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Welcome to the Racked 38, our seasonal list of the essential stores in San Francisco. Consider it a rough —though non-exhaustive— guide to the local shops worth browsing. Every few months, we give this roundup a few nips and tucks to adjust for stores that have closed and make room for spots that should be on your radar. That's not to say that we don't continue to love the stores that we've removed. They'll always hold a special place in our hearts. It's just that change can be good. With that in mind, we bid adieu to seven stores on the list this season to add both newcomers, (Ampersand and Rebecca Minkoff), San Francisco classics (Susan and Wilkes Bashford), and a few sentimental favorites (Two Skirts, Timbuk2, and Curator) that deserve a chance to shine.
As always, this list isn't a ranking— stores are organized in vaguely geographic clusters. Have suggestions? Is your favorite shop missing? Or do you think one of our picks is way off? We'll update the list again, and we're always looking for reader input. State your case for (or against) stores in the comments or email the tipline.
1/13/2015: Removed The Kooples, Elizabeth Charles, Barneys, Levi's, The Grocery Store, Amour Vert, Erica Tanov; added Rebecca Minkoff, Wilkes Bashford, Curator, Two Skirts, Ampersand, Susan, and Timbuk2
10/30/14: Removed Carrots and Acre/SF (closed); Uniqlo, Muji, Converse; added Amour Vert, Goorin Bros., The Grocery Store, Unionmade, and The Kooples
04/08/14: Removed Gallery of Jewels and Conifer (closed); added Mill Mercantile and Legion