One of best things about living in San Francisco is the cornucopia of unique small businesses. Local businesses are the backbone of any community, so I greatly believe in the importance of supporting them, especially in an era where it’s far too convenient to shop online. With Small Business Saturday just around the corner, I’ve partnered with Uber to highlight my top 5, best loved businesses. And thanks to the “Saved Places” feature in the Uber app, I’m able to efficiently bounce around town, hitting up my favorite haunts without having to deal with the hectic parking situation, especially this time of year. So, if you’re ever in The City By The Bay, be sure to bookmark these incredibly fun destinations. And if holiday shopping is in the plans this holiday weekend, I hope that you’ll get out this Saturday and support your local small businesses!
Metier, 546 Laguna Street, Hayes Valley: Sheri Evans and Trina Papini have been buying estate and modern jewelry for their stunning jewel box of a boutique for over 20 years. Their shared passion for storied trinkets and modern approach for procuring keepsakes means they’ve amassed a covetable collection of jewelry from nearly every era. I’m a sucker for antique jewelry and love that every visit to Metier is never without an awe inspiring, historical anecdote.
St. Lightning, 1813 Polk Street, Russian Hill: Jenni Witt and Sita Lindner founded their Russian Hill boutique with the intention to celebrate goods made by individuals and small companies that utilize sustainable and artisanal practices. The 60s and 70s vibe, is perfected with a fabulous assortment of vintage closing and a killer collection of vintage denim, all of which is customizable with alterations and hand embroidered patches. Groovy.
Le Marais Bakery, 498 Sanchez St, Castro: If you’re ever missing France, or in the mood for the best almond croissant in town, head to Le Marais Bakery. Inspired by his childhood spent in Paris, Patrick Ascaso set out to bring back the traditional methods of bread and croissant making, using natural levain and long fermentation. It’s a family affair at Le Marais – you might even run into Patrick’s wife and daughter working behind the bakery counter on the weekends!
St. Frank, 3665 Sacramento Street, Laurel Heights: St. Frank has satisfied my wanderlust the moment Christina Bryant opened her store on Sacramento Street a few year ago. The boutique has the most fabulously unique selection of artisanal finds like one-of-a-kind framed textiles, handwoven rugs, candles, pillows made from vintage fabrics, and tribal wall art from Mali, Peru, India, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Mexico. I mean, what’s better than a globetrotting personal shopper?
Ampersand, 80 Albion St, Mission: Tucked away on a quiet little side street in the Mission, Ampersand is quite possibly the most charming flower shop you’ll find in San Francisco. Actually, in the Bay Area. It’s that good. Founders Benjamin and Emerson left their corporate jobs years ago to pursue their passion for florals, in search of beauty and community. It’s especially cozy in the winter months, were you might want to just curl on the sofa with a cup of hot cocoa, a gorgeous bouquet and a bag of thoughtful gifts for friends.
(photography and video by Andrea Posadas; this post was created in partnership with Uber. All opinions are my own)
Wow! I love all the places you have shared, with character and very vintage. I would like to visit them some day. You have a very inspiring blog 😉
“Local businesses are the backbone of any community, so I greatly believe in the importance of supporting them, especially in an era where it’s far too convenient to shop online. With Small Business Saturday just around the corner, I’ve partnered with Uber to highlight my top 5, best-loved businesses.”
Well, that’s highly ironic. Uber may be local to YOU because it’s based in San Francisco, but the fact that our own taxi companies are regulated and taxed in ways that they are not means Uber is driving away the local businesses that are the backbone of OUR community. If you really believed in supporting local economies, you’d join the efforts to get Uber to do thorough background inspections, give training and supervision to drivers, require similar hours of operation, coverage areas and rates comparable to taxis and respond quickly and responsibly to complaints and criminal activity. These things are all required of licensed taxi companies, and of course such methods cost money to ensure safe rides, so skirting the regulations means Uber gets an unfair financial advantage over taxi companies.
It’s bad enough to support this huge global corporation who takes money out of local economies all over the world, but partnering with them to proclaim your support for local small businesses in this article is simply the height of hypocrisy.
I like to say that this is one of the best blog post I have visited so far. San Francisco has some of the best, brightest and most unique small businesses in the country. It was an exceptional and inspiring week that brought together small business owners, small business resources and sponsors for inspiration and education, networking and connecting all for the purpose of building success for today and into the future.
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If you support local economies, help make Uber safer & better: background checks, driver training, supervision, equal hours, coverage, & rates as taxis, and quick response to complaints & crime.Magic Rugs
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