Top Shopping Streets and Neighborhoods

Shopping blocks are a great place to find local artisans' clothing & accessories, artwork, crafts and household furnishings. They're also a great place to grab a bite to eat and mix and mingle with the locals. 

Gaslamp Quarter

Downtown San Diego's thriving and well-known historic district, Gaslamp Quarter, is home to many uber-popular restaurants, bars, galleries, theatres and coffeehouses, but it also features unique boutique shopping. Whether your shopping list is uptown-chic or downtown-cool, the 5th Avenue block has a variety of opportunities.

For women's fashions and accessories, make sure your itinerary includes local boutiques like Wild Dove, BAIT and Blends shoe store, alongside bigger brands like Quicksilver, Lucky Brand and Urban Outfitters.

Little Italy

Another bona fide shopping area is the electric neighborhood of Little Italy. Great blocks include Fir & India Street, the 400 block of West Cedar Street and the 2000 block of Kettner Boulevard. This area is a treasure trove of shopping including women's, men's and children's fashions, jewelry, accessories, antiques, art, interiors, furniture and home goods. For home shopping, explore Love and Aesthetics, Vitreum, and India Street Antiques. If your desire is fashion, check out Stroll and Vocabulary Boutique. Little Italy also has many restaurants, wine bars, cafes and gastro pubs to help you re-fuel after shopping.

Mission Hills

The charming area of Mission Hills offers many local boutiques, salons, cafes, wine bars and dog-friendly restaurants. The 1600 block of West Lewis Street and the 900 block of Fort Stockton Drive are must shop areas. Here you'll find a host of great boutiques including Chateau Bel Age, Taboo Jewelry and Maison en Provence. Browse records at M-Theory Music or pick up artisan food items at Venissimo Cheese.

North Park & South Park

For the hip and happening local scene, the places to be are along 30th Street at University Avenue in North Park and 30th Street at Juniper Street in South Park. Both areas offer a diversified variety of restaurants, coffee houses, dessert bars, bars, beer pubs, vintage stores and colorful boutiques. In North Park, Pigment boasts great home goods, gifts, jewelry and more. Hunt & Gather offers up fresh vintage finds, and Simply Local boasts arts and crafts from dozens of local makers. South Park's popular boutiques include Gold Leaf for house and home, Thread & Seed for clothing and beauty, and Vinyl Junkies for music lovers. 

La Jolla

La Jolla, known as San Diego's jewel by the sea, is one of the best up-scale shopping areas in San Diego. It is also home to great oceanview restaurants, cafes and art galleries. A couple of noteworthy shopping blocks you will not want to miss are Prospect Street then on to Girard Avenue. Here you'll find fashion and great shopping for the whole family. For women, be sure to stop by  Amore, Boho People and Roxy (great for teens). For men, there's the Ascot Shop, Tommy Bahama, and Polo Ralph Lauren. For children, there's Geppetto's Toys, while for our beloved pets (we did say the “whole” family), stop by Muttropolis.

Finally, don't miss Warwick's Book Store, one of the best independent book stores around.

Cedros Design District

Cedros Design District is a shopper's mecca when it comes to a variety of interests, specializing in interior design. This quaint, dog-friendly area contains blocks of restaurants, cafes, galleries, garden stores, fashion boutiques, art and custom-designed furniture studios to speak to the true artistic visitor. Great boutiques include SoLo, Tucci, Cedros Soles and Pink Lagoon. The Leaping Lotus features more than 120 shops under one roof, including clothes, jewelry and furniture. While Kern & Co, TaDah Home Decor and Bixby & Ball are must stops for home furnishings.

Encinitas

Drive just five miles north from Cedros Design District, along the gorgeous Highway 101 coastline, to the cozy surf area of Encinitas. Home to Nixon watches & accessories, this Zen beach community extends casual restaurants, sidewalk cafes and yoga studios, intermingled with quaint boutiques. The shopping block on the main road, South Highway 101 near H Street, offers boutiques like Salt Culture and BlackBook Bikini, as well as Nytro bicycle shop and Magical Child children's shop. A few other unique shops nearby include Soulscape Gift & Book Store, Flashbacks Recycled Fashion and Earth Elements gift shop.

Whatever your interests and tastes, be sure to carve out some quality time for these San Diego shopping blocks—you won't be disappointed.

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