Shopping in Pacifica

With more than 3,000 titles in the store, Issues contains enough information to finally put the smug Dewey Decimal System to shame. Brush up on foreign policy with the latest issue of the Monocle ($10), ruminate on the cultural impact of food (especially the beautifully photographed variety) in Gastronomica ($13), or challenge your love of corporations with some anti-corporate critical thinkery with Adbusters ($8.95). While browsing, don't hesitate to tap the friendly staff's deep knowledge of the store's catalog, which can be accessed either by asking them or by rubbing their magical bellies.

Charmelle 28 features high-quality lingerie from renowned European designers such as Aubade, Marie Jo, Lise Charmel, and PrimaDonna. Delicate camisoles, lacey bras, and seamless panties fill the store’s racks and tables at two area locations, where expert staffers are on-hand to make recommendations and take measurements. Charmelle 28’s stock of underthings also includes low-key sleepwear as well as hosiery and more risqué bustiers.

The team at Nor Cal Surf Shop encourages customers to bond with their natural surroundings via a gamut of exhilarating outdoor activities such as surfing, kiteboarding, snowboarding, and skateboarding. With more than 300 surfboards and an extensive wetsuit wardrobe, the staff outfits surfers in complete rental packages. Professional instructors on the Nor Cal team also accompany aspiring athletes on various outings to instill proper technique and break performance-inhibiting habits. All lessons are tailored to improve individual performance in natural settings, including skating lessons, which take place behind the Nor Cal Surf Shop on a halfpipe planted by the shop's resident ramp gardener.

In 1967, radio technician and Army veteran Richard Savoy debuted a collection of used books, comics, and old National Geographic magazines in a 750-square-foot space. It was an unusual niche that turned out to be just what the neighborhood wanted, and the original collection planted the seeds of a local literary institution that’s gone on to swallow neighboring storefronts and shoot off into a music, fiction, and DVD annex a few doors down. In 2009, Savoy sold the bookshop to three longtime employees who have put their own stamp on Green Apple Books with innovations such as selling e-books, hosting events, and adding energy-efficient lighting that shines brightest on the stuff you really want to read.

Over the years, the most important facet of the charmingly creaky-floored haven has remained the same: an abiding love for all things literary. You can read it between the lines of the handwritten "shelf-talkers"—small, colorful signs detailing the staff's personal recommendations. You can hear it when you speak to the friendly booksellers themselves—according to Frommer's, the store's "extended sections in psychology, cooking, art, and history; collection of modern first editions; and rare graphic comics are superseded only by the staff's superlative service." And you can feel it in the air as you climb the winding staircase to the second floor to explore tucked-away alcoves surrounded by original gaslight fixtures.

The store's carefully curated and ever-changing inventory ranges from categories such as poetry and philosophy to sports and children's books. The enormous selection and the staff’s astonishing command of it all have earned Green Apple numerous awards, including the title of Best Independent Bookstore in the San Francisco Bay Guardian's 2010 Readers Poll, and Best Overall Bookstore and Best Used Bookstore in 2011 and 2012. The owners spread the joy of reading beyond the shop’s overstuffed walls by partnering with worthy causes such as the Asia Foundation's Books for Asia program and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Spotlight-dappled display tables and fully loaded shelves invite visitors to peruse Kicks' collection of designer brands as the store's fashion gurus aid with selections. They take great care to make sure that their clients find fashionable wears from head to toe, with the latter finding stylish homes in shoes from brands such as Cole Haan, Donald J Pliner, and French Soles. The fashion gurus’ finely tuned eyes help shoppers make decisions on form-fitting Fabrizio Gianni jeans, topped with Velvet or Before + Again tees and finished off with Barbour jackets and a smattering of applause. Handbags and jewelry drape across wrists or over shoulders, and scarves and nail polishes accent newly formed outfits.