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Ballard: Ballard Sip & Ship
Coffee & tea
There’s no better place to pick up thoughtful last-minute gifts—local Sweet Petula soaps and candles dress up any bathroom—and especially lovely wrapping paper. Perks include fair-trade and organic espresso, not to mention the ability to ship all your packages without having to step foot in a post office.
• Open daily
• 1752 N.W. Market St., Seattle, WA; 206/789-4488
• www.sipandship.com -
Ballard: Venue Ballard
Arts & crafts
Call it a one-stop shop for beautiful, handmade gifts. More than 50 artists showcase their wares–look for locally designed handbags, handmade dolls, and artisan chocolates, for starters. Eight on-site studios allow customers to watch artists at work.
• Open Tuesday-Sunday, by appointment Monday
• 5408 22nd Ave. N.W., Seattle, WA; 206/789-3335
• www.venueballard.com -
Downtown: Far4
Home decor
A family-run boutique stocked with exquisite contemporary Russian porcelain that ranges from the bizarre to the functional. Look for the simple unglazed porcelain vases shaped like pomegranates, each fitting one single flower.
• Open daily
• 1020 First Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/621-8831
• www.far4.net -
Downtown: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Specialty food
The always-buzzing Pike Place Market shop and cheese-making kitchen churn out a flagship cheddar, chipotle-spiked fresh curds, and oven-ready 10-ounce containers of “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese. Marble cheese boards and Beecher’s buttery crackers too.
• Open daily
• 1600 Pike Place, Seattle, WA; 206/956-1964
• www.beecherscheese.com -
Downtown: Watson Kennedy
Home decor
In addition to one-of-a-kind vintage home items from London and Paris, the store stocks jewelry by local artists, tea towels, scented candles, and genteel party music on CDs ranging from Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday to Portland’s cocktail cult favorite, Pink Martini.
• Open daily
• 86 Pine St., Seattle, WA; 206/443-6281
• www.watsonkennedy.com -
Downtown: Liave
Home decor
We love their “beautiful things meant to be used” slogan and the items that are handpicked from European artisans. We’re especially keen on what’s offered from the northeastern corner of Europe, the Baltic states. Linens from Lithuania-napkins, runners, tablecloths—in mostly white and natural tones (from $7.50, for kitchen towels).
• Open Monday-Friday
• 1205 Western Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/364-0748
• www.liave-home.com -
Downtown: Sway and Cake
Women's clothing
The “sway” part of the store’s name refers to the little swagger that girls get when they look hot. Shop here to stay ahead of the fashion curve and dress like a celebrity. Many of the edgy outfits, handbags, and stiletto heels offered are available in Seattle only.
• Open daily
• 1633 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/624-2699
• www.swayandcake.com -
Downtown: Henrybuilt
Furniture
These pieces of furniture have no glitzy metal finishes, no heavily lacquered surfaces, no decorative ornamentation, and no wood stains. The wood is left as natural as possible and details such as interlocking joinery allow you to see how pieces are put together. The resulting aesthetic is modern and minimalistic.
• Open Tuesday-Saturday
• 997 Western Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/624-9270
• www.henrybuilt.com -
Downtown: Tuuli
Fabric stores
A jewel box of a shop, Tuuli is packed to the brim with bold, bright fabrics and accessories from Finland, including cheery, artful shower curtains from Marimekko, Kalevala folk jewelry, and decorated glassware from Iittala.
• Open daily
• 1407 First Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/223-1112 -
Downtown: World Spice Merchants
Specialty foods
Depending on what the staff may be toasting and grinding at the moment–maybe a blend for a curry, masala, or barbecue rub–the air is rife with spicy intrigue. The shelves are lined with 350 one-ounce sample jars of herbs, spices, and blends for shoppers to sniff. It makes you want to cook and, of course, eat.
• Open daily
• 1509 Western Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/682-7274
• www.worldspice.com -
Fremont: Bitters Co.
Home decor
This carefully curated store fills its shelves through a modern day treasure hunt, where the greatest asset is surprise. You never know what you’re going to find and what tales of discovery you’ll unfurl from objects like hand-painted wooden birds on a pruned branch from Brazil or Bitters Co. produced hand-blown glassware.
• Closed Mondays
• 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA; 206/632-0886
• www.bittersco.com -
Fremont: Eurostyle Your Life
Home decor
Innovative, eco-friendly, and functional housewares from all over Europe, with some extra-cool picks from Sweden. Check out those turquoise-colored felt placemats ($24) from Germany.
• Open daily
• 750 N. 34th St., Seattle, WA; 206/633-3876
• www.eurostyleyourlife.com -
Fremont: Tininha’s Boutique
Women’s clothing
Think bikinis are a hard sell in Seattle? Think again. Tininha’s hot items even include Brazilian bikinis–low-cut and several inches slimmer than your typical conservative American cut–with punchy colors, whimsical add-ons, and monograms that stand out on Seattle beaches.
