{"id":94267,"date":"2025-12-14T14:24:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T14:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/94267\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T14:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T14:24:25","slug":"the-only-last-minute-gift-guide-you-need-in-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/94267\/","title":{"rendered":"The only last-minute gift guide you need in San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sure, San Francisco may be the AI capital of the world, but we can\u2019t let you rely on a generic chatbot to generate your holiday gift list. In the spirit of celebrating humanity over slop, we hit the (real, actual, concrete) streets and dropped into dozens of local businesses to ask San Francisco\u2019s real unicorns \u2014 brick-and-mortar shop owners \u2014 to pick the most creative, cool, and thoughtful gifts from among the hundreds of covetable items on their shelves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are the experts\u2019 picks for the people on your extra-nice list.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Claude limited-edition Kokoro tequila plata, $85\"Two<\/p>\n

Pour one out for our beloved gator, Claude. Artist Ferris Plock and Kokoro tequila founder Howard Cao both live within strolling distance of the California Academy of Sciences, and their kids grew up communing with Claude on a near-weekly basis. They created this limited-edition bottle of Kokoro\u2019s tequilla engraved with Plock\u2019s custom artwork in the gator\u2019s honor, with 10% of sales going to the academy. \u201cThe Kokoro limited Claude edition is pure San Francisco,\u201d says Moose Malhi, owner of the San Francisco Tequila Shop. \u201cAnd because the tequila is traditionally made and super easy to sip, it\u2019s an easy pick for holiday gifting.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Francisco Tequila Shop, 801 Cortland Ave. Buy it here (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nikki Couppee studs, $300\"Two<\/p>\n

Suchandra Bullock spent years working as a fashion stylist for big brands. Now she runs Soochie, a little shop of beautiful things on the edge of Nob Hill, where she cheerleads for local artists and makers. These candy-colored, mismatched studs from Berkeley designer Nikki Couppee will add bling to an everyday outfit or top off a night-out look. Made from unconventional materials \u2014 resin and holographic gems \u2014 they are tiny, wearable pieces of art. \u201cEach pair is one of a kind and not too serious,\u201d Bullock says. \u201cGifting these truly shows you are part of the \u2018IYKYK\u2019 club.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Soochie, 792 Sutter St. Buy it here (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fortune Cat maekake canvas apron, $64\"A<\/p>\n

Larry Faedi, owner of the Outer Richmond shop Paloma, is obsessed with Japan. As a leatherworker, he cares most about quality and craftsmanship, so he can\u2019t help but stock his shop with cult faves from across the Pacific. \u201cA maekake is a traditional, rugged Japanese canvas apron, historically worn by merchants, brewery workers, and craftsmen,\u201d he says. This is one of the few brands still using century-old Toyota looms to weave the aprons, known for their thick indigo fabric and distinctive Kanji logos.<\/p>\n

Paloma, 4412 Cabrillo St. Available in-store only.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sound Burger, $199\"A<\/p>\n

Can you imagine a better job than stocking the SFMOMA Museum Store? Shane Salvata has been doing just that for more than a decade. (She was previously a buyer for Gap and Saks Fifth Avenue, so she knows how to pick \u2019em.) Salvata thinks the portable, high-style Sound Burger turntable is \u201cperfect for a Gen Z who loves music but hasn\u2019t dipped into vinyl yet, or for a Gen Xer who got rid of the old turntable in an unfortunate KonMari Covid purge.\u201d<\/p>\n

SFMOMA Museum Store, 151 Third Ave. Buy it here.\u00a0 (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

Vintage Hermes scarf, $550\"A<\/p>\n

Sherri McMullen, owner of McMullen boutique, is a regular at the runway shows in Paris and New York and is known for her keen sense of which new designers are destined for bigger things. But when it comes to gifts, nothing is more of a sure thing than vintage. \u201cI sourced this vintage Hermes scarf from Paris and love the colors and print,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMullen, 3687 Sacramento St. Buy it here. (opens in new tab)<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Temi shearling slide, $338\"Light<\/p>\n

