USF sits on Lone Mountain in the middle of the city, and it is a walking campus. There is no retail strip on campus itself, so students shop on two streets they can reach on foot: Clement Street in the Inner Richmond, north-west of campus across Geary, and the Upper Haight, south of campus past the Panhandle. Everything in the first six sections is on campus or on those two streets.
On campus. The USF Bookstore (2130 Fulton St) fills the first floor of University Center with Dons gear, textbooks and supplies.
Clement Street. The low-numbered blocks of Clement are the Inner Richmond's main street. Food Folk (210 Clement St) sells California-made pantry staples and vintage kitchenware. Kitchen Istanbul (349 Clement St) is a Turkish restaurant in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Green Apple Books (506 Clement St) is the big one, an independent bookstore of themed rooms with new, used and rare books, open daily until 9pm.
Haight Street, Masonic to Stanyan. At the Masonic corner, Love on Haight (1400 Haight St) sells tie-dye from local artists and The Mellow (1401 Haight St) pairs houseplants with a cafe. Heading west, Piedmont Boutique (1452 Haight St) does stage and festival outfits, then come Relic Vintage (1475 Haight St), Welcome Haight & Ashbury (1500 Haight St) for maps and city gifts, Sandy's (1540 Haight St) for sandwiches and Buffalo Exchange (1555 Haight St). Past Ashbury the vintage gets thicker: 710 Collective (1644 Haight St), Indigo Vintage (1649 Haight St), Decades of Fashion (1653 Haight St) and Wasteland (1660 Haight St). The Booksmith (1727 Haight St), Cha Cha Cha (1801 Haight St) and Amoeba Music (1855 Haight St) finish the strip at the park.
The official store is the USF Bookstore, on the first floor of University Center at 2130 Fulton St. It carries Dons apparel and accessories (bags, jackets, shirts, sweats, mugs and license plate frames), new, used, digital and rental textbooks, and school supplies down to art materials and medical kits. It is also an Apple Authorized Campus Store, with educational pricing on Mac and iPad. USF's page doesn't post hours; it links to the store's own hours page, so check that before move-in week or commencement.
Start at the USF Bookstore, which lists dorm decor alongside supplies, and Apple gear if a laptop is on the list. For a first fridge stock with some personality, Food Folk (210 Clement St) sells bread, cheese, salami, kimchi and miso from California producers, plus secondhand plates, glasses and kitchen tools. It is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 9am to 5pm, closed Monday and Tuesday.
For a plant to soften a dorm room, The Mellow (1401 Haight St) is a houseplant shop with a cafe inside. For new sheets and towels, see Parachute in the last section.
Books. Green Apple Books (506 Clement St) is the student bookstore off campus, open daily 10am to 9pm, with a rare book collection and rooms worth an afternoon. The Booksmith (1727 Haight St) is the other independent, with local authors and a busy readings calendar.
Vintage and resale. Haight Street is the city's vintage strip and it is a walk from campus. Wasteland (1660 Haight St) and Buffalo Exchange (1555 Haight St) both buy clothes on the spot, so bring what you've outgrown. Wasteland is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm. Decades of Fashion (1653 Haight St) sorts genuinely old pieces by era, Relic Vintage (1475 Haight St) is strong on dresses and accessories, and Indigo Vintage (1649 Haight St) adds its own SF totes and tees.
Records. Amoeba Music (1855 Haight St) sells new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes and posters, daily 11am to 7pm, with free in-store shows.
For official USF gifts, the USF Bookstore (2130 Fulton St) has Dons sweats, mugs and license plate frames for the family car.
For something local, Welcome Haight & Ashbury (1500 Haight St) sells maps, books and San Francisco keepsakes by local artists, and Love on Haight (1400 Haight St) stocks tie-dye from about 175 artists. 710 Collective (1644 Haight St) sells home goods and gifts and has a photo-booth lounge for a graduation photo strip. A signed book or a gift card from Green Apple Books (506 Clement St) is an easy win, and a bag of California pantry goods from Food Folk (210 Clement St) works for parents flying home.
Coffee and quick bites. The Mellow (1401 Haight St) has a cafe inside the plant shop at the Masonic end of the Haight. Sandy's (1540 Haight St) makes muffulettas on Firebrand bread, with a few tables. On Clement, Food Folk (210 Clement St) sells Poorboy Coffee beans for the dorm pour-over.
With parents. Kitchen Istanbul (349 Clement St) is a Turkish restaurant listed in the 2026 Michelin Guide California, the pick for a proper dinner close to campus. Cha Cha Cha (1801 Haight St) has served Caribbean-inspired tapas and sangria on Haight Street long enough to make the city's Legacy Business Registry, and it suits a loud family table. Neither posts hours here, so call ahead.
Transit. USF's transit page names the 5 Fulton, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary and 43 Masonic as the closest Muni routes. The nearest BART station is Civic Center. From Powell Street BART, take Muni from Fifth and Market; from BART generally, USF says to take the 5 Fulton or 31 Balboa to campus. From Caltrain at 4th and Townsend, take the 47 Van Ness to Van Ness and McAllister and transfer to the 5 Fulton.
Parking. Visitors need a daily permit, sold at two kiosks. On the main campus, enter the driveway from Golden Gate Ave between Kittredge Terrace and Roselyn Terrace; the kiosk is in the lot just right of the security gate. On Lone Mountain, enter the ramp from Turk St between Parker Ave and Temescal Terrace; the kiosk is halfway up. USF's page doesn't list rates.
Two of our districts east of campus fill the gaps, each a bus or car ride away. Fillmore Street has Crossroads Trading (1901 Fillmore St), which buys and sells secondhand clothing, and Browser Books (2195 Fillmore St), open daily 10am to 9pm.
Hayes Valley is the move-in upgrade: Parachute (445 Hayes St) for sheets, duvet covers and towels you can feel before ordering, and Buck Mason (568 Hayes St) for tees, denim and jackets. Both are open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm.
