A fashion island of all things cool

Word to the wise: The ‘mollusk’ section of this multi-label store is worth exploring – if for no other reason than it’s housed in a submarine, complete with a watery blue void beyond the portholes.

Noteworthy for: Although the fashion is unisex, this store is particularly good for menswear and men's gadgets.

This is a retail collaboration between three San Francisco shops – Revolver, Spartan and Needles/Pens – and between them they seem to stock every kooky and cool knickknack you can think of: Japanese fashion labels, US military sunglasses, locally designed jewelry and more.

Each store occupies a separate space in one building – so it’s like a mall, except without the corporate monolithic bad bits, and with an atmosphere more like a street fair or fashion island. The back of the shop also houses a small bookstore with a careful selection of magazines, chapbooks, cookbooks, design books, fiction and poetry.