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Shop Big on Small Business Saturday (+ $100 Reader Giveaway)

November 23, 2011 By 10 Comments

We visited a long list of great San Francisco shops with unique items, including Ruby, Stone Pony, Mira Mira and Gravel and Gold in the Mission, Noe Valley's Shoe Biz, Ambiance and Isso, as well as Pearl in the Inner Sunset.

Earlier this month, the folks at PAPER magazine and American Express asked us to head out on a shopping mission to local, independent boutiques we love in honor of Small Business Saturday. We were only too happy to oblige. After all, small businesses are a seriously big deal to us. Read on for the details on our adventure, get inspired to visit small bizzies on Saturday and enter our $100 giveaway from American Express.

As you know, and we know you know (and we know you know we know), small businesses make our city what it is and keep our lives full of new, unique things to do, see, eat, drink, buy and give as gifts. In that spirit, we dove into a few of our favorite shops in the Mission, Noe Valley and a few other hoods to uncover cool finds from the kinds of shops that lend San Francisco its local flavor.

If you shop on Small Business Saturday, register your American Express card online in advance, then use it on a purchase of $25 or more at a business that accepts American Express, and you’ll receive a $25 statement credit on your account.

These boots from Gravel and Gold are cooler looking than UGGS and made by an artisan in Bodega Bay. And would you believe it: they're machine washable.

How's this for stylish and local: these platform wedges are by Seal of the Sutro, the brand from the owners of the local Shoe Biz shops.

The polka dot shirt dress hanging on the racks is a best-seller at Mira Mira on 22nd.

Lots of local jewelry on display at Ruby, located in the Mission.

Vintage finds at relatively reasonable prices stood out at Stone Pony in the Mission.

Accessories and jewelry were on display in the window of Inner Sunset shop Pearl.

If you’re looking for places to visit on Small Business Saturday, check out PAPER‘s San Francisco City Guide. It’s packed with cool places to visit and additional deals you’ll score only on Saturday.

Need some extra cash to shop? Don’t we all…We’re giving away $100 in American Express gift cards in honor of Small Business Saturday. To enter: do one or more of the following (each counts as one entry):

- Sign up for our newsletter (box on right)

- Tweet us @sfindiefashion with the name of your favorite San Francisco small business

- Post on our Facebook wall with the name of your favorite San Francisco small business

- Comment on this post with the name of your favorite San Francisco small business

(Notice a theme? Smart people will employ the power of copy and paste). The winner will be chosen at random this week and notified via email, Facebook or Twitter, depending on how you enter.

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This post sponsored by American Express, though all opinions expressed here are our own, of course! What does that mean? In the interest of full disclosure, we’re letting you know that American Express compensated us for this post with gift cards, but we did the legwork, took the pics and used it as a chance to showcase some of our favorite local small businesses. We love our sponsors and hope you will, too. They make it possible for us to keep bringing you San Francisco’s independent fashion news five days a week.
Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Handmade, Indie Fashion, Indie-friendly stores, jewelry, Local designers, San Francisco boutiques, San Francisco Fashion News, san francisco shopping, shoes, Sponsored Posts, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Do List: SF Fashion Events Nov. 21-27

November 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s the week of our absolute favorite holiday of the year. Things will be quieter in San Francisco fashion land until we’ve gorged ourselves on Thursday, but then there’s much to do. You’ll find us blurbing a few of our favorite events here and complete details, as always, on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

  • First things first, enjoy cooking and baking and sitting and eating and talking and drinking and laughing and bitching and napping and cleaning and drinking and eating and giving thanks with your family and friends on Thursday.
  • On Friday, be ready for a deluge of San Francisco Black Friday sales, trunk shows and events. We’ll be rounding up the best of ‘em featuring local, independent sources in the next few days. Stay tuned for that.
  • The following day brings Small Business Saturday, a kind of antidote to Black Friday big box madness. We’ll be featuring a little something special on this nationwide initiative sponsored by American Express later in the week. But for now, know it’s the day to celebrate all those amazing small businesses that make our City so grand.
  • The same day, Molte Cose and Bella Cose owner Teresa Nittolo hosts a Holiday Bazaar and Fundraiser for Firehouse 8, an historic landmark building project that she’s been working on for months and months. The event offers a chance to shop from local artisans and designers such as Kathleen van der Spek, Lotta’s Bakery and Blue Ribbon Salvage and support the revitalization of a beautiful old San Francisco building into a new, multifunctional shopping and event space.
  • In Hayes Valley at Welcome Stranger, pop in on Saturday for the Mayfourtheenth Trunk Show and get an eyeful of this local sunglasses line’s latest styles while chatting with designer Benjamin Belsky.
  • All weekend, a reason to head slightly east comes with the year’s final installment of Treasure Island Flea. A holiday toy drive adds a feel-good element to the outdoor event filled with local vendors, designers and artisans. Bring a toy to donate to kids in need, and you’ll get in for free (reg. admission is $3). Other perks: parking is free, and the event is super kid- and dog-friendly.

You can find details on all of these events and more happening this week on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

Filed Under: Benefits & Charitable Events, fashion events, Indie fashion happenings Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Do List: San Francisco Fashion Events This Week

November 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment


The SF Indie Fashion Calendar is always full of events to keep San Francisco fashion lovers busy with trunk sales, beauty happenings, fashion shows and places to shop from independent sources — even on a fine holiday week such as this one. Here’s our pick of top San Francisco fashion events this week:

  • We’re sure we don’t have to tell you how many chances there are to save on merch come Friday. For a San Francisco Black Friday sale that’s not to be missed, head to Christopher Collins boutique on Sutter, where the Project Runway alum will be offering dresses for under $100 and coats for under $150, as well as tops for under $50 a pop.
  • Over the holiday weekend, take a journey to the East bay to celebrate Saturday’s grand opening of Oakland’s newest boutique, The Rare Bird, whose inventory of locally-sourced, vintage and recycled items for men, women and the home have us smitten.
  • Also on Saturday, shopping local becomes a cause for nationwide celebration during the first-ever Small Business Saturday. Shops, restaurants and other businesses around the country are offering special deals, in-store events and discounts in honor of the event. One that may appeal: American Express cardholders will receive a $25 credit when they purchase from a small business. To register your card in advance, go here.
  • Two events happening all weekend long bring further opportunities to shop. First, there’s Rock & Republic The Warehouse Sale Event, which brings oodles of premium denim to the City at a discount during its 11-day run on Post St. Drawing a different, but no less eager crowd is the The Women’s Building 32nd Annual Celebration of Craftswomen, billed as San Francisco’s largest holiday gift fair.
  • Close out the holiday weekend with a visit to Sunday’s Indie Bazaar, a free-to-attend shopping event featuring 40+ local, independent vendors, as well as a photo booth with Del Geronimo, beauty and styling demos and beats from DJ Mario Esco. Another reason to go: the event is having a clothing drive benefiting SF Smiles, so clean out your closet before you go.

You can find details on all of these events and more happening this week on the SF Indie Fashion Calendar.

Photography courtesy of Christopher Collins

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