The size of Amoeba overwhelmed me, but positively. This place was easily way bigger than my local…read morerecord shop, let alone any record shop I've been to in the past. Amoeba offers a VAST collection of vinyls, DVDs, CDs, stickers, and magnets. My partner and I collect vinyls, and we didn't leave disappointed.

I still remember when this location was Park Bowl, but that was (gasp) over thirty years ago when…read morebowling was still a popular social activity. I myself was on a bowling team named the Orient Express, and I wish I still had my red team shirt with the dragon on the back. But I digress as this has been an independent record store since 1997, an offshoot of the Berkeley store on Telegraph. Digital downloads be damned, this shop is focused on physical media...CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, Blu-rays, and of course, vinyl. Even before picking up spares at Park Bowl, I recall that moment in my youth when I made the monumental decision to switch my record purchases from vinyl to CDs. Nowadays, vinyl is making a comeback among a younger generation looking for a higher quality, more realistic sound quality. I saw these Gen Z audiophiles flipping through the long LP bins in search of the elusive underground classic their stereophonic friends could appreciate and envy. Personally I could find nuggets of my own. Albums like The Very Best of Spike Jones (Photo 10) and The Complete 2,000 Year Old Man (Photo 5) resonated with me. I was happy to see individual LPs consolidated into boxed sets like the Linda Ronstadt retrospective. Beyond the music is the expansive DVD collection of movie titles both classic and obscure. There's also books and collectible merchandise like pop-culture lunch boxes and celebrity prayer candles. I'm not sure I need a candle that deifies Aubrey Plaza, but it's good to know where I can get one. RELATED - Exploring the Haight? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/Mq6DbbrGGJ

This shop have been here as long as I have lived. It's a…read morehuge part of SF Chinatown history. They sell traditional Chinese red envelopes with unlimited variations of designs, traditional Chinese New Years decorations and some tech stuff (aux plug or headphone plugs). Inside is a warm light (yellow), so colors/dye of decorations won't fade. It's a pretty huge space, they have red envelopes throughout the stores on very corner. Ranging and categorizing by events such as weddings, good luck, wealth, health, education, and they have a whole wall of customize last names. Today my mom bought a wedding envelope. That will be used for my cousins upcoming wedding. $3.95 and there's 2 inside. That's a pretty cheap price (Pricing depends on quality and design) Only con- The shop smells. It reeks of dry sweat and piss. There is no window installment. Idk if it's bad venting or no air conditioning or because they share venting with the chicken shop next door or because lots of homeless people piss in the alley... But they should find a fix. Because that is the #1 reason why they're not receiving business because customers aren't willing to stay in a smelly shop. And with more customers in there, the more stuffier it gets. While I was shopping today, 2 groups came in. One couple and a group of 6-8 young adults. The couple walked in and straight out. The group did a lap, complimented on the things but made fun of the smell, laugh and left.

Came here last time looking for some nice looking Chinese new year decorations & I ended up buying…read morea little mini hanging Lucky rabbit with a Chinese Style gold design & a small sized hanging red lantern... If your here in the San Francisco Ca Chinatown Area as a visitor from out of town from the states or from another country... And looking for nice looking Chinese New Year decorations... Go to the Asia Star at the San Francisco Chinatown Ca USA Location!!!

One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

Definitely a "hole in the wall" store located in an unassuming alleyway in SF Chinatown. Store…read morehours appear accurate and the owner Tony opened the door right at 1:00 PM. The store is cramped and ceilings are low, so be mindful of any big purses or backpacks - you wouldn't want to knock over any of the delicate figurines. The place sells mostly Gundams. Not as many Real Grade (RG) gundams available, but still a great place to check out. Prices are marked on a majority of the products which I appreciate, though I still did find some items that didn't have a price tag stuck on it. Overall a cool place to check out if you're just browsing and seeing if anything catches your eye, but not if you're hoping to find something super specific (you might be able to call ahead of time to check inventory but I haven't tried this)

The service was good and nice. The selection was wonderful, there were so many model kits!…read moreThe value was not bad but some of the Gunplas were a little expensive.

