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The Best of San Diego, 2025: Retail

The top local shops and boutiques to treat yourself and loved ones this year
Courtesy of Thread Spun

Best Place to Shop for a Cause

Thread Spun

Much as you’ll want to, you can’t move into Thread Spun, a sustainably minded Encinitas boutique on North Coast Highway. But you can stock up on beautifully made, thoughtfully curated homewares, apparel, accessories, personal care items, and goodies for kids to turn your own abode into the closest approximation, knowing you’re doing good in the process—Thread Spun donates two percent of its sales to charitable causes. Excellent excuse to pick up a seabuckthorn facial serum for yourself when you grab beaded coasters for your bestie’s birthday.

Best Retail Relocation

REI

Every climber’s favorite store just got fresh digs: North County’s REI moved from Encinitas to Carlsbad in the La Costa Town Square in February. The grand-opening ceremony included free camping mugs, activities, and a ribbon-chopping ceremony (starring an axe instead of scissors)—a fitting debut for an adventure-focused outpost in one of America’s outdoorsiest cities. Stop by for anything you might need to live your best life al fresco, whether that means an off-the-grid camping trip or a day at the beach with a reusable water bottle and a nice, new umbrella.

Courtesy of Architectural Salvage

Best Spot to Source Century-Old Doorknobs

Architectural Salvage

Egyptian doors from the Napoleonic era, North Park street lamps from the early 1900s, and 100-year-old Hungarian workbenches are just a few of the eclectic treasures you’ll find at Architectural Salvage. Walking into the home and building materials shop feels like stepping into a real life I Spy book—a world of whimsy packed with storied relics. Formerly located in Little Italy, the beloved store reopened this past November in a new Barrio Logan location. Whether you’re giving an antique a second life or hunting for a hidden gem, this spot delivers surprises you didn’t know your home needed.

Quartyward Wotown San Diego thrift store vendor

Best Source of Rare Star Wars Action Figures

Replay Toys

In February, heaven on earth for toy lovers and collectors—Replay Toys—moved from Ray Street into a newer and larger location on University Avenue in North Park. Mom of two Kim Nabours started selling her kids’ old playthings at the swap meet 14 years ago. Her side hustle turned to a permanent brick-and-mortar where kids can pick out new and used toys and grown-ups can chase down rare collectibles and nostalgic mementos.

Best Store For Spell Ingredients

Datura

Get out your grimoire—North Park’s Datura (named after a lovely but hallucinogenic and potentially deadly f lower) carries everything you need for witchy business: candles and crystals, incense and oils, plus more than 200 different dried herbs and plants. Seeking shatavari for boosting libido? Gentian root for better intuition? Frankincense for warding off the haters? It’s all here.

Interior of San Diego miniatures shop Ms. Peggie's Place

Best Replacements For Your Decade-Old Work Shirts

Uniqlo

People call Uniqlo the “Japanese Gap” for a reason: It’s an affordable, reliable, wildly popular source of wardrobe staples. So, last year, when the first San Diego location opened at Westfield UTC in La Jolla, the 1,000-person crowd that gathered at its grand opening celebration came as no surprise. The store had a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a taiko drum performance, and even Japanese pastries and tea. Now, the beloved store will unveil an outpost at Fashion Valley Mall later this year. Get in line early.

Courtesy of Maxwell’s House of Books

Best Bookshop That’s Old Enough To Drink

Maxwell’s House of Books

Maxwell’s House of Books’ 22-year tenure in La Mesa makes perfect sense once you learn that owner Craig Maxwell’s grandpa Vernon Wahrenbrock ran the iconic Wahrenbrock’s Book House in downtown for more than seven decades. Maxwell’s packed used book emporium stocks rare editions and budget-friendly finds alike across genres. While you’re digging for your next read, don’t forget to say hi to the shop’s most esteemed bibliophile: its chubby resident cat.