• Open daily
• 617 N. 35th St., Seattle, WA; 206/985-6772
• www.iloveorla.com -
International District: Kobo
Arts & crafts
A sprawling museumlike space that is full of fine crafts from Japan as well as the Northwest. Find the incense from Kyoto made from fragrant aloeswood that was buried for centuries and is known for its calming effects (from $15).
• Open daily
• 604 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA; 206/381-3000
• www.koboseattle.com -
South Lake Union: Tottini
Toy stores
Design-conscious tots (or really, their parents) hit this store for the city’s coolest kid stuff. The boutique is stocked with modern, mostly locally designed products, like nursery decor, Uglydolls, Swaddle Designs organic blankets, and Tickle Monster by Seattle author Josie Bissett. • Open daily
• 259 Yale Ave. N., Seattle, WA; 206/254-0400
• www.tottini.com -
South Lake Union: Glenn Richards
Antiques
With 5,000 square feet of Asian antique and contemporary furniture and garden elements, this is an irresistible place to browse. Everywhere are collectibles and unusual objects from travels to China, Turkey, Japan, Bali, the Philippines, and Morocco.
• Open daily
• 964 Denny Way, Seattle, WA; 206/287-1877
• www.glennrichards.com -
Madison Valley: Red Ticking
Home decor
A Parisian flea market right in Seattle where you’ll uncover treasures from France and its neighbors, like hand-sewn pillows, vintage fabrics, and Danish china. A favorite find is the vintage German grain bags with a simple, farmhouse feel, great for covering everything from couches to dog beds (from $250).
• Open Tuesday-Saturday
• 2802 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA;206/250-8853
• www.redticking.com -
Madrona: JayWalk
Arts & crafts
Tidy rows of jewelry and crafts from 30 local artisans fill drawer after drawer, which you’re invited to open and explore. Vintage collectibles and glassware sit next to wax-cast sterling necklaces by Tory Herford and Hot Cocoa’s ribbon-bedecked blankets.
• Open Wednesday-Sunday
• 1105 34th Ave., Seattle, WA; 206/328-7776
• www.jaywalkseattle.com -
Madrona: Juniper
Women’s clothing
Less-is-more is the philosophy at this spare Madrona boutique, where a carefully curated mix of housewares, accessories, and clothing from “left coast” designers like 88 Orange (super-soft organic tees) and Portland-based Souchi (hand-loomed knits) are offered.
• Closed Mondays
• 3314 E. Spring St., Seattle, WA; 206/838-7496
• www.juniperinmadrona.com -
Pioneer Square: Utilikilts
Men’s clothing
Envision a blue-color garment for men with plenty of pockets for stashing tools and maybe even a microbrew, with a breeze between the knees. At this clothing store hangs kilts in four models, including the cotton/polyester Original ($188), fighting the stigma that skirts are for sissies.
• Open daily
• 620 1st Ave. S., Seattle, WA; 866/666-6985
• www.utilikilts.com -
Pioneer Square: Dry Soda
Specialty foods
Swap soda for wine? These nonalcoholic “culinary sodas” are tasty alternatives whose different aromas, flavors, and acidity levels marry well with different foods. Dry Soda’s creative flavors—kumquat, lavender, lemongrass, and rhubarb–are lightly carbonated, refreshingly less sweet than other sodas, and naturally caffeine-free.
• Open Monday-Friday
• 410 First Ave. S., Seattle, WA; 206/652-2345
• www.drysoda.com -
Interbay: Bedrock Industries
Home & garden
Step into the only homegrown, for-profit glass recycler showroom guaranteed to make something lovely and distinctive out of a bunch of colored glass. Inside you see glass icicles, wind chimes, sun catchers, and sea mix-colored tumbled glass for garden paths.
• Open daily
• 1401 W. Garfield St., Seattle, WA; 877/283-7625
• www.bedrockindustries.com -
Wallingford: Wide World Books & Maps
Women’s clothing
Portuguese phrase books, silk money belts, Rick Steves supersize towels–this shop has filled travelers’ needs since 1976. A worldly, well-informed staff have tales that can inspire some serious wanderlust to boot.
• Open daily
• 4411 Wallingford Ave. N., Seattle, WA; 206/634-3453
• www.wideworldtravelstore.com -
West Seattle: Twilight Artist Collective
Arts & crafts
If your personal style is eluding you, find inspiration here–from purses to headbands, ceramics to fine art. This artist collective was launched to help “the little man get his stuff out there.”
• Open daily
• 4306 S.W. Alaska St., Seattle, WA; 206/933-2444
• www.twilightart.net
