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The 10 Best Shoe Stores in San Francisco

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It's Shoe Week! Check back all week for lots of shoe love.


Photo of Freda Salvador's design studio-slash-boutique by Aubrie Pick

San Francisco has some seriously great shoe stores, and several of them have been mainstays of the Bay Area for nearly two decades. Gimme Shoes was in Hayes Valley long before it was the most stylish neighborhood in San Francisco, as were Bulo and Paolo. Shoe Biz has been outfitting the feet of the young, style-conscious Haight Street shopper since the days when Jerry was still singing Truckin'. And we've got plenty of new blood to satisfy our shoe fetishes, including a spanking new Jimmy Choo in Union Square. Collected below are San Francisco's best shoe purveyors in a handy map. Let the shoe tour of SF begin!


· All Shoe Week Posts [Racked SF]

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Jimmy Choo

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Jimmy Choo opened its first stand-alone store in SF in May 2012. The jewel-box boutique features plush seating, mirrored tables and crystal chandeliers, the better to shop in style for limited edition and SF-only styles. You'll find lots of glitter, but plenty of neutrals as well for the less flashy among us.

Kurt Geiger

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Kurt Geiger, founded on Bond Street in 1963, opened its first U.S. outpost in San Francisco in 2012. The brand has a shoe to suit every style from punk rock to business casual, and still somehow everything manages to be on trend and chic. Don't miss their amazing seasonal sales.

Gimme Shoes

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Gimme shoes is so popular that the owners have opened a second location—on the same street (Hayes). They also have a third location on Fillmore. The first Gimme opened in 1984, so you can trust that they know shoes. It's your place for an expertly edited selection of brands including Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Veronique Branquino, Ann Demeulemeester, Chie Mihara, YMC, Fiorentini + Baker, Repetto, Vialis and lots more.
Paolo shoes are all designed in San Francisco by Paolo Iantorno and made in Italy, which is a pretty great combo if you ask us. The styles are European and eclectic, with everything from bright yellow driving shoes to taupe platform booties. Also check out the Fillmore location.

Shoe Biz

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With three locations on Haight Street, one on Valencia and one on 24th, Shoe Biz is the reigning small chain shoe store in San Francisco. Look for brands like Seychelles, Dr. Marten, New Balance, Fred Perry, H by Hudson and more. Don't miss their amazing sale prices on past and current seasons in the back of the store.

Freda Salvador

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The design duo behind Freda Salvador, Megan Papay and Cristina Polomo-Nelson, channel "A French woman with no boundaries, a perfectly tailored Italian woman, an American rock star from the '70s, and a Mexican legend" in their shoes and boots that took the country by storm when they launched just last year. Their sample sale last week sold out in 45 minutes. Get 'em while they're hot!

Heidi Says Shoes

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Heidi Says stores are prominent on Fillmore, one of SF's premier shopping strips San Francisco. The Collections and Casual shops are right down the block if you need an outfit to go with those DVF, B by Brian Atwood, Bettye Muller, or Guiseppe Zanotti lovelies.

Bulo Shoes

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You'll find platforms by the legendary Kork-Ease, heels from J Shoes, H by Hudson booties, Alberto Fermani sandals, Donald Pliner, and lots more in the comfort and hard-to-find-brand category.

John Fluevog Shoes

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Fleuvog shoes are for a person with a particular style, and for that person, they are the holy grail. The brand is a mainstay of alterna-footwear, and SF is lucky enough to have a whole store full of it. Also check out the Haight Street store

London Sole

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If flats are your thing, this is your shoe store. The designer, Jane Winkworth, has been called the "queen of ballet flats" by Vogue. All colors, all shapes and sizes, all flats.

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

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DSW may have moved to a smaller location when it was displaced by Uniqlo, but the bargains on designer shoes are still huge.

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Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo opened its first stand-alone store in SF in May 2012. The jewel-box boutique features plush seating, mirrored tables and crystal chandeliers, the better to shop in style for limited edition and SF-only styles. You'll find lots of glitter, but plenty of neutrals as well for the less flashy among us.

Kurt Geiger

Kurt Geiger, founded on Bond Street in 1963, opened its first U.S. outpost in San Francisco in 2012. The brand has a shoe to suit every style from punk rock to business casual, and still somehow everything manages to be on trend and chic. Don't miss their amazing seasonal sales.

Gimme Shoes

Gimme shoes is so popular that the owners have opened a second location—on the same street (Hayes). They also have a third location on Fillmore. The first Gimme opened in 1984, so you can trust that they know shoes. It's your place for an expertly edited selection of brands including Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Veronique Branquino, Ann Demeulemeester, Chie Mihara, YMC, Fiorentini + Baker, Repetto, Vialis and lots more.

Paolo

Paolo shoes are all designed in San Francisco by Paolo Iantorno and made in Italy, which is a pretty great combo if you ask us. The styles are European and eclectic, with everything from bright yellow driving shoes to taupe platform booties. Also check out the Fillmore location.

Shoe Biz

With three locations on Haight Street, one on Valencia and one on 24th, Shoe Biz is the reigning small chain shoe store in San Francisco. Look for brands like Seychelles, Dr. Marten, New Balance, Fred Perry, H by Hudson and more. Don't miss their amazing sale prices on past and current seasons in the back of the store.

Freda Salvador

The design duo behind Freda Salvador, Megan Papay and Cristina Polomo-Nelson, channel "A French woman with no boundaries, a perfectly tailored Italian woman, an American rock star from the '70s, and a Mexican legend" in their shoes and boots that took the country by storm when they launched just last year. Their sample sale last week sold out in 45 minutes. Get 'em while they're hot!

Heidi Says Shoes

Heidi Says stores are prominent on Fillmore, one of SF's premier shopping strips San Francisco. The Collections and Casual shops are right down the block if you need an outfit to go with those DVF, B by Brian Atwood, Bettye Muller, or Guiseppe Zanotti lovelies.

Bulo Shoes

You'll find platforms by the legendary Kork-Ease, heels from J Shoes, H by Hudson booties, Alberto Fermani sandals, Donald Pliner, and lots more in the comfort and hard-to-find-brand category.

John Fluevog Shoes

Fleuvog shoes are for a person with a particular style, and for that person, they are the holy grail. The brand is a mainstay of alterna-footwear, and SF is lucky enough to have a whole store full of it. Also check out the Haight Street store

London Sole

If flats are your thing, this is your shoe store. The designer, Jane Winkworth, has been called the "queen of ballet flats" by Vogue. All colors, all shapes and sizes, all flats.

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse

DSW may have moved to a smaller location when it was displaced by Uniqlo, but the bargains on designer shoes are still huge.