Even the staunchest Ugg hater can\u2019t deny the coziness of a shearling lining. Thankfully, local brand Freda Salvador has put its own spin on furry footwear. The Temi slide is signature Freda \u2014 covetable, comfortable, and creative \u2014 and owner Megan Papay thinks a pair would make a great gift for the city dweller who loves to stroll.<\/p>\n

Freda Salvador, 2011 Fillmore St. Buy it here.\u00a0 (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

Watercolor set, $178\"A<\/p>\n

Alexis Joseph has been an evangelist for creativity and hand-crafting since opening her kaleidoscope of an art-supply store Case for Making in 2014. Painters flock to the beachside shop to score the house-made watercolor palettes. For that person in your life who frets about screen time, a 14-hue watercolor set will inspire countless unplugged weekends. Joseph has a simple suggestion for beginners: \u201cDo your best to tap into a place of curiosity and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Case for Making, 4037 Judah St. Buy it here.\u00a0 (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

Field shirt, $665\"A<\/p>\n

Evan Kinori produces limited, hand-numbered editions from inside his Valencia Street studio and shop using textiles woven by historic mills in Japan, Italy, and Ireland. His designs reinterpret classic chore jackets, pleated trousers, and button-down shirts with a contemporary silhouette. The Field shirt in sultry sumi ink corduroy is the everything, everywhere shirt for those who are deadly serious about the art of dressing.<\/p>\n

Evan Kinori, 1367 Valencia St. Buy it here (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Depths tarot deck, $70\"A<\/p>\n

Kelly Ishikawa founded Perish Trust nearly 20 years ago, and her experience is on plain view inside the expertly curated shop. For these uncertain times, she recommends a dreamy tarot deck created by Annabelle Rey and Katie Chirgotis. \u201cThis year in particular, I think folks are reaching for gifts that come from a truly meaningful place, and this tarot deck provides that on many levels,\u201d says Ishikawa. \u201cIf you have someone on your list that could use a beautiful ritual for themselves in 2026, this is the perfect gift.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perish Trust, 728 Divisadero St. Buy it here.\u00a0 (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

Ruth Asawa: \u201cThe Tamarind Prints,\u201d $35\u00a0\"A<\/p>\n

The recent SFMOMA retrospective of Ruth Asawa\u2019s work revealed two distinct types of groupies: the sculpture heads and the print fanatics. For the latter, this book is a must-have. It features Asawa\u2019s vibrant, experimental lithographs of subjects ranging from delicate flowers to members of her family, and is the first to present her complete portfolio made at the renowned Tamarind Lithography Workshop. \u201cThis is the perfect gift for the creative and free thinker in your life,\u201d says Rose Tobin, manager of Reliquary in Hayes Valley, which gives this tome pride of place on its shelves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reliquary, 544 Hayes St. Buy it here.\u00a0 (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

Happy Organics carrot taper candle set, $34\"Five<\/p>\n

The team at Aggregate Supply is giddy about Happy Organics\u2019 hyper-realistic candles carved to look like your farmers market haul. The shop stocks a tasty-looking array, including rainbow carrots, bing cherries, and heirloom tomatoes. Co-owner Andrew Soernsen is \u201cin love with\u201d the carrot version. \u201cThey emanate a natural, sweet aroma and make an ideal centerpiece or a thoughtful gift.\u201d As a little bonus, burning beeswax candles is said to neutralize dust and pollen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aggregate Supply, 806 Valencia St. Available in-store only.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sure, San Francisco may be the AI capital of the world, but we can\u2019t let you rely on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94268,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[36210,6720,101,103,102,104,106,105,11515],"class_list":{"0":"post-94267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-cool-factory","9":"tag-holiday-shopping","10":"tag-san-francisco","11":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","12":"tag-san-francisco-news","13":"tag-sf","14":"tag-sf-headlines","15":"tag-sf-news","16":"tag-shopping"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}