Shopping A-Z

Large stores and shops in malls tend to stay open until about 9pm on weekdays, 6pm on weekends. Smaller businesses usually close at 5 or 6pm or may keep odd hours. When in doubt, call ahead.

Art & Crafts

While San Diego is not known as a powerhouse art city, you'll find some 25 galleries in La Jolla village alone; downtown, Little Italy, and North Park also offer a concentration of galleries. Hours vary, so call ahead.

Department Stores

You'll find plenty of major retailers in large shopping centers that provide ample opportunity to browse for gifts, mementos, or necessities.

Farmers' Markets

We love our open-air markets. Throughout the county no fewer than two dozen regularly scheduled street fests are stocked with the freshest fruits and vegetables from Southern California farms, augmented by crafts, fresh-cooked ethnic foods, flower stands, and other surprises. San Diego County produces more than $1 billion worth of fruits, flowers, and other crops each year. Avocados, known locally as "green gold," are the most profitable crop and have been grown here for more than 100 years. Citrus fruit follows close behind, and flowers are the area's third most important crop; ranunculus bulbs from here are sent all over the world, as are the famous Ecke poinsettias.

Here's a schedule of noteworthy farmers' markets -- you can also check with the San Diego Farm Bureau (tel. 760/745-3023; www.sdfarmbureau.org).

There are two farmers' markets downtown. One is a seasonal affair, running March through October on Thursdays from 11am to 3pm; call tel. 760/741-3763 for information. The market at Third Avenue and J Street runs throughout the year on Sundays from 9am to 1pm; call tel. 619/279-0032 for details.

In Hillcrest, the market runs Sundays from 9am to 1pm at the corner of Normal Street and Lincoln Avenue, 1 block north of University Avenue. The atmosphere is festive, and exotic culinary delights reflect the eclectic neighborhood. For more information, call the Hillcrest Association at tel. 619/299-3330.

La Jolla also has a Sunday market. It's held on the playground at La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Ave, from 9am to 1pm. Call tel. 858/454-1699 for more information.

In Ocean Beach, a fun-filled market is held Wednesday evenings between 4 and 7pm (until 8pm in summer) in the 4900 block of Newport Avenue. In addition to fresh-cut flowers, produce, and exotic fruits and foods laid out for sampling, the market features art and entertainment. For more information, call the Ocean Beach Business Improvement District at tel. 619/224-4906.

Head to Pacific Beach on Saturday from 8am to noon, when Mission Boulevard between Reed Avenue and Pacific Beach Drive is transformed into a bustling marketplace. Call tel. 760/741-3763 for more information.

In Coronado, every Tuesday afternoon the Ferry Landing hosts a produce and crafts market from 2:30 to 6pm.

Music

The best place for serious collectors is Lou's Records, 434 Hwy. 101 in Encinitas, about 30 minutes north of downtown (tel. 760/753-1382; www.lousrecords.com). Here you'll find a building devoted to new and import CDs, one to used CDs and vinyl, and yet another catering to DVD and VHS fanatics. You can even buy turntable styluses and cartridges. More central are Off the Record, 2912 University Ave., North Park (tel. 619/298-4755; www.offtherecordmusic.com), and M-Theory Music, which has two locations: 915 W. Washington St. in Mission Hills (tel. 619/220-0485), and 3004 Juniper St. (tel. 619/269-2963) in South Park. Each has a good selection of indie releases and used CDs, LPs, and DVDs; M-Theory also hosts lots of in-store band appearances (check the website at www.mtheorymusic.com). Die-hard headbangers should make the trek to Blue Meanie Records, 1164 N. 2nd St. in El Cajon, 20 minutes east of downtown (tel. 619/442-5034; www.bluemeanierecords.com), where a head-shop ambience adds to the selection of metal and punk albums, T-shirts, and posters. Last but not least is Folk Arts Rare Records, 2881 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights (tel. 619/282-7833; www.folkartsrarerecords.com), which is nirvana for serious jazz, folk, and blues collectors. Operated since 1967 by local legend Lou Curtiss, it offers first-edition rarities on vinyl and 78s, most of them fairly priced. If you're not a collector or don't have a turntable, the store specializes in creating custom recordings of the vintage music on CD or cassette.

Travel Accessories

Along with the stores listed, try Eddie Bauer at Fashion Valley (tel. 619/688-6544) or University Towne Center (tel. 858/552-9224) for travel gear.

Wine

San Diego has several unique places where you can combine wine shopping with dining. You'll feel like you've really accomplished something when you finally find WineSellar & Brasserie in its odd business-park setting, 9550 Waples St. in Sorrento Mesa (tel. 888/774-9463 or 858/450-9557; www.winesellar.com). It started out as a wine storage facility, hence the strange locale, but not only has it grown into one of the area's best wine stores, there's an excellent French-inspired restaurant upstairs. Pick a bottle and head on up (reservations definitely recommended). Ocean Beach's 3rd Corner, 2265 Bacon St. (tel. 619/223-2700; www.the3rdcorner.com), is more centrally located and has an informal, casual air. You can browse for a bottle to go with the mostly small-plate offerings. It serves late and has become popular with local bar and restaurant workers.