seriously spiffy: shopping: jackson square

since i wrote about a couple shops in jackson square a while back, i figured i'd expand and cover a few more. so here's a quick walking tour of the quiet jackson square area, which is a quick walk from the ferry building (to the east), north beach (to the northwest), chinatown (to the west) and union square (to the southwest). here, you'll fine antiques shops (which i'm not so into, so i'm not listing those), designer showrooms and a few cute retail shops.

A: eden & eden (560 jackson st) - very cute and uniquely curated collection of housewares, jewelry, clothing and gift items (much of which is imported from the UK) ... my latest fun find there are fine cashmere/silk sweaters by antoni & alison, in lovely pastel tones but unfortunately didn't quite fit right

B: glamour closet (114 columbus ave) - browse through wedding gowns, overstock and sample items direct from designers, retail stores and boutiques, at 25% to 75% off retail ... it was cute, the last time i passed by, there was a bride-to-be standing outside with a few magazine tearouts, going over her gameplan with her friends

C: urban burp (170 columbus ave, ste 110) - "rare vintage fabrics, home decor & upholstery"

D: vitra (557 pacific ave) - a narrow hall of a showroom, but they have a cute collection of vitra miniatures to view along the wall on the left in quiet (since this is not really a retail shop, don't worry about getting approached by pushy salespeople)

E: thos e cara (517 pacific ave) - a shop specializing in pretty espresso machines ... i've never actually walked in since i'm not a coffee-drinker, but i still peek in from time to time since it looks like a little espresso museum

F: kartell (501 pacific ave) - another not-really-retail showroom, meaning they typically cater to large call-in orders and act more as a showroom. but they definitely have items in stock and you can walk out with single pieces if you're in a rush ... i actually got a mademoiselle armchair recently at a great price since it was a discontinued floor sample

G: artemide (855 montgomery st) - showroom of modern lighting, a bit cramped though since it's a small space with tons of lighting packed in

H: carrots (843 montgomery st) - a spacious store carrying contemporary designer ready-to-wear lines for women and men, as well as some jewelry and home items ... the clothing isn't a huge departure from the contemporary dept at neiman or barneys (but definitely more convenient if you need a party dress in a pinch after leaving from your office in the transamerica building late), but it's worth a walk-through to check out the well-designed interior

I: william stout architectural books (804 montgomery st) - "over 20,000 titles on two floors in the fields of architecture, art, urban planning, graphic and industrial design, furniture and interior design, and landscape architecture" ... and they're not kidding about that, definitely a great source for design-y books and don't be shy about spending all day among the stacks