring in the mission is local designer Rachel Znerold Fashion Soiree taking place at the designer’s house (email her Rachel@rachelzart.com for further details) In an intimate setting Rachel will outfit her loyal customers in any of her new designs (50 new pieces!) With her sewing machine on site, Rachel will be able to alter any of her handmade pieces on the spot. The shindig goes from 4:00 – 10:00 pm, but if you can’t make it simply email Rachel with a request for a pirate try-on session.

TOMORROW: The Mission is the place to shop for unique, rare treasures. The Mission Holiday Block Party http://getlocalsf.com/ brings even more reason to explore the best shops in town (discounts and entertainment!) And all the best stores are participating in this shopping street party. There’s Paxton Gate http://www.paxtongate.com/ for your dead animal loving friends. Best taxidermy in town, hands down. I am thinking of buying the Victorian dressed rat for my Grandma Phyllis, she will love it! Clothes Contact offers the cheapest threads, with price determined by weight. Therapy has gag gifts galore (Last year I bought a friend of mine Jew Breath Spray – allowing her to become Jewish instantly) as well as sophisticated jewelry, and coffee table books. BellJar offers fashion for the smart dresser (obviously, they do carry Kittinhawk after all) Then there’s Minnie Wildehttp://www.minniewilde.com, owned and operated by designer Terri Olson von Schaub, who’s work space and bundles of fabric can be seen in the back corner of the store. In addition to her own designers, Minnie Wilde features other local indie lines and denim collections from London, LA and New York.

You now have oodles of option and no excuses. Have fun shopping!

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