Best Rose-Scented Ode

David’s Daughter

A surefire way to brighten a loved one’s day? Flowers—especially ones as thoughtful and artfully arranged as the bouquets at David’s Daughter in North Park. Owner Chandler Rossi named the chic, welcoming shop in memory of her father, a fellow florist and lifelong inspiration. Offering custom or premade arrangements, floral subscriptions, cute knick-knacks, and collaborative workshops like Pilates & Petals, David’s Daughter purveys everything you need to express sympathy, say thank you to a devoted family member, or help a new romance bloom.

Best New Obsession For Budding Designers

Fringe Fabrics

The sad news: Joann Fabrics officially closed the last of its retail stores in May. The silver lining: Independent sewing shop Fringe Fabrics launched last year in Normal Heights. Founded by fourth-gen San Diegan and longtime sustainable and ethical fashion champ Jacqui Palhegyi, the store sells notions, patterns, and top-notch fabrics made from natural materials (and some earth-friendly semi-synthetics) and hosts workshops teaching emerging sewists how to mend and craft their own garments. We see several exclamations of “Thanks, I made it!” in your future.

Courtesy of Re-Animated Records

Best Cure For A Boring Vinyl Collection

Re-Animated Records

Hunting for that really specific metal album that your dad listened to in the ’80s? How about a VHS copy of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes? Chances are Re-Animated Records might just have it. Nestled in downtown La Mesa, this mom-and-pop record store boasts an impressive collection of horror movies, used records, cassettes, memorabilia, posters, and more. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the shop offers a great selection at prices that won’t break the vintage piggy bank.

Best First Step To Becoming Jimi Hendrix

Mark’s Guitar Exchange

Whether you’ve never plucked a string in your life or you’re a seasoned professional currently hoarding 30 instruments in the garage, Mark’s Guitar Exchange will have something for you. With two locations in Chula Vista and Point Loma filled f loor-to-ceiling with every guitar imaginable, Mark’s Guitar Exchange has become a staple for local musicians. This gem of a shop also offers lessons, repairs, custom builds, maintenance, and advice for those just starting out on the road to shredding.

Photo Credit: Leinin Dumitrescu

Best Use of Spare Change

Bizarre Bazaar Vending

Crocheted catnip doobies, SoCal seed bombs, palm-sized stained glass, mystery-wrapped novels, Zoltar fortune cards, troll doll lighters, mini bolo ties—if you’re going to blow money at the bar, you’re better off getting a conversation-starting keepsake out of it.

That’s where Bizarre Bazaar Vending comes in, blending retro hardware and renegade creativity to craft vending machines full of memories. Founded by Tim Stevenson (an engineer) and Kate Homer (an art-and-biz brain), this year-and-ahalf-old passion project turns vintage snack machines into tiny, blinking galleries of local art, offbeat objects, and $25-or-less treasures.

“We wanted to create something physical in our community,” Homer says. “So far, we have partnered with 30-plus local artists, placing affordable mini artworks directly into the hands of friends and neighbors. It’s echoing the city’s growing embrace of pop-ups and community-driven art.”

The duo’s three machines—at Tiny Giant Taproom in Barrio Logan, Torque Coffee in City Heights, and Camera Exposure in University Heights—are stocked with a rotating bounty. It’s a punk-rock Museum of Contemporary Art with a coin slot. But it’s not just for laughs. They’ve teamed up with local nonprofits to offer free Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and reproductive health essentials, as well.

“Beyond gag gifts and mystery kits, we love finding unique ways to be a part of the San Diego community,” Homer says. Their machines have popped up at weddings, chili fests, even the Old Globe Gala.

Everything is crafted by and curated with local makers, who earn a generous split on consigned items.

With big dreams of scaling to 10 or more machines and quitting the 9-to-5 grind, Stevenson and Homer are quietly building SD’s creative community (and possibly a DIY empire), one sticker pack at a time.

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By SDM Staff

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