I have been to a lot of interesting Chinese Gift Shops all over the San Francisco Chinatown Ca USA…read moreArea & Asia Star is one of them!!!!! The only when this Asia Star Gift Shop gets really busy is during the Chinese Lunar New Year!!!!! If your here visiting from another country or from another US State & If you like Chinese memorabilia try going to this Asia Star Gift Shop at the San Francisco Ca Chinatown USA area!!!!

Shopping in San Francisco's Chinatown…read more.. I was strolling around when I passed by a display of red Good luck envelopes. I wondered if they had my family's last name... and they did! I also looked at some keychains and jade charms... thinking that they're easy to pack in my suitcase and great as gifts... hmmm... For example, my sister is Year of the Horse... my mom is Year of the Dog, etc. Maybe next time! For now, I'm happy with my lucky red envelopes!

I went to Out of Sight (not the pizza place)at North Beach in San Francisco. Out of Sight records…read moreis a store which sells vintage clothes, records, and home decor located in North Beach in an alley which is out of sight from the bars, and restaurants which makes it a hidden gem. I stumbled here and went down the stairs and I felt I transported in a time machine to the past. A record store selling vinyl records sighting in San Francisco is a rarity like meeting a San Francisco born native still living in San Francisco. There were some interesting items here for sale . Lots of vintage items inside and it seems like a movie and television props storage space . It's a good place to explore classics from the twentieth century. Out of Sight records is a blast from past when things were built to last. Although record shops in San Francisco decreased and are at a low percentage Go to Out of Sight Records if you want to shop and go vintage

This is a nice little record and used clothing shop in an alley in North Beach. The owner is a nice…read moreguy and prices seem reasonable. I haven't actually purchased anything there but plan to keep it in my rotation (no pun intended).

Finding a bookstore in San Francisco can be a challenge depending which side of city you are and…read morewhat you are looking for as far as subject matter. There are various bookstores which face the street sidewalks of San Francisco and are easy to enter and exit. There is a bookstore in San Francisco which is hidden from the public side walk and accessible through a mall on the second floor. It's located inside the Japan Center in Japantown and it's called Kinokuyina. On a Spring stroll inside Japan Center I landed inside Kinokuyina. In the land of the rising sun Kinokuyina is a bookstore was founded in 1927 in Japan and turns 100 years next year. This San Francisco location is the first in the USA which opened since 1969. They have other locations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore,Hong Kong, Taiwan,and the Philippines. Inside you will find lots of books in Japanese Kanji and English Manga. They also sell lots of novelties and t-shirts. This a great international bookstore in San Francisco. It's almost Summer say bye to the month of "May" they have a location in San Francisco another down the road by San Tomas Expressway in "San Jose "they have lots books of "display" from manga to "anime" Come visit they have books for any age "group "you can find magazines with the latest "scoop"so you can stay in the "loop" and you can even find a book like some in SF about "poop"

I've visited only two of Tokyo based Kinokuniya Bookstore's seventeen U.S. locations, San Francisco…read moreand Seattle, but because of my affection for Japanese food and culture, it left a strong impression, and I return from time to time. Did you know they have six stores in California and four in Texas alone? I'll gladly reconfigure my thoughts about Texans, that they that can support the existence of four Kinokuniya bookstores. Respectfully. I enjoy browsing the SF store, especially the travel section, cookbooks, and unique magazines. They have all the requisite kawaii stuff including Miffy, Moomin, Studio Ghibli, and Sonny Angels. Having Google Translate at the ready in camera mode, makes exploring some of the Japanese titles even more fun. A unique, immersive bookstore experience.

Love these guys! I've bought two beautiful instruments from them and the experience both times was…read morefantastic. They are very chill, supportive, and helpful. It's a beautiful place to find just the right guitar :) And they have a fantastic selection of ukulele's and baritone ukulele's as well!

Got my guitar restrung here. The service was excellent and fast. They have a wide range of guitars,…read moreincluding less expensive ones. I appreciated that considering where